A Matter of Principle

by Conrad Black

"I never ask for mercy and seek no one's sympathy. I would never, as was once needlessly feared in this court, be a fugitive from justice in this country, only a seeker of it."—Conrad Black, in his statement to the court, June 24, 2011In 1993, Conrad Black was the proprietor of London's Daily Telegraph and the head of one of the world's largest newspaper groups. He completed a memoir in 1992, A Life in Progress, and "great prospects beckoned." In 2004, he was fired as chairman of Hollinger International after he and his associates were accused of fraud. Here, for the first time, Black describes his indictment, four-month trial in Chicago, partial conviction, imprisonment, and largely successful appeal.In this unflinchingly revealing and superbly written memoir, Black writes without reserve about the prosecutors who mounted a campaign to destroy him and the journalists who presumed he was guilty. Fascinating people fill these pages, from prime ministers and presidents to the social, legal, and media elite, among Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, George W. Bush, Jean Chrétien, Rupert Murdoch, Izzy Asper, Richard Perle, Norman Podhoretz, Eddie Greenspan, Alan Dershowitz, and Henry Kissinger.Woven throughout are Black's views on big politics, corporate governance, and the U.S. justice system. He is candid about highly personal subjects, including his friendships - with those who have supported and those who have betrayed him - his Roman Catholic faith, and his marriage to Barbara Amiel. And he writes about his complex relations with Canada, Great Britain, and the United States, and in particular the blow he has suffered at the hands of that nation.In this extraordinary book, Black maintains his innocence and recounts what he describes as "the fight of and for my life." A Matter of Principle is a riveting memoir and a scathing account of a flawed justice system.From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Business, Politics, Law

Kindle Edition

First published August 31, 2011

About the author

Conrad Black is a Canadian-born British peer, and former publisher of the London Daily Telegraph, The Spectator, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Jerusalem Post, and founder of Canada's National Post.

He is a columnist and regular contributor to several publications, including National Review Online, The New Criterion, The National Interest, American Greatness, the New York Sun, and the National Post.

As an acclaimed author and biographer, Lord Black has published comprehensive histories of both Canada and the United States, as well as authoritative biographies of Maurice Duplessis, and presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, and Donald Trump.

Lord Black is also a television and radio commentator and a sporadic participant in the current affairs programming of CNN, Fox News, CTV, CBC, BBC, and Radio Canada.

Reviews

[Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Conrad. First off, I'm definitely a fan, and I do indeed think that the whole debacle he had to endure was pure nonsense. In this book, Conrad spells out every detail, from the supposed infractions to his time in jail while awaiting a verdict on appeal (and eventually from the US Supreme Court). I'm pretty sure that a normal person could write this book in 200 or so pages, but it IS Conrad, so of course it's several hundred pages of very fine detail. I quite enjoyed it (again I'm really biased on this subject), however if you have zero interest in business, Conrad, or courtroom drama, this is probably not the book for you.

As a side note, if you want to become highly hubristic in your regularly occurring syntax , you will definitely pick up some pretty awesome words in this little tome.

[Anthony Meaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I figured Lord Black would mount a steadfast (if self-interested) defence of his actions. I had no idea how utterly convincing he would be and how thoroughly he would demolish his opponents.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting man who causes such strong emotional reactions amongst Canadians...nonetheless an interesting man.

[Brett Macfarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously one side but the side rarely exposed.

[Leah Costello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting! If you need "beyond a reasonable doubt" to convict, then Conrad gives much more than reasonable doubt...

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black is long-winded yet witty with a sardonic sense of humour. Basically can be boiled down to Black vs. the US justice system

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. Black provides a lot of detail about the transactions that formed the basis for the government prosecution and does a masterful job of laying out the defenses that allowed him to beat all but two of the charges. Prosecutor Fitzgerald and Overseer Breeden should be investigated and punished for their extreme abuse of their roles and particularly Breeden who pocketed millions by draining Hollinger of its assets. I am a big fan of Lord Black as a person and as a writer. The two remaining charges that caused his imprisonment are hard to believe and the government should be ashamed. The appendix to this book includes a lot of good information and analysis about what's wrong with the US Judicial system.

Hooray for you Lord Black. I can't wait to read your current project book about the American founders.

[Fred R · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Conrad Black tells it, the basic story is Ayn Randian (a creator of value brung low by parasites in and outside the government). It's not entirely to his credit that I still don't have a particularly good sense of what exactly he was supposed to have done wrong, but possibly that's due to the complexity or weakness of the case. I read it for his angry and contemptuous descriptions of his enemies, which were quite excellent. I felt quite sorry for him by the end, although his tribulations, viewed as a narrative, became pretty monotonous.

[Adam DeVille, Ph.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will stipulate at the outset that the Chicago "trial" of Conrad Black, as Mark Steyn documented for Maclean's magazine, was a farce of the first order with a vicious outcome for Black. That said, this memoir of Black's, largely devoted to the trial and jailtime, is, in places, a touch too bombastic and a touch too Baroque in some of its quite understandable and thunderous denunciations. It also lags in a few places from rather tedious legal minutia. But it is nonetheless an insightful study into a gross miscarriage of "justice."

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started this on June 10 2012.

Enjoyed it. Typical Conrad writing (you need a dictionary).

It's unbelievable (still) that he was prosecuted. I wish him the best. I hope he gets the remaining two convictions overturned. They're bogus. Unbelievable. The man essentially lost a decade of his life. A pox on all who attacked him.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I browsed rather than read this book. I lost track of much of the financial details. I found his prison experience interesting reading.

[Jason Keenan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful blow-by-blow account of Conrad Black's trials in the American justice system -- and a harsh judgement of how frayed and decayed that system has become. As always, amazingly written.

[Dianne]

not really finished but i'm finding it too hard to follow so I'm giving up. I got about 10% through but it was a difficult read. not my thing.

[Allen Elggren · Rating 5 out of 5]

So relevant with the corruption in prosecutions across the land. Dad would have abhorred the abuse of law.

[Dan Rad · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the most eloquent and infamous writers I've recently had the pleasure of reading, though not agreeing with his policy decisions, he is a crafty chap.