John Watkins (Canadian diplomat)
Encyclopedia
John Watkins was an educator and Canadian
Ambassador
to the USSR (1954-1956). Born at Norval Station
, Ontario
, Watkins was a Scandinavia
n specialist at the University of Manitoba
before joining the Department of External Affairs in 1946.
First posted to the USSR in 1948, Watkins learned Russian
and developed a wide circle of Russian friends. He was allowed to travel to places barred to other foreigners. In 1955 he organised an historic meeting between Canadian External Affairs Minister Lester B Pearson and Communist Party chief Nikita Khrushchev
.
In 1964 Watkins was secretly detained in a hotel in Montréal, Quebec
by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
and the US Central Intelligence Agency
who were concerned that he was an agent of influence
. He died several days into the interrogation. (The official obituary/coverup claimed he suffered a heart attack in the company of friends during a farewell supper celebrating his illustrious career.)
The events of his death were exposed by Ian Adams
in 1980. The Parti Québécois
government swiftly ordered an inquest into Watkins' death. The RCMP refused to hand over the full report, claiming it would damage national security, but finally admitted Watkins had died under police interrogation in the Montréal hotel room, he had not given in to Soviet blackmailing tactics, and he was not a traitor.
In 1999 Adams released Agent of Influence, a detailed book suggesting the CIA schemed to destroy Pearson (who had become Prime Minister) and tried to get Watkins to implicate him. The book was made into a movie for television with the same title in 2002.
Watkins and his friend fellow diplomat Herbert Norman were the inspiration for "Harry Raymond", the central character in the 1995 Timothy Findley
play The Stillborn Lover.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the USSR (1954-1956). Born at Norval Station
Norval, Ontario
Norval is an unincorporated community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada. Situated on the Credit River, it is located approximately 55 km west of Toronto and is part of the Regional Municipality of Halton....
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Watkins was a Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n specialist at the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
before joining the Department of External Affairs in 1946.
First posted to the USSR in 1948, Watkins learned Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and developed a wide circle of Russian friends. He was allowed to travel to places barred to other foreigners. In 1955 he organised an historic meeting between Canadian External Affairs Minister Lester B Pearson and Communist Party chief Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
.
In 1964 Watkins was secretly detained in a hotel in Montréal, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
and the US Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
who were concerned that he was an agent of influence
Agent of influence
An agent of influence is a person whose political actions and arguments are alleged to serve the interests of a foreign power, and to be directed or manipulated by the intelligence agency of that power...
. He died several days into the interrogation. (The official obituary/coverup claimed he suffered a heart attack in the company of friends during a farewell supper celebrating his illustrious career.)
The events of his death were exposed by Ian Adams
Ian Adams
Ian Adams is a Canadian author of fiction and non-fiction novels. Originally a journalist, he is now best known for his writing: his most successful novel to date is Agent of Influence which has also been made into a film...
in 1980. The Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
government swiftly ordered an inquest into Watkins' death. The RCMP refused to hand over the full report, claiming it would damage national security, but finally admitted Watkins had died under police interrogation in the Montréal hotel room, he had not given in to Soviet blackmailing tactics, and he was not a traitor.
In 1999 Adams released Agent of Influence, a detailed book suggesting the CIA schemed to destroy Pearson (who had become Prime Minister) and tried to get Watkins to implicate him. The book was made into a movie for television with the same title in 2002.
Watkins and his friend fellow diplomat Herbert Norman were the inspiration for "Harry Raymond", the central character in the 1995 Timothy Findley
Timothy Findley
Timothy Irving Frederick Findley, OC, O.Ont was a Canadian novelist and playwright. He was also informally known by the nickname Tiff or Tiffy, an acronym of his initials.-Biography:...
play The Stillborn Lover.