Three Nights In Havana

by Robert A. Wright

On January 26, 1976, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau embarked on his historic three-day visit to Havana, becoming the first leader of a NATO country to visit Cuba since the crippling 1960 American economic embargo. The trip was widely denounced, especially for its timing, as Castro had recently sent Cuban soldiers to fight a civil war in Angola. As the Americans watched warily, Trudeau, accompanied by his wife, Margaret, and baby Michel, was greeted in Havana by 250,000 cheering Cubans and a 30- foot poster of himself. “Long live Prime Minister Fidel Castro!” Trudeau would famously shout at the love-in. Margaret would declare Castro “the sexiest man alive.” In this fascinating first-ever portrait of an unusual relationship between two enigmatic world leaders, author and historian Robert Wright brings to life three critical days when Canadian politics played on the international stage. Wright describes how, long before he was prime minister, Trudeau had attempted to canoe to Cuba, and how Castro visited Montreal as a young revolutionary, later welcoming FLQ terrorists to his tiny island. In a revealing look at their personalities and political ideologies, Wright shows how the two leaders, despite their official positions as allies of rival empires, had determinedly refused to exist merely as handmaidens to the United States. This fact, he asserts, is what brought them to power, and what drew them to each other. Wright draws on extensive insight from political commentators and historians as many interviewees talk candidly for the first time. A book that will tap into our continuing fascination with Pierre Trudeau and our interest in the future political course of Cuba, Three Nights in Havana is an intimate and insightful portrait of two controversial and often misunderstood figures and their place in history. Pierre Trudeau and Fidel Castro became friends despite their differences. They agreed to disagree; the same is true of Canada and Cuba. And it all began on a tiny coral key off Cuba’s southern shore in 1976, with the cheer heard round the “ Viva el primer ministro Fidel Castro!”―from Three Nights in Havana

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Canada, Biography, Politics

320 pages, Hardcover

First published February 25, 2007

About the author

Robert Wright, PhD, is professor of history at Trent University Durham in Oshawa, Ontario. He is the author of the national bestsellers Three Nights in Havana and The Night Canada Stood Still, both of which won the Canadian Authors Association’s Lela Common Award for Canadian History, and Our Man in Tehran, which was made into an award-winning documentary film. He lives in Toronto with his wife and children.

Reviews

[Czarny Pies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quatre étoiles sur l'échelle canadienne. Déduisez deux étoiles si vous ne savez pas qui at été John Diefenbaker.
Le Canada a survécu la crise du séparatisme québécois du dernier siècle parce que les anglophones et francophones de notre pays partageaient le même grand amour pour Fidel Castro le grand défenseur du droit des petites nations de poursuivre leurs propres politiques indépendantes dans le domaine des relations internationales. Alors "Three Nights in Havana", qui raconte la visite de Pierre et Margaret Trudeau au Cuba entre le 26 et le 29 1976, plaira inévitablement à tous les canadiens . Pour mieux vous plonger dans la nostalgie de l'époque, je vous conseille d'écouter le grand succès de Robert Charlebois "Mon ami Fidel"( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK3NH...) au début de chaque chapitre.
La visite avait le potentiel de devenir un événement de grande importance. Trudeau serait le premier chef d'état d'un pays membre de l'OTAN à visiter Cuba dont le gouvernement n'était pas reconnu par le gouvernement américain. Le Canada avait établi des relations avec l'URSS et la Chine communiste avant les É.-U. et on avait raison d'espérer que les É.-U. se préparaient à reconnaitre le régime de Castro et de mettre fin à son blocus économique. Malheureusement la fin de conte de fée prévue ne s'est pas réalisé.
Le 5 novembre 1975 Castro a pris la décision d'envoyer des troupes en Angola ce qui a suscité un vive réaction de l'OTAN et tous ses pays membres. Trudeau croyait que c'était trop tard pour annuler sa visite au Canada mais il se sentait dans la nécessité de critiquer publiquement l'intervention cubaine en Afrique. Les politiciens américains qui favorisaient une fin de l'isolement diplomatique de Cuba ont du se taire. Le lobby cubano américain s'est profité du délai causé pour mieux s'organiser. Aujourd'hui la possibilité d'une reconnaissance diplomatique du Cuba par les Américains est plus loin que jamais.
Wright décrit extrêmement bien les attitudes des Canadiens vis-à-vis Cuba à l'époque. L'opinion au Canada était presque unanime que Castro avait raison et que les É.U. n'avaient aucun droit d'imposer des gouvernements aux pays de l'Amérique latine. Les décisions canadiennes de reconnaitre le régime de Castro et de ne pas participer au blocus américaine ont été prises par John Diefenbaker un premier ministre conservateur.
En termes d'analyse historique il n'y a absolument rien de nouveau dans "Three Nights in Havana" mais Wright écrit avec brio. Il dresse des portraits excellents de Castro, de Pierre Trudeau et de Margaret sa femme flamboyante.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Wright does a great job describing an important Cold War encounter between two leaders of middle-power countries.

