Liebnitz and the Double Helix
Chief MacBannock couldn’t find his hearing aid. A Scot to the core, he still used an early model, with an earpiece wired to an external box receiver. Today, the earpiece dangling unconnected from his ear, he was subjecting his office to a…
The True ’Intrepid’ and the Unknown Agents
Bill Stephenson, the Canadian-born head of the British Security Coordination in the United States during World War II, was a genuine hero. He also appears to have been something of an enigma who was not always well-served by those who have written…
Wrong Minutes, Right Advice
Fifty years ago, on Monday April 4, 1949, the Canadian Ambassador to the United States, Hume Wrong, signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington on behalf of Canada. That role was singularly appropriate as Wrong had been involved in the negotiation of…
Returning to Darién
My ancient copy of the South American
Saul Rae 1914-1999
The following are excerpts from a eulogy by Jake Warren, retired Ambassador, at a Memorial Service for Saul Rae on Wednesday, January 13, 1999.
Margaret Meagher 1911-1999
The following letter to the Editor of the Ottawa Citizen was published on March 4, 1999:
Team Byzantium
Head of Government (HOG) visits are a cornerstone of today’s international relations; if nothing else, they serve to concentrate officials’ minds on finding “deliverables”. However, like permanent embassies, they are a feature of modern era diplomacy, their popularity reflecting, to a great…
Le Forum économique de Davos
Vous avez probablement entendu parler de la Conférence économique de Davos ou regardé à la télévision une entrevue avec une personnalité qui y participe; peut-être suivez-vous tout simplement les débats des grandes conférences annuelles, ce qui bien sûr vous a amené à…
Excerpt from “A Stubble Jumper in Striped Pants: Memoirs of a Prairie Diplomat”
When I joined External Affairs, I was worried that I would have to do things which would make me look silly back in Saskatchewan, like kissing women’s hands and wearing tails and striped pants. In my first year in Ottawa, I was…
Open House — Part II
As a follow-up to the DFAIT Open House article in the last issue of bout, following are excerpts from the media round-table with former HOMs that took place at the Open House on November 2, 1998. Panelists were former Heads of Mission…
