Join us at Murney Tower Museum for a exciting lecture on Canada's complex military history and relationship with the United States. Dr. Tim Cook will give an illustrated lecture on how the two nations entered the Second World War amidst rivalry and mutual suspicion, but learned to fight together before emerging triumphant and bound by an alliance that has lasted to this day.
Good Allies or Hemispheric Enemies? Canada and the United States during the Second World War.
When the Second World War broke out in 1939, it set in motion a deadly struggle between the Axis powers and the Allies, but also fraught negotiations between and among the Allies. On questions of diplomacy, economic policy, industrial might, military capabilities, and even national sovereignty, thousands of lives and the fate of the free world depended on back-room deals and desperate trade-offs between soldiers, diplomats, and leaders.
In North America, Canada and the US strained to forge a new military alliance to guard their coasts and fend off German U-boats and the menace of a Japanese invasion. Wartime economies were entwined to produce a staggering contribution of weapons to keep Britain and other allies in the war. The defence of North America against enemy threats was essential before the US and Canada could send armies, navies, and air forces overseas.
Dr. Tim Cook, CM, FRSC is the Chief Historian and Director of Research at the Canadian War Museum. He is the author and editor of 19 books. Dr. Cook is also editor of the UBC Press Canadian Military History series, a member of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board, and a frequent commentator in the media. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada and the Order of Canada.
PLEASE NOTE: The event will be held at the Murney Tower Museum and the event space is only accessible through a narrow and curved staircase.
