In 1934, Nazi Germany had identified the resources of Eastern Canada, the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway as prime targets in a future global "blueprint for conquest". An Axis attack on North America and Canada would be aimed at this region, and its resources. From rich timberlands in the hinterlands to the mines of the Canadian Shield, the bountiful resources of Quebec have been harnessed for a new purpose. Many of the mineral products of the province, such as chrome, asbestos, mica, gypsum, magnesium and copper are important to the war effort.