Buster Brown goes on and on and on/Update: Perfidious Canadians and Brits

David Warren of the Ottawa Citizen notices The Torch:

With friends like these...

Perhaps it’s time we dusted off the plans for defending Canada from the United States. Perhaps we are already doing so — as I’ve learned from Mark Collins, who has been reviewing “highly secret” Canadian defence documents on his blog, The Torch.

The documents are from 1922. That may seem a long time ago, but as I am not aware of any later strategic thinking, on the threat of an American invasion, we will have to take them as “most current available.” As a writer of United Empire Loyalist ancestry, the invasion of 1812 remains fresh in memory, to say nothing of the Fenian raids, that contributed such urgency to our Confederation. And as a former boy scout, I think, “Be prepared.”

Here I am referring to “D.S. No. 1” from “NDHQ” — distributed in 1922 and withdrawn around 1932, with instructions to all military districts to destroy it...

Thanks very much, Mr Warren; I must however point out that this a group blog, founded by Damian Brooks. And that the documents in question were reviewed at the archives by a friend who does considerable research there, not by me. The post to which Mr Warren refers, which gives details on Defence Scheme No. 1:

"Highly Secret": Abandon Ottawa to the Yanks!

And from Spotlight on Military News and International Affairs today:

...
Canadian Commentary

Mark Collins -- The Torch
Abandon Ottawa to the Yanks!
David Warren -- The Ottawa Citizen
With friends like these ...

Update: A comment received from my researcher friend:

Alas, Warren overlooked the fact that the foundation of Defence Scheme I was a spoiling attack on the US to buy time and create strategic space allowing a slow retreat while mother England got her act together. Given that in 1922 Canada still had a reserve of CEF veterans, including seasoned commanders and highly trained staff officers with far more sucessful military experience and tactical acumen than their "doughboy" counterparts, we might have pulled it off. It would be fascinating to war-game Defence Scheme No.1 against War Plan Red.

I hae me doots, can't see the Brits actually coming to our rescue at that time. But see The Stricken Nation (p. 162, 1890) for truly perfidious Canadians and Brits of a previous generation.

Upperdate: More analysis of the plan:

Canadian Defence Scheme Number One
A Defensive Preemptive Strike Against the United States, circa 1921

And excerpts from the scheme itself:

...
POLITICAL QUESTIONS
...
2. French Canadians (all Roman Catholics) form nearly one third of the population of Canada. They took little interest in the Great World War. There may have been “Vatican” influence, but it would appear that the main reason for lack of interest was lack of proper political control and leadership from Ottawa. The Roman Catholic in Canada is suspicious of the Militia. It has no reason to be so. It has everything to gain and nothing to lose by supporting the Militia. If the United States ever conquered Canada, the dual language would be done away with at once and the Roman Catholic Church would have much less power and influence by one hundred fold...

Section 9: Allies or Possible Allies of Great Britain
...
Mexico. It has a turbulent and unruly population estimated from 12 to 15 millions. For over 100 years it has been a pin-prick on the American Southern Flank. The Mexicans have not shown themselves, generally speaking, opposed to British interests. In case of war with the United States it is not unlikely that Mexico would cause trouble on the Southern Frontier, causing a goodly force of United States’ troops to be concentrated towards Mexico. If Mexico became an active participant in a War against the United States, it would be an area of operation for Britannic or British Empire troops against the Southern States, having for its object the capture of Galveston and New Orleans, and blocking the Mississippi River...

Shades of the Zimmermann telegram, thank goodness the scheme was not leaked at the time. The good old days.