An Encounter with Conrad Black

I will get all my name dropping over this week. I am an avid reader of the National Post, and occasionally write letters to the editor. A few months ago, I wrote a letter in response to a column that Conrad Black had written on “The Great Man” in Canadian history and currently. Black is no stranger to thinking about this issue, having written books on Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis and American Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Richard Nixon.

My letter was about Black’s reference to the timing of the imposition of the War Measure’s Act in 1970. The Act was actually imposed just before Pierre Laporte was killed, but reversed in the column. I thought the point should be clarified and discussed, especially as it relates to such measures today. I wrote a light letter beginning with, “Imagine spotting an error in a column by Conrad Black…” I ended with a note about appreciating the thoughtful columns in the paper.

In response, the Post’s Letters Editor showed the column to Conrad Black and sent his response to me. Black said that the timing error resulted from an editing change to his original copy. Also he said that my point, although technically correct, was not an important distinction.

The Post asked if I would be content to leave the matter at that? I replied that the response was fine, and thanked them for the exchange.

What is especially interesting in this correspondence is that it happened just days before the start of Conrad Black’s court case in Chicago on fraud, racketeering and other charges. Black faced the rest of this life in prison, yet took time out to write a column in the National Post, and then to reply to an ordinary newspaper reader.

Yes, I am following the Conrad Black trial, especially by reading these two blogs: Mark Steyn’s on the Macleans website, and Steven Skurka’s “The Crime Sheet.” Interesting to see what happens; Skurka predicts a verdict by July 1.