bout de papier, Vol. 24, No. 2 (2009) — Spring 2009 // Printemps 2009, pp. 5–6
Scholars and others may debate whether or not there was a “golden age of Canadian diplomacy” but there is little doubt that Canadian diplomats of the 1940s and 1950s were distinguished not only by the quality of their despatches and memoranda but also by their literary output. Both the author and the recipient of the letter reprinted below were eloquent stylists in their official communications (however difficult it may be to grasp such a concept) as well as in their published works. Le Pan had already published one volume of poetry, The Wounded Prince, and another would follow in the same year as this letter was written, The Net and the Sword. Le Pan left the diplomatic service in 1959 to teach at Queen’s University and then at the University of Toronto. Further volumes of poetry, a novel (The Deserter) and a memoir, Bright Glass of Memory, followed his departure from the Department of External Affairs. Remarkably, Le Pan won the Governor-General’s Awards — for Poetry (1953) and for Fiction (1964), a rare accomplishment shared with Michael Ondaatje — and George Bowering. As for Escott Reid, his considerable output of scholarly commentary preceded and followed his diplomatic career — along with several volumes of history and memoirs which he wrote after his retirement, culminating in an autobiography, Radical Mandarin.
The letter reproduced below provides an example of a different form of literary expression, private gossip, in which both correspondents (and many of their diplomatic colleagues) delighted. Unfortunately, the letter from Reid to which Le Pan refers and responds was not found on this file (in the Escott Reid Papers [MG31 E46], volume 34, folder “Le Pan, Doug V. (3) 1951-1968” at Library and Archives Canada).
CANADIAN EMBASSY / AMBASSADE DU CANADA
Personal Washington, D.C.
Secret April 11, 1953.
Escott Reid, Esquire,
High Commissioner for Canada,
New Delhi, India.
My dear Escott,
I was very pleased to get your letter of the 18th of March and touched by the proposal it contained. Let me deal with that straight away. But in order to explain why I am afraid it is impossible, I will have to mention a number of things which are not yet widely known and which I would be grateful if you would not pass on to anyone, except possibly Ruth.
As you will have guessed, a great number of question marks have hung over the future of the personnel in this office. At last they are being removed.
Earlier this week Hume [Wrong, Ambassador to the United States] spent the evening with Mike [Pearson, Secretary of State for External Affairs] in New York; and the Minister made it clear — and I gather in a very warm and generous way — that he wanted Hume to take over as Under-Secretary within the next few months. It has been arranged that George [Ignatieff, Counsellor, Canadian Embassy in Washington] is to leave before the summer is out. In addition, you may have heard that when Mr. [C. D.] Howe [Minister of Trade and Commerce] made his trip to South America in January, he conceived the lowest possible opinion of our representatives in Latin American capitals and, in particular, insisted that Ef [Ephraim Herbert] Coleman [Ambassador to Brazil, appointed in 1948 and recalled in 1953] should be replaced without delay. It has been arranged that Sid [Sydney David] Pierce is to become Ambassador in Rio within the next few months [Pierce was appointed 6 July 19535 and presented his credentials on 27 October 1953]. Finally, John English is leaving at the end of this month to replace George Heasman [who had been appointed as Ambassador to Indonesia] as Director of the Foreign Trade Service in Ottawa. You will see that, with all these changes to take place in the immediate future, there really is no possibility, Iam afraid, of Dana [Wilgress, Under- Secretary of State for External Affairs, subsequently Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the North Atlantic Council] agreeing that I should be moved to Delhi [In fact, Le Pan remained in Washington as Counsellor, then was promoted to Minister-Counsellor there in December 1953.].
Since I have already waded so deep in confidential information about personnel changes, I should perhaps add that no action seems yet to have been taken on the new Head for this Mission. Both Dana and Arnold [Heeney, then Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the North Atlantic Council; his appointment as Ambassador to the United States was announced on 27 May 1953 and he presented his credentials on 3 August 1953] are in the running, I believe; but others from outside the Service have also been considered — among them, I gather Ross MacDonald, the present Speaker of the House of Commons. There is also just an outside chance that Jean Désy [then Ambassador to Italy; appointed Ambassador to France on 17 December 1953] may get the post. He is campaigning hard for it, and his efforts can never be underrated.
I am very pleased that you and Ruth are liking Delhi so well — as I felt sure you would. I read with the greatest interest and admiration your long and fascinating account of your trip through the villages of Uttar Pradesh. Nowadays I approach any document of that length with reluctance — a sign of advancing years, Iam afraid! — but I found your narrative and comments more than rewarding. I was also interested in your recent report of your farewell talk with Chester Bowles [Ambassador of the United States to India and Nepal, 1951-55]. His suggestion to [Jawaharlal] Nehru [Prime Minister of India] that India might consider announcing a Monroe Doctrine for some of the countries in South and South East Asia seems to me one of the very few novel and yet imaginatively sound proposals that I have heard of for many a long day.
Sally, I know, would want me to send her love to you and Ruth. Remember us, too, please to Morna and to Timmy as well, if he is in Delhi. I confess that I forget which of your children you have with you.
For your own ear I might let you know that, when I was in Ottawa in September before leaving for the various Commonwealth Economic meetings, I was sounded out on going as High Commissioner to Colombo. For one reason and another — and also because the proposal was never formally advanced — I decided not to show any very lively interest. But now that I see who has been appointed [James Joseph Hurley was appointed as Canada’s first High Commissioner to Ceylon on 19 February 1956 and he presented his credentials on 20 August 1953; his previous posting had been as Consul General in Detroit], I must confess that I feel rather ashamed of myself.
I do hope that we will see each other before too long; and I am sorry that your very attractive suggestion hardly seems to be a starter.
I wonder whether I ever gave you in Ottawa the names of a few of my friends in Delhi. Iam sure that you would like P.C. Bhattacharya, of the Department of Finance [Secretary of the Department of Finance, later Chairman and then Governor of the State Bank of India], who, among other things, is chairman of the committee on economic development on which the United States and — I think — ourselves, are represented. I also commend to you K.G. Ambegaonkar, of the Ministry of Finance [later its Secretary], and Narayan Prasad, of the Reserve Bank of India. I can’t honestly say that I know [Sir Chintaman Dwarakanath] Deshmukh [Minister of Finance]; but I have seen a good deal of him and have the highest admiration for him. I am sure you would find him well worth getting to know. In addition, as you know, to being a past Governor of the Reserve Bank [the first Indian to hold that post during British colonial rule], he is also a very considerable botanist and Sanscrit scholar, and all in all, a man of great charm and cultivation.
Do write again when you have time.
Affectionately,
Doug @
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 24, No. 2 (2009) — Spring 2009 // Printemps 2009, pp. 5–6. Read the rest of this issue →
