Pierre Elliot Trudeau
The Fascinating Life of Canada's Most Flamboyant Prime Minister
AUTHOR: Stan Sauerwein
FORMAT: 5.5 x 8.5 pb / 144 pages
ISBN-10: 1-55153-945-4
ISBN-13: 9781551539454
Pierre Trudeau was unlike any prime minister Canada had ever known or will ever see again. His unique style, charisma, bravado, and sharp wit galvanized a nation, creating the "Trudeaumania" that swept him into office. He was a man that Canadians either loved or hated.
Prologue
Arab volunteer soldiers ignored the curiosity of his dirty canvas backpack and without asking questions, helped the young stranger climb into their truck. His kuffiyeh headdress might have been why. He had a bushy brown beard and it gave him a pharaonic profile. Perhaps it was because he was deeply tanned. Whatever the reason, the young man nonchalantly settled into the excited knot of would-be warriors without a problem, ready to enjoy his 60-kilometre ride.
It was May 1948, and Palestine was convulsed in war over the new state of Israel. Amman was the second Middle Eastern stop on the hitchhiker's trek towards the Far East. It was a tempest of foreign press and frightened Arabs. He was glad to leave it behind and decidedly pleased with his ingenuity regarding transportation.
Travel as a foreigner without proper documents was risky, but the 29-year-old student didn't care. A chance to see the Holy City outweighed any possibility of danger. As the troop truck crossed the Jordan River over the Allenby Bridge and followed the highway through Jericho, he checked the directions he'd been given to a Dominican monastery.
None of the Palestinian Army blockades, which he had been told to expect, had threatened his ride. Upon reaching the walls of Jerusalem, he grabbed his pack and lunged from the moving truck towards the outskirts of the Old City. All the Biblical stories the Jesuits had taught him during years of classes at College Jean-de-Brebeuf in Montreal now flooded his mind in a tumble of memories. He was excited at the thought of touching the dusty stones, at walking the same narrow passageways Christ may have trod. He wandered through the Old City, lost in his imaginings, and by the time he finally found the monastery, he was blithely unaware of what was happening around him. But the crack of gunshots sobered him up.
Caught in Israeli-Arab crossfire near the monastery doors, he dove to the ground as did the frightened Arabs and Jews clogging the sidewalks around him. Feeling naked and vulnerable, he had no choice but to belly-crawl towards sanctuary. Once there, he pounded frantically on the monastery door.
When the street returned to normal after several hours, the young man decided he was ready to explore again. His Dominican host urged caution, and for good reason. Just a few moments after the priest gave him his blessing, the hitchhiker found himself in the middle of conflict one more time. It was as if the shooting had been choreographed. Instead of a crawl back to the monastery, though, he charged through the gauntlet of bullets carrying his pack like a football. To rifle-toting Arab soldiers, the bearded man looked exactly like a panicked enemy fighter with explosives. So, they pounced.
It seemed Allah had given them a gift! With two passports, they knew their captive had to be a Jewish spy, even if his odd name - Pierre Elliott Trudeau - said otherwise.
About the Author
Stan Sauerwein lives and writes in Westbank, British Columbia. A freelance writer for two decades, his articles have appeared in a variety of Canadian and U.S. magazines and newspapers. Specializing in business subjects, he has written for both corporations and governments.
|
