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“The detail
of the work is remarkable,” Kelly said. “The early plan from 1812 was written by a man named Benjamin Tallmadge, who was a spy for the Americans during their Revolutionary War. The later plan, for the 20th century, was drafted by more society members skilled in warfare. I read both. Quite amazing what America had in store for Canada. Andropov’s original source learned about this and passed it on, along with something else, something even more important, which required me to reverify. It is the second move in Fool’s Mate, Aleksandr. The one you asked about, the one that wins the game.”
An excitement surged through him.
“I redeveloped contact within the society with the same member who first talked to our embassy official. His name was Bradley Charon and we struck up a friendship. The fact that the society twice planned Canada’s invasion was some sort of guarded secret. Only a few of the members knew. And frankly, that’s of little consequence. But that other piece of information. That made all the difference. Yet one question lingered.”
He knew. “Was the information correct?”
“That’s right. And it was, Aleksandr. Every detail.”
He felt compelled to say, “That society. I know of it. There were mentions of it in old KGB records. Also, that name, Tallmadge—there’s a journal he is associated with, which the society possessed. I learned that Andropov was interested in that journal, so I concluded that part of your mission was to acquire it.”
“Excellent work. You’re correct.”
“That Soviet contact in our embassy,” he said. “He reported to Andropov about a secret room in that man, Charon’s, home. A few days ago I sent someone to find that room, on the chance the journal might be there. She’s been here for nearly a week, searching. At some point I need to make contact with her.”
“She knows where the actual journal is located?”
“That’s what I have to find out. From her.”
“We don’t need it, Aleksandr. I know exactly what it says.”
Good to hear.
“It’s actually quite amazing, and ironic. And I assure you, what that journal contains is catastrophic.”
But there was one thing. “Provided a workable RA-115 is nearby.”
“You sound as if that’s not possible.”
“Is it?”
“You’ll find out, in about three hours.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Summary of Military Options in a War with Canada Dated: June 4, 1903
During the summer of 1898 the United States fought a conflict against Spain. It lasted a mere three and a half months and ended with a resounding American victory. The United Kingdom stayed neutral, but afterward it became increasingly concerned with the United States. Ownership and control of the coming Panama Canal has further agitated relations. America is evolving into a global power, a potent force on the high seas, and the United Kingdom, which currently fields the largest army and most powerful navy in the world, fears that competition.
For several decades now Canadian–American relations have been strained over a lingering border dispute in the northwestern region. Gold being discovered in the Yukon has further aggravated this conflict. The United Kingdom has just emerged from a costly war in South Africa and is unwilling at the present to supply the Canadians with any additional military assistance in their ongoing border dispute. Both the United States and Canada have moved troops to the Yukon region.
This secret document was requested by the War Department and details a plan concerning a possible full-scale invasion of Canada. American interest in acquiring Canada dates back to the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. The 1783 Treaty of Paris respected Canada’s (or as it was known at the time, the Province of Quebec’s) independence. Of late, America’s interest in Canada has again sparked from a flicker to a high flame. Absorption of its territory through nonviolent means is certainly preferable, but Canada is deemed a valuable component of the British Commonwealth, one Great Briain would clearly defend. It is the second largest manufacturing country within the British empire, with Ontario and Quebec the most important industrial centers. As tensions rise between the United States and the United Kingdom, Canada is becoming increasingly strategic and vital to American national security. Recent military successes overseas and acquisition of new territories in the Pacific and Caribbean have fostered a renewed interest in American expansion northward.
