1966, Part 2
In June, a Soviet engineer from Mikoyan-Gurevich had elected to defect to the west along with his family. The engineer brought along the blueprint of the then rumored fighter known as the MiG-25. US Intelligence had feared that the fighter was a high-performance extremely agile aircraft. The engineer busted that myth and the plans showed the true nature of the new aircraft. Rather than a super-maneuverable fighter, the MiG-25 was an interceptor, and for all intents and purposes, the counterpart to the Canadian Avro Arrow.
It was a very heavy design, and according to the engineer, the MiG-25 project was having major problems as they were trying to redesign the aircraft after the debut of the Avro Arrow. The MiG-25 was evidently very poor at maneuverability, which would be its biggest weakness against the Arrow. He also brought a sketch of a proposed redesign he managed to take from the design bureau, and the new version seemed to have a few design cues from the Avro Arrow.
In the Middle East, King Hussein of Jordan made a secret visit to Jerusalem, with talks between them and Israel over growing tensions in the region. Since the 1940s, Jordan had secretly been trying to work with Israel, negotiating deals with King Abdullah I trying to make a deal with fture Israeli PM Golda Meir before the 1948 War, commentating that he preferred a Jewish state over an Palestinian Arab state controlled by the Mufti Al-Husseini.
Syria and Egypt were agitating for war with Israel, and Jordan was stuck in the middle, having no love for the Arab nationalists, but dealing with internal resentment of Israel as well. Egyptian president Nasser had become intolerable for the Hashemites and Israel, and wanting to bury the hatchet, both wanted to make peace without the other Arab nations knowing about it. During one discussion with Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, she mentioned, "I believe I have a solution for you, one that will let you maintain your dignity but have little harm from us. I believe we can work together, and I know of someone who can help..."
In a major shock, Jordan announced in August that they would be immediately ordering 48 Avro Arrows, and would also begin studies to modernize its military, though any procurements could only begin in 1969. After talks in Jerusalem, King Hussein and senior government officials, as well as the heads of Jordan's armed forces, flew with the Foreign Affair Ministers of Israel (on different flights) to Canada to speak with Prime Minister Pearson to discuss the topic of the middle east and secretly how Jordan could avoid joining the inevitable confrontation between Israel and the other Arab States. During such talks, Canadian Intelligence Officials joined in the discussion and a plan was made.
In September, the CBC begins to broadcast on TV in color, followed shortly by CTV.
In Octover, Montreal opens its metro system, and it soon becomes a major backbone of the city's transit system.
In December, a secret pact was made between Israel and Jordan, signed in Banff, Alberta, to not enter a direct conflict with one another, with Jordan to instead allow other Arab nations and Jordanian volunteers, serving in fellow nations, to take over Jordanian Bases along the border, though Jordanian troops still under the command of King Hussein were to remain in the West Bank. In return, Israel, via various fronts, bank transfers, and other channels, would covertly aid the rebuilding of any bases damaged by Israelis in a conflict.
On the topic of the West Bank, Jordan quietly agreed to begin work to clamp down on Palestinian Terrorist Groups, and in return, Israel and Jordan would begin talks at the UN to place Jerusalem under UN control once more and to allow the establishment of a Palestinian state, controlled by Jordan, that would be more or less friendly to Israel. With Nasser's increasingly belligerence rhetoric, it was only a matter of time before the Arabs or Israel made the first moves, and Jordan, having experienced directly fighting with Israel and saw them as worthy opponents in that war, was betting that the Arabs nations would not fare well in any war with the Jewish state.
On December 31, Canada lights up the Centennial flame, as Canada continued to play a major role on the world stage. With talk of tensions in the Middle East, the Vietnam War, and elsewhere, a cloud loomed over Canada as it was getting ready to celebrate its centennial.