# had USA plans to invade Canada in the 1930's **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 30, 2006, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847 "2006-04-30T17:06:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/1 "2006-04-30T17:06:45Z")
I heard that not too long a go, but im unsure if this was a joke or not - that the US government had plans drawn up in the 1930s to invade Canada. WW2 got in the way however. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/2 "2006-04-30T17:15:55Z")
The US has plans to do a lot of things it has no reason or intentions of doing. It makes them just in case, or just to give the military planners the mental exercise during peacetime. [The Master Speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcanadawar.html) In addition it wasn’t really against Canada, but against the UK (via Canada). Why plan a war against the UK? Because the military knew it should plan for another war in Europe, but if a plan against any nation we may actually have gone to war against (like, say, Germany) were to leak out, the political fallout would be tremendous. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/3 "2006-04-30T17:20:32Z")
Contingency planning, even for ridiculously unlikely contingencies, is par for the course for national militaries. This is as it should be. I’d be pretty surprised if our military hasn’t at some point drawn up contingency plans for defending against a US invasion, as ridiculously implausible as that scenario might be. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/4 "2006-04-30T17:24:39Z")
[War Plan Red](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Plan_Red). I was one of a series of [“color coded”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Color-coded_War_Plans) war plans made in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Canada had a similar [plan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defence_Scheme_No._1). ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/5 "2006-04-30T17:27:44Z")
From my book … ## RED (U.S. 04) American war plan prepared in 1904 dealing the potential of war against the British Empire arising from commercial rivalry. One of the Color Series. Never executed. See RED-ORANGE. RED-ORANGE (U.S. 04) Plan prepared by the United States which dealt with a war against both Japan and the British Empire simultaneously. Such a war would require a two-ocean navy, which became a goal for American naval construction from the early 1900s. Part of the Color Series. Superseded by the RAINBOW plans. Never executed. These were the results of our earliest contingency planning staff work. The ‘Color Series’ looked at war scenarios with any of a number of countries. (‘Green’ was Mexico, ‘Black’ was Germany, ‘Orange’ was Japan.) Red was based on a war with the British over trade issues (perhaps in Latin America or the Pacific). The Canadian component of Red called for thrusts from the Great Plains to cut Canada in two. Then opportunistic attacks would take out British Columbia, the Maritimes or the population centers as the defenders might allow. Oddly, every ten years or so, American papers print that this plan has ‘come to light’ as if it is news. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/6 "2006-04-30T17:45:27Z")
Actually I think the invasion is scheduled for sometime next year… Prepare to meet your new overlords you Canadians! MUAHAHHAHAHA! 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/7 "2006-04-30T18:29:31Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Actually I think the invasion is scheduled for sometime next year… > > Prepare to meet your new overlords you Canadians! MUAHAHHAHAHA! > > 😛 > > -XT Laura Secord will foil your invasion plans a second time. This time by defusing the invasion with tasty chocolates. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/8 "2006-04-30T18:41:02Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > . . . cut Canada in two . . . A railroad at the top of Lake Nipigon, and a railroad and vehicle road at the bottom of Lake Nipigon. No other rails, roads or even trails (although presently there is talk of cutting a logging road across the top of Lake Nipigon). There really is not much in the way of land transportation that connects eastern and western Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/9 "2006-05-01T12:06:42Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Actually I think the invasion is scheduled for sometime next year… > > Prepare to meet your new overlords you Canadians! MUAHAHHAHAHA! > > 😛 > > -XT Hrm… All those oil sands are becoming cost-effective to exploit, ain’t they? We’ll meet in Winnipeg, x. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/10 "2006-05-01T15:12:36Z")
I have a Plan to Invade Canada…_ **in the next 15 minutes!!!** _ _ **BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!** _ Now, if I can only find my Kryptonite… ---
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/11 "2006-05-02T17:11:55Z")
it sure sounds like Ann Coulter wan’t war with canada [http://mediamatters.org/items/200412010011](http://mediamatters.org/items/200412010011) and here… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0Nuvos1tcmU/hqdefault.jpg " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Nuvos1tcmU) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/12 "2006-05-02T17:52:04Z")
\*\*Minotaurus — \*\* Linky-link #1 is no good. ---
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/13 "2006-05-02T18:27:45Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > \*\*Minotaurus — > \*\* > > Linky-link #1 is no good. it works fine for me ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/14 "2006-05-02T18:35:57Z")
> [@Minotaurus](#): > > it works fine for me Aaaand now it works for me, too. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/15 "2006-05-02T19:40:17Z")
We will invade Canada in 48 hours, unless…Canada agrees to hand over Terrence and Phillip! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/16 "2006-05-03T17:27:51Z")
I would be very surprised, and deeply disappointed, if the Pentagon has not had a plan on file to invade Canada – regularly revised and updated – at all times since the practice of keeping war plans on file was started. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/17 "2006-05-03T22:07:59Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I would be very surprised, and deeply disappointed, if the Pentagon has not had a plan on file to invade Canada – regularly revised and updated – at all times since the practice of keeping war plans on file was started. Works both ways. Canada has plans to invade and conquor the USA. Well, actually, it isn’t really Canada; its just some Canadians. And it isn’t exactly an invasion; its more of a visit. And its more of an attempt to compete well in a paddling competition, rather than an attempt to conquor. But our team really does have a plan. At the end of the summer, Duluth/Superior, here we come. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/had-usa-plans-to-invade-canada-in-the-1930s/354847/18 "2006-05-03T22:42:24Z")
Indeed. I think our military should have effective, often-re-examined plans to invade every single country in the world. And then when we do decide to invade, we should follow those plans. That way, things won’t (insert standard Iraq rant about how we should have learned from Vietnam and how certain people are killing our own troops) What’s the problem with plans? Good to have when you need them, and it keeps people busy when you don’t.