The Unquiet Diplomat—Lester

Abstract

In 1975 John Holmes permanently relinquished his position as directorgeneral of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs (CIIA) and assumed the somewhat less onerous role of counsellor. It was a busy time for Holmes: his Killam research grant-meant to supporta two or three volume history of Canadian external relations during the 19405 and 19505had just been renewed and he was in the midst of drafting the official proposal for what later became The Shaping of Peace for the University of Toronto Press. In September he began to teach a course at Glendon College on international organization to complement his already popular class in Canadian foreign policy, and around the same time agreed to accept senior undergraduates into his graduate-level seminar in Canadian foreign policy at the University of Toronto. He also remained an active participant on a number of academic and nongovernmental boards and councils and continued to deliver well over four public lectures or conference presentations each academic month.When Holmes received a request from Andrew Kerekes of the Journal of Canadian Studies (JCS) to write a fooo-word essay on Lester Pearson in January 1974, he was, not surprisingly, reluctant. He liked the journal and was a deep admirer of his recently deceased former colleague and mentor in the Department of External Affairs, but the pressure of writing a book that was already a year late and the all of the new teaching responsibilities seemed overwhelming. He clearly could not say yes, but his interest in composing a reflective paper on Pearsonian diplomacy that might promote interest in and respect for his close friend's accomplishments as a civil servant and then as prime minister kept Holmes from turning Kerekes down completely. Instead, he suggested that if the staff at the journal were still interested in a contribution from him in the fall, they might contact him again.'The publisher of the JCS, Ian Collins, followed up with the man then known to many as the dean of Canadian external relations that autumn. September 1974, however, marked the beginning of a new academic year, and Holmes's courses at Glendon had become so popular that he had decided to split each one into two sections. This meant that along with the class at Toronto, he was now teaching five seminars per week. His university obligations, he explained to Collins, along with a still incomplete manuscript, meant that he could not commit to even attempt to draft an essay until the following spring. Holmes likely suspected that this second delay would cause the JCS to seek out someone else to write the paper, but the publisher replied that he was willing to wait.Just days after he had mailed his letter to Collins, Holmes received a note from an old friend and former colleague then teaching at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSlA), Peyton Lyon. It was a form letter, addressed to 54 of Lester Pearson's closest living associates. Lyon hoped that the invitees would contribute to a compilation that he planned to call For the Love of Mike. Although International Journal had published a special issue devoted to Pearson in the winter of 1973-74 and NPSIA was about to publish a series of essays in his memory,2 Lyon suggested that neither work represented the thoughts of his closest friends and colleagues specifically as they related to Pearson's philosophy or career. This was not to be en extended tribute. As Pearson himself would have wished, wrote Lyon, we should discuss his failings and disappointments as well as his talents and triumphs. 'Arnold Smith, another former Pearson colleague and the forthcoming Lester B. Pearson Chair of International Affairs at Carleton, as well as Holmes, Wynne Plumptre, and Pearson's son Geoffrey would help coordinate the project, and any royalties from the book would be directed to a scholarship in conflict resolution named after the former prime minister.4 Lyon was vague on the length and style of the pieces, suggesting that they could be as short as two pages or as long as 40. …