Research Guides: USask Library and Archival Resources: Diefenbaker Archives: Card Index to PMO Correspondence

Diefenbaker Card Index

The Prime Minister's Office Numbered Correspondence Series represents the first part of the official correspondence that was produced during the Rt. Hon. John G. Diefenbaker's tenure as Prime Minister of Canada from June 1957 to April 1963.

A card index was created for this Series (Series 6), which until recently was only accessible to browse by staff. It has now been digitized and is available here to browse. Please note these digitized microfilm to not contain the correspondence themselves, only an index. If you find reference to a file you would like to see please email us at ua.sc@usask.ca to make arrangements to view the file.

Research Potential (from Library and Archives Canada finding aid)

Because the PMO Numbered Correspondence Series touches upon virtually every aspect of John G. Diefenbaker's prime ministerial career, including both his achievements and his defeats, most researchers will find this large and well- organized series a most useful source of information. In addition, the papers shed light on the careers of Diefenbaker's cabinet ministers, senior civil servants, and the provincial premiers of the era, not to mention international relations and the myriad of issues which concerned Canadians during the 1957-1963 period, including four federal elections.

The papers are also valuable from an evidential point of view, documenting as they do, the role played by the many staff members of the Diefenbaker PMO. It is true, however, that some of the most sensitive material from this period of Diefenbaker's career is found elsewhere, primarily in the Private and Confidential Series. Furthermore, as is always the case with a prime minister's official correspondence, much of the material in the Numbered Correspondence files is exceedingly routine. For instance, nearly sixty volumes are devoted to requests for assistance (313.3). Nonetheless, anyone wishing to study the events that shaped the nation and the world during the crucial 1957-1963 period will find the PMO Numbered Correspondence Series a significant source.

The descriptions of the contents of each digitized microfilm reel found below were taken from the Library and Archives Canada Guide for these microfilm.

Thank you to Library and Archives Canada for digitizing the microfilm.