Matters of Moment

The Rt. Hon. Louis Stephen St. Laurent, Prime Minister of Canada, paid his first state visit to Washington last week. Actually, despite his striped pants, stiff collar and courtly manners, he was just like an old friend dropping in for a chat. There was no state dinner: Good Neighbor St. Laurent was entertained at a stag luncheon in Blair House with 14 other guests--mostly top-drawer U.S. officials.

When he met the U.S. press, St. Laurent's eyes twinkled as he pointed to a parallel between himself and Harry Truman. "We both came into office without an election," he said, "and we both replaced men who had wide experience and . . . success in winning elections. Mr. Truman has had his acid test, and I am facing mine ... I am here to try to find out, at first hand, Mr. Truman's secret . . ."

Although he had come to sign no pacts and to transact no formal business, St. Laurent had many matters to talk over. Uppermost in his mind was the North Atlantic defense pact (see INTERNATIONAL), which Canada keenly desires.

In the narrower frame of U.S.-Canadian defense, two questions were up for discussion. Would the U.S. radar network be extended around Canada's Arctic? St. Laurent was worried about the cost--he had seen some plans for electronic expenditures so vast that they would leave no money for anything else. He promised that his government would respect U.S. leases on three Newfoundland bases when that island joins Canada on March 31. PM St. Laurent hoped that the U.S. would in turn respect Canada's rights, treating her "on a plane of equality."

The next day, St. Laurent attended Low Mass at Washington's St. Matthew's Cathedral, then went to lunch as guest of Secretary of State Dean Acheson. When he left for home (by train, because sleet prevented flying over the St. Lawrence), St. Laurent could safely leave the i-dotting details to be worked out on the embassy level. During the 45-hour visit, Harry Truman, no linguist, had almost learned how to pronounce his guest's name. It came out "San Loran."

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