In 1964, Canadian diplomat John Watkins died of a heart attack while being interrogated by the RCMP as a suspected Soviet spy. The RCMP could find no evidence to confirm their suspicions, yet Watkins' death was hushed up for nearly 20 years and his reputation fell under a shadow.

The intrigue surrounding John Watkins' career obscured his exceptional talents as a diplomat. 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, and in 1955 he organized an historic meeting between Canadian External Affairs Minister Lester Pearson and Communist Party chief Nikita Khrushchev. Intelligent, eccentric and convivial, John Watkins was famous for the wit, insight and common sense he brought to his task of interpreting the byzantine politics of Cold War Russia.

Moscow Despatches offers an unequalled glimpse into the world of Canadian foreign policy during this crucial period in world history.

John Watkins' profile page

Dean Beeby was born in Halifax and grew up in Edmonton, Kingston, Kitchener, Dorval, and Toronto. He earned a BA in History from York University and a MA in History from the University of Toronto. He has been a career journalist since 1981, joining the Canadian Press in 1983. In 1987/88 he covered Parliament Hill for CP and in 1988 he became their Toronto Business Editor. He has lived in Halifax since 1990 where he is the Canadian Press Bureau Chief for the Atlantic region. Dean Beeby is a recognized authority on search and rescue. As a journalist, he has covered many disasters including the 1998 crash of Swissair Flight 111, for which CP Atlantic Bureau won a National Newspaper Award. Beeby is the author of In a Crystal Land: Canadian Explorers in Antarctica and Cargo of Lies: The True Story of a Nazi Double Agent in Canada. He has been a contributor to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, The Canadian Encyclopedia, and the journal Ontario History. In 1987, he was co-editor of Moscow Despatches: Inside Cold War Russia. Beeby is an ardent advocate and user of freedom of information laws, including the federal Access to Information Act. He has been a speaker and panelist at numerous conferences and seminars, including those organized by the Canadian Association of Journalists, the Canadian Newspaper Association and the federal Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Dean Beeby's profile page

William Kaplan is a lawyer, arbitrator, mediator, and author. His books include Presumed Guilty: Brian Mulroney, the Airbus Affair and the Government of Canada, One More Border: The True Story of One Family's Escape from War-Torn Europe, and Bad Judgment:

William Kaplan's profile page