Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 56 Part 2.djvu/379

 INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS OTHER THAN TREATIES [56 STAT. The Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs to the American Minister DEPARTMENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS CANADA No. 29. OTTAWA, March 18, 1942. SIR, I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your Note of March 17, 1942, No. 626, in which you referred to the recommendation approved by the Permanent Joint Board on Defence, as a result of which the two Sections of the Board proposed to their respective Governments: "the construction of a highway along the route that follows the general line of airports, Fort St. John - Fort Nelson - Watson Lake - Whitehorse - Boundary - Big Delta, the respective termini connecting with existing roads in Canada and Alaska." 2. As announced on March 6, 1942, the Canadian Government has approved this recommendation and has accepted the offer of the United States Government to undertake the building and wartime maintenance of the highway which will connect the airports already constructed by Canada. 3. It is understood that the United States Government will (a) Carry out the necessary surveys for which preliminary ar- rangements have already been made, and construct a Pioneer Road by the use of United States Engineer troops for surveys and initial construction. (b) Arrange for the highway's completion under contracts made by the United States Public Roads Administration and awarded with a view to insuring the execution of all con- tracts in the shortest possible time without regard to whether the contractors are Canadian or American. (c) Maintain the highway until the termination of the present war and for six months thereafter unless the Government of Canada prefers to assume responsibility at an earlier date for the maintenance of so much of it as lies in Canada. (d) Agree that at the conclusion of the war that part of the highway which lies in Canada shall become in all respects an integral part of the Canadian highway system, subject to the understanding that there shall at no time be imposed any discriminatory conditions in relation to the use of the road as between Canadian and United States civilian traffic. 4. The Canadian Government agrees (a) To acquire rights of way for the road in Canada (including the settlement of all local claims in this connection), the title to remain in the Crown in the right of Canada or of the Province of British Columbia as appears more con- venient;

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