Carleton University, along with Penumbra Publishing, has posthumously launched a book by Canadian diplomat and ardent Carleton University supporter Arthur Menzies. The book, called Cold Warrior: My Career in International Peace and Western Security, details Menzies’ time as a diplomat and member of the public service during the height of the Cold War.
The book was launched at an event featuring Andrew Caddell, federal deputy director of (Trade) Maghreb, West and Central Africa; André Plourde, dean of the Faculty of Public Affairs at Carleton University; and Ken Menzies, the author’s son.
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 of External Affairs Defence Liaison (1) Division. Part two takes Menzies to Brussels, where, from 1972 to 1976, he was Canada’s permanent representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. During his 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 held duties that took him to the United Nations headquarters in New York and beyond. The book offers fascinating glimpses into the life of a Canadian diplomat and his family at home and abroad.
This is the second in a series of four books based on Menzies’ memoirs. It is an extension of his previous work, Australia and the South Pacific: Letters Home, 1965-72. Published in 2009, the book was based on letters that Menzies and his wife Sheila sent to friends and family in Canada during their time in Australia.
Menzies, who died on March 4, 2010 at the age of 93, was a long-standing supporter of Carleton research, writing and publishing on the topic of Canada’s involvement in diplomatic and international affairs. In 2008, he established the Arthur Menzies Endowment for Research in Canadian Diplomatic History. The Menzies family has also supported School of Canadian Studies at Carleton.
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