Sidebar: Robert Wright is a history professor at Trent University in Peterborough and Oshawa. I took his excellent course on the history of Cuba.

[James Junke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read. Tightly edited, clear, concise, fluid writing. Balanced, insightful, thorough.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very interesting and when you consider the politics playing out then and now we are in much the same spot. I loved that the characters were fleshed out and Margaret Trudeau's descent into anger and estrangement could be viewed differently as the constraints on women and their role become less rigid in todays atmosphere.

[Jean-François Lisée · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tout les début du livre est très éclairant. Cependant quand on arrive aux "trois nuits à la Havane" qui doit être le cœur du récit, on n'en apprend pas davantage que ce qui était dans les journaux à l'époque.
C'est quand même intéressant et instructif.

[Alex K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Weight does a credible job in giving the reader a back ground of the relationship between Canada and Cuba and their leaders Pierre Trudeau and Fidel Castro. Well written and very accessible.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book 10 stars if I could. I loved it!

[Stephwereley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting mix of foreign politics, international diplomacy and gossip. I learned a lot.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

How I Came To Read This Book: Harper Collins sent me a free advanced readers edition.

The Plot: This is a nonfiction book that details the surprising links between famed Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and famed Cuban leader Fidel Castro, including a three or four day visit by Trudeau in the midst of the Cold War between democracy and communism. There were some surprising developments in their relationship - including the fact Castro elected to leave Cuba on an extremely rare instance to attend Trudeau's funeral.

The Good & The Bad: Although there were some interesting pieces here and there, overall there wasn't enough subject matter to glean together an entire 200+ page book. It would have worked just as well (and with a lot more focus) to have written this book as a feature length article of 5,000+ words, but instead it's d-r-a-w-n out beyond belief. Content aside, the book just wasn't that easy to get into because it felt pointless.

The Bottom Line: Blah. Snore. Unless you're *really* into that kinda thing.

Anything Memorable?: No.

50-Book Challenge?: Book #6 in 2007.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was completely entranced by Robert Wright’s work. It’s another fantastic example of an author who manages to cover an incredible amount of ground in a short span of pages. By rights, this should have been a flop...instead, it’s a concise masterpiece. It also opens with the most surprising glimpse into the more private details of Castro’s attendance of Pierre Trudeau’s funeral in 2000...and the amazing emotional connection this giant of the Cold War made with a Canadian, who became his intellectual soul mate and friend. It’s an introduction that will take your breath away…and set the stage for the remainder of this fantastic read.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was more interested in why Canadians are interested in this story than in the story itself. I agree with some other commenters that the author engaged in a lot of padding to turn this into a full-length book. As the book notes, though, it's uncommon that the eyes of the world are on a Canadian prime minister. This was a rare moment when Canada stepped out of the shadow of the United States and asserted its independence on the international stage. Castro and Trudeau had in common a resentment of U.S. hegemony.

[Alex Abboud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Focused on Trudeau's visit to Cuba in 1976, this doubles as a story about the changes in Canada and Cuba in the latter half of the 20th century, and how the lives of the two leaders shaped that. While they were adversaries at times, the author does a great job of explaining how and why Trudeau and Castro came to not just respect each other, but to become friends.

[Philip Girvan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written more as an examination of personalities than a historical analysis, this is a decent read re the January 1976 meeting between Fidel Castro and Canadian PM Pierre Trudeau, a meeting for which Trudeau was criticized both home and abroad.

[Teghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book! A wonderfully researched and written book and a bit of a page turner, as much as history books go.

[Despina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked the history, and it was funny in parts!

[Ken Kingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great insight into Pierre Trudeau's visit to Havana in 1976. Well written and well researched.