Cold Warrior
Cold Warrior
My Career in International Peace and Western Security
Arthur Menzies
298 pages
THE THREE External Affairs postings that Arthur Menzies describes in this book produce a satisfying narrative arc. Part One finds him in Ottawa between 1962 and 1965 as head of the Department's Defence Liaison (1)Division.
Part Two takes Mr. Menzies to Brussels, where, from 1972 to 1976, he was Canada's Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization.
During Mr. Menzies' final posting, as Canada's first Ambassador for Arms Control and Disarmament, which he held from 1980 until his retirement in 1982, he was based in Ottawa, but his duties took him, most notably, to the United Nations Headquarters in New York, to explain Canada's policy on the quest for international peace and security.
This career in itself is fascinating to read about, but the life experiences that it offered Mr. Menzies and his wife, Sheila, are even more so. We are invited behind the scenes of the bureaucratic and diplomatic world, not to share in deep, dark secrets, but to meet a myriad of gifted people, to visit many of the world's most interesting cities and experience their museums, art galleries, and theatres, to attend feasts and celebrations - and finally, of course, to return again and again to the familiar house in Ottawa, where the warmth of family life is always waiting to greet them.
Arthur Menzies
Canadian High Commissioner: Mr. Menzies, diplomatic career spanned 40 years and included postings in Cuba, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, China, and Brussels.