Confronted with any number of good causes to spend money on, appalled by the swift obsolescence of military hardware, even faintly hoping that a cold war thaw might resolve the question. Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's government delayed for months a $350 million decision: whether to replace the outmoded Sabre day fighters flown by eight of Canada's twelve NATO squadrons in Europe. Ottawa's long irresolution spurred a mild rash of public and private talk that Canada should spend the money on aid to underdeveloped nations instead—to the extent that a discomfited Diefenbaker,...
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