Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
John G. Diefenbaker fonds
General material designation
- Textual record
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Fonds
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Physical description
16.5 cm of textual records
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
John George Diefenbaker was the Prime Minister of Canada from 1957 to 1963. He was born on 18 September 1895 in Neustadt, Ontario, and moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 1910. He studied at the University of Saskatchewan and received a Bachelor of Law degree in 1919. During the First World War, Diefenbaker enlisted in the 196th Battalion and served in England until February 1917. After the war, he practiced law until 1957. He became interested in politics and became leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal-Conservative Party from 1936 to 1941. In 1940, he ran in the federal election for the first time. In 1956, Diefenbaker was elected leader of the Conservative Party. He was Prime Minister of Canada from 21 June 1957 to 1963 and subsequently the leader of the Opposition until September 1967. He died on 16 August 1979.
Custodial history
Scope and content
Fonds consists of a selection of photocopied records from the Diefenbaker Canada Centre Archives in Saskatoon. Isabel Campbell of the Naval History Team at the Directorate of History and Heritage selected key records to support the post war naval history project. The records are various documents describing John G. Diefenbaker’s life and career, especially in the late fifties and early sixties. It includes memoranda to the Prime Minister, correspondence with leaders of other states, military officers, ministers and the general public, messages prepared for the House of Commons, speeches, statements, reports of different meetings, handwritten notes, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, correspondence and telegrams. This fonds reflects the important questions of the 1957-1963 period, especially on Canadian and international politics and defence issues during the Cold War. International affairs such as the Berlin Wall and Cuban Missile crises and the law of the sea, NATO, Canada-US relations and Canadian foreign affairs are also discussed in the fonds. With regards to Canadian defence, there are documents about emergency measures, equipment of the army, nuclear weapons and the Navy. There are also various documents on Canadian internal affairs.
The fonds is divided into eight series:
1- (VI) PMO Numbered series
2- (VII/A) General Reference series
3- (VIII) PMO Unnumbered Correspondence series
4- (IX/C) Second Leader of the Opposition General Correspondence series
5- (XII) Personal and Confidential series
6- (XIII) Reference 1940-1957 series
7- (XIV) Memoirs series
8- (XXIII) Cabinet Ministers’ Statements and Speeches series
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Fonds received 21 December 2004 from the Diefenbaker Canada Centre Archives, University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.
Arrangement
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
The original records are stored at the Diefenbaker Canada Centre Archives, University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Unclassified
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
None
Finding aids
Copies of the finding aid are located in the first file of the fonds and in the Reading Room at the Directorate of History and Heritage. Electronic copies are also available.
Associated materials
The following related material can be found in the Document Collection:
[73/1093] – U.S. Information Service. The URSS and Cuba; the U.S. position, October 1962. Statement by John G. Diefenbaker, 25 Octobre 1962.
Related material can be found in the Kardex Collection under the following headings: “Diefenbaker – Rt Hon John G” and “Diefenbaker. John G. (Rt.Hon.) – Speeches”.
Associated materials can also be found at Library and Archives Canada. It is entitled the “John Diefenbaker fonds” and the reference number is R5770-0-1-E (formerly MG26-M). There is also materials under “Rt. Hon. John G. Diefenbaker” and the reference number is MG32-G19.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.