Lord Jim of Dilling - Diplomat Magazine

QUESTIONS Asked|DIPLOMATICAA distinguished diplomat’s escapades with Trudeau,his passion for Fiji and his memoirsAt 92, Arthur Menzies is writing a book.And it’s about time he put pen to paperto record some of his recollections of a41-year-career. The career diplomat workedunder six prime ministers including WilliamLyon MacKenzie King, Louis St. Laurent,John Diefenbaker, Lester Pearson, PierreTrudeau and Joe Clark. He met his wife,Sheila, while studying at Harvard and thetwo had postings in Cuba, Japan, Malaysia(then called Malaya) and Burma,Australia and Fiji, and Belgium(NATO). His final postingwas as ambassador toChina (and Vietnam) andhe returned to the placewhere he was born tomissionary parents. Mr.Menzies retired someDyanne wilson27 years ago, but he still maintains a keeninterest in international affairs. He sat downwith Diplomat’s editor, Jennifer Campbell,to discuss his book project, among otherthings.Diplomat magazine: Tell me about yourbook.Arthur Menzies: When I went away to Harvardin 1939 to study Far Eastern History,I started typing a letter a week to my parents.I kept a carbon copy. When I gotmarried, we continued that procedurefor the 55 years that we were togetherbefore my wife got ill (Sheila Skeltonhad Alzheimer’s and died in 1998).So I have boxes of letters from allover the world. When we were in Ottawa– I spent half my time in Ottawaand half abroad – it was aseasy to pick up the phone sothere are fewer letters fromthat time. I decided it maybe of interest to Canadiansto see what theworkings of a highcommissioner ora m b a s s a d o rare. Half ofthe letters arewritten bymy wife, halfby me.DM: Your book opens by talking aboutyour time in Australia. Will it includemore than that?AM: It will include Australia and theSouth Pacific. When I was there, I feltwe should be paying more attention tothe South Pacific. At the time, they werejust establishing a university in Fiji andI got Mr. (Pierre) Trudeau interested inthat and we got CIDA to build a sciencebuilding there. There are about five millionpeople living in the islands of theSouth Pacific – I’m not talking aboutIndonesia. I put in a fair amount of effortas I was one of the first high commissionersto Fiji in 1970. I got volunteers,such as dentists, to send their usedequipment to supply dentists in Fiji andso on. During my time, communicationsbegan to improve.DM: You served under a number ofprime ministers. Tell me about them.AM: Yes. I think I got the job in Australiabecause my name was Menzies andSir Robert Menzies was prime ministerof Australia. Pearson thought a lot ofMenzies although he was more conservativelyBritish than Mr. Pearson was.There was Pearson, then Trudeau.Trudeau came (to Australia) in thespring of 1970 and he was still a bachelorat that time and he sent messagesahead of time to say he wanted to spendhis first weekend scuba diving off theGreat Barrier Reef. The Australians werenot very happy about this because theyhad had a prime minister, Harold Holt,who was drowned in the ocean nearMelbourne. But Mr. Trudeau liked thatkind of a challenge.The Australians sent three very goodscuba divers with him and they kept adestroyer with a decompression unitnearby. He was fine and the trip wasvery successful – he was regarded as anexciting, young bachelor. . . But it wassometimes the escapades that endearedhim to the people. A.E. Ritchie was theundersecretary for external affairs andGordon Robertson was the clerk of thePrivy Council at that time and theycame along on the trip to talk to theircounterparts. I was with Mr. Trudeau atall times and back at the hotel one nightwe had a working dinner. He excusedhimself and went to the bathroomdiplomat and international canada13