A Rich Broth: Memoirs of a Canadian Diplomat

David A. Lenarcic teaches history at Wilfrid Laurier University in
Waterloo.

The author draws on almost 40 years of experience to present a lively
and engaging behind-the-scenes look at life in the Canadian foreign
service. It is also an informative one, since Reece enjoyed a wide
variety of senior postings both at home and abroad, including several as
ambassador or high commissioner, not to mention stints at the United
Nations and at the Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction Talks.

The book’s main attraction is its amusing recollections of the
day-to-day activities of a diplomat. In the process, one gets not only
the flavor of the ups and downs of diplomatic life—for wife and family
too—but fascinating cultural glimpses of other nations, as well as
revealing comments on significant figures ranging from Canada’s Pierre
Trudeau and Brian Mulroney to India’s Indira Gandhi and Zambia’s
Kenneth Kaunda. Reece pulls no punches, and does not hesitate to be
blunt and opinionated in conveying his reminiscences.

These memoirs are at their best when they combine humorous anecdotes
with insightful observations about policy-making. Unfortunately, these
instances tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Reece has
clearly chosen not to write a “textbook” on the art of diplomacy,
but rather to communicate in an entertaining fashion some sense of the
vagaries of diplomatic life from a very personal perspective. In this he
succeeds admirably, yet one’s appetite is whetted for further specific
reflections on the nature and evolution of Canadian foreign policy over
nearly half a century (and his role in shaping it) from an individual
intimately involved in arms-control negotiations during the Cold War as
well as in aid to developing countries in the Commonwealth.

Overall, however, this remains a captivating account of a truly
distinguished diplomatic career, told in a refreshingly witty and candid
style.