- George Kidd
George Pirkis Kidd (
June 6 ,1917 –July 22 ,2004 ) was the first Canadian ambassador toIsrael in 1954 and was the ambassador toCuba at the time of theCuban Missile Crisis in 1962.He was born in
Glasgow ,Scotland and later moved toCanada with his parents. He was wounded in action at theBattle of Normandy duringWorld War II .Kidd was posted to the Canadian embassy in
Havana a few months after the American embassy closed in early 1961. A few days after theJohn F. Kennedy assassination , he expressed the opinion in a confidential memo (released in 1999) that, although he considered it unlikely, Cuban involvement in the killing could not be ruled out.He was deputy director of the
Canadian International Development Agency from 1967 to 1971. He served as High Commissioner toNigeria andSierra Leone from 1974 to 1977. After he retired in 1977, he served on the Board of Trustees of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and the Board of Governors of theUniversity of Victoria .He died at the age of 87 from complications after hip surgery.
Related Links
* [http://circ.jmellon.com/docs/pdf/our_men_in_havana_washington_and_canadian_intelligence_on_castros_cuba.pdf Our Men in Havana]
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