Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 57 Part 2.djvu/782

 INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS OTHER THAN TREATIES [57 STAT. December 28, 1942 and Januar 13, 1943 Agreement between the United States of America and Canada respecting [E. A. S.388] the Canol Project exploratory wells. Effected by exchange of notes signed at Ottawa December 28, 1942 and January 13, 1943. The American Minister to the CanadianSecretary of State for External Affairs No. 818 Sm: Ante, pp. 1413,1415. LEGATION OF TH UNrrED STATES OF AMERICA Ottawa, Canada,December 28, 1942. I have the honor to refer to our exchange of notes of June 27 and June 29, 1942, regarding the desire of the United States Govern- ment to take steps for extending the fuel supply for the U. S. Army in Canada and Alaska. At that time the United States Government pro- posed, and the Canadian Government approved, the so-called Canol Project which included, inter alia, the drilling of wells in the vicinity of Norman Wells, and the laying of a pipeline from Norman Wells to Whitehorse, capable of delivering 3,000 barrels of oil daily. The developments of our joint war effort have in the opinion of my Government made it vitally necessary to discover additional sources of petroleum in northwestern Canada and Alaska, capable of produc- ing from 15,000 to 20,000 barrels per day, to supplement the supply which will be obtained from Norman Wells. This will require the drilling of exploratory, or in oil parlance "wildcat" wells in this northern region. As such operations should be conducted in a num- ber of widely separated locations in the Northwest Territories, where oil is believed to exist, it is suggested that the area in Canada within which such operations are authorized be bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the 112th meridian, on the south by the 60th parallel, on the west by the Continental Divide and the Alaska- Canadian Border. The operations under immediate contemplation, - as a result of which, however, it may prove desirable to enlarge or expand the Canol Project - are for the sole purpose of discovering oil fields capable of producing the required 20,000 barrels per day. No plans have as yet been worked out covering the refineries, storage or distribution systems beyond those already authorized and approved by the Canadian Government. In view of all the circumstances involved, and the increasingly urgent need of additional fuel for military purposes in the far north, the Government of the United States of America hopes that the Canadian Government will approve these exploratory operations with the understanding that the United States Army authorities be allowed 1418

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