The following pages contain a detailed analysis, along with all relevant data affecting a military operation against Canada. But here is a summary of the proposed plan:
(1) A first strike on Bermuda to eliminate the island as a possible port or supply base for the Royal Navy;
(2) A takeover of Halifax. Harbor defenses in and around Halifax have recently undergone new fortification, but its armaments remain obsolete. Without Bermuda, that port would become the main entry point for any overseas British reinforcements. An on-site visit to the port (made in preparation of this study) showed that the dockyard itself seemed a place of rust and ghosts, incapable of sustaining any long-term military operations. But that situation could be remedied, so the port should be secured;
(3) Acquire western entry points. Here the aim is to sever communications with eastern Canada and prevent reinforcements from Australia, New Zealand, and India. The same derelict-port situation from Halifax exists on the Canadian west coast at Esquimalt, where American land forces could easily be sent ashore. Another on-site visit showed that this former British base, now Canadian, is ill equipped and poorly manned, its dock currently in horrid condition;
(4) Additional ocean-capable ports at Yarmouth, St. John, Montreal, Quebec City, Prince Rupert, Vancouver, Victoria, Churchill, Three Rivers, Windsor, and New Westminster would likewise be either seized or blockaded;
(5) An initial troop land thrust would cut all rail communications, with one front in Maine, another in Montana, and a third, the main column, up through the Great Lakes where the St. Lawrence River canals would be seized;
(6) Control of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River is vital, but the bridge at Cornwall offers the fastest way to transport troops and equipment northward across the border;
(7) The Great Northern Railway connecting Quebec to the West must be taken. This would include the Pacific terminal at Prince Rupert. From a military viewpoint these railroads provide excellent transportation. Once seized, Canadian prairie farmers located along the rail lines, unable to export their crops, might be inclined to deal exclusively with the United States. This could cripple the Canadian economy with widespread food shortages;
(8) Highways will need to be controlled. While there are enormous stretches of country, particularly in the northern portion, with few or no roads, the southern portion is well served. Some 95,000 miles of roads exist, most classified as gravel, macadam, and concrete construction. Gravel roads will require extensive maintenance, especially during the spring.
The full plan anticipates a possible offensive response with Canadian and British troops sweeping down into New England, and other operations targeted at Michigan, Pennsylvania, and the Pacific, the idea being to create a multifront attack. The most effective means to counter these moves is to draw Canadian and/or British forces deeper into American territory, stretching their supply routes, lengthening their lines of communications, and isolating them.
It is our opinion, though, that Canada would most likely develop only a defensive posture, similar to what happened during both the 1775 and 1812 American invasions where local patriots waged an effective guerrilla war. Montreal and Quebec City would have to be strongly defended, most likely by the regular Canadian army, while the British navy attacked American commerce in the Atlantic. This was another tactic employed during the 1812 conflict. American naval power, though, is much different today than in the early part of the 19th century. Our fleet is now fully capable of engaging its British counterpart.
Estimates are that Canada could maintain an effective defense for only a matter of weeks. Any military force sent from the
United Kingdom in support could defend defined points for a limited time, but would eventually be overborne by sheer weight of numbers. Even if the Royal Navy managed to command the seas, the war would be lost on land. Canada would most likely concentrate on the defense of Halifax and the Montreal–Quebec line in order to hold its current bases of operation.
Our conclusion is that military operations by Canadians would be limited. We note that during our field visits (acting as casual tourists) French Canadians liked to boast that “we beat the Americans before and we can do it again.” But a British officer said that the defense of Canada would be more difficult than the protection of India.
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
Luke read the invasion summary, then thumbed through the pages of facts and figures used to support the suggested tactics. Sue was now scanning the summary, her reading every bit as intent as his own.
“It was a different time,” Begyn said. “Manifest destiny had taken hold. We controlled Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. To the world we had the look and feel of a budding empire. It was the era of Teddy Roosevelt, when we first flexed our muscles on a global stage.”
At times like this he wished he’d studied history closer. He knew some of what Begyn was referring to, but not the details. “How did the society come to prepare this plan?”
“Notice the date, 1903. At this point the Army War College had been formed, but the first class of students did not attend until 1904. So there was nowhere the United States planned for war, whether real or imagined. No one was thinking about possibilities, planning for contingencies. Teddy Roosevelt supported the society. He needed a plan drawn, in secret, without any attention. We could offer that service.”
“Except that it blows to hell that image of a quiet, benign social order.”
Sue finished her reading. “It sounds like they really meant to do this.”
“On May 21, 1916, the Army War College filed its own plan for the invasion of Canada. Much of it tracked this original position paper. From 1903 to 1916 the United States spent $71 million, a huge amount of money at the time, on fortifications along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, which were recommendations we made. The 1916 report came about because of England’s close ties with Japan and what the British might allow the Japanese to do in Canada. A lot of it was hysteria, but it was the kind of hysteria people back then believed.”
