bout de papier, Vol. 9, No. 1 (1992) — Winter 1992 // Hiver 1992, pp. 44–45
Roland Michener: The Last Viceroy by
Peter Stursburg, McGraw Hill-Ryerson
(Toronto); 238 pp. (8 pages of black and
white photos); $27.50.
Roland Michener was not a dull man. Unfortunately, Peter Stursburg’s biography of him, The Last Viceroy, is a dull book and, in my view, fails to convey to the reader the real nature of the man.
Roland Michener made a great contribution to Canada as a politician, as a Speaker of the House of Commons, as a Diplomat and as Governor-General of Canada. He deserves better biographic treatment than that which Mr. Stursburg has given him. Considering the author’s extensive access to sources, including Mr. Michener himself through lengthy recorded interviews, access to papers and the biographies and autobiographies of others, and considering his own journalistic and writing skills, one would have thought that Mr. Stursburg could have produced a better product.
For almost two years from 1964 to 1966, I was privileged to serve under Mr. Michener when he was High Commissioner to India and I was his Political First Secretary. During that time, I came to have the highest respect for his abilities and integrity, his sense of humour and his total unflappability, even in the midst of great pressures. I developed great appreciation for his warmth and human kindness — which were also demonstrated in full measure by his wife, contrary to the opinions of some critics.
These traits are of the greatest importance in the chief of a diplomatic mission abroad where the staff must cope with a great variety of pressures relating to climate, health and the “culture shock” of living and working in a totally different society, far from family, friends and home.
In my experience, the Micheners provided for all of us, to the extent humanly possible, the substitute for family, friends and home. Nor were those qualities restricted only to their New Delhi assignment, for we experienced them again on the various occasions that my wife and I had occasion to meet the Micheners at Rideau Hall or elsewhere during the period of his being Governor-General. I regretted that, in my reading at least, in The Last Viceroy, none of these very real qualities were revealed.
I am also puzzled by the title The Last Viceroy which seems to have been selected with some connection to the fact that Governor-General Michener designed, and on formal state occasions, wore a rather resplendent uniform. It appears that certain Canadians objected to that uniform. I had the impression that in selecting the title of the book the author may have been one of those.
It is customary and, I suppose, necessary in writing a biography to write about the individual’s parental background which contributes to the formation of the individual’s personality. Personally, however, I thought that two chapters on the experiences and accomplishments of his father and grandfather were a bit much.
The author places great emphasis on the long and close friendship that existed between Roland Michener and the late former Prime Minister, Lester B. Pearson. This was, of course, very relevant to Mr. Michener’s career; but the author dwells on it so often and in such great detail that at times I had the impression he was describing the life and times of Pearson rather than of Michener.
I would have enjoyed the book more if there had been greater description of substantive aspects of Michener’s career, rather than a catalogue of inconsequential reminiscences extracted from the author’s oral history of taped interviews with Mr. Michener. Placing emphasis on what were casual or passing reminiscences about Mrs. Gandhi’s luncheon discussion with Mrs. Michener about Siamese kittens, or on Michener’s comments about the dryness of drought-stricken areas of India do not, to my mind, add anything to a better understanding of the Michener life or career.
At times, however, the author did relate events of considerable interest in which Mr. Michener played a significant role. One such was the description in Chapter 7 of the arrangements made to fly 10,000 British immigrants to Ontario in 1947 when Michener was then the Provincial Secretary.
I personally would have been interested to read more detail about Michener’s time in New Delhi. More could have been said about the Indo-Pakistan War, the efficient arrangements made to evacuate Canadian personnel, if necessary, the laying-in of emergency food supplies and a number of other time-consuming but highly pertinent arrangements which had to be put in place in a difficult and unpredictable situation. is surprising, too, that the author makes no mention of the truce arrangement at the time between India and Pakistan in which Canada played a predominant role both as a participant as well as in commanding (by General Bruce MacDonald) the United Nations India-Pakistan Observer Mission (UNIPOM) which successfully monitored the eventual ceasefire and mutual troop withdrawals. This particular exercise was the most successful United Nations peacekeeping exercise ever. The mission only lasted about 6 months, completed the job successfully and then disappeared from the scene. Perhaps its very success ensured that it would not be well remembered. Less successful operations which have been conducted in Cyprus or in the Middle East and which continue to this day still catch our attention. However, that is no reason to ignore the UNIPOM experience and Mr. Stursburg could usefully have said more about Canada’s role and about Michener’s involvement with it.
In conclusion, the author took a colourful individual with a many-splendoured life and career which spanned almost a century, and turned it into a dull, dismal affair.
View the original scanned pages →
Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 9, No. 1 (1992) — Winter 1992 // Hiver 1992, pp. 44–45. Read the rest of this issue →
