Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Secret Mulroney Tapes Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister by Peter C. Newman The Secret Mulroney Tapes. The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister is a biography of former Canadian Prime Minister , by writer and former Mulroney confidant Peter C. Newman. Contents. Content and controversies of the book Mulroney's reaction CBC special Mulroney lawsuit References External links. The book was released by Random House Canada on September 12, 2005. Content and controversies of the book. The book is based on hours of taped interviews, amounting to more than 7400 pages of transcripts, with Mulroney himself, family, friends, colleagues and contemporaries. In the book, Mulroney opens up his darkest secrets and his innermost thoughts. In the interviews, he proclaimed himself the greatest Prime Minister since John A. Macdonald, and claimed that Pierre Trudeau opposed the Meech Lake Accord to try to destroy him. Mulroney claims that "Trudeau's contribution was not to build Canada but to destroy it, and I had to come in to save it." Mulroney describes his successor as a "very vain person who blew the 1993 election because she was too busy screwing around with her Russian boyfriend" (Gregory Lekhtman), resulting in "the most incompetent campaign I've seen in my life." Campbell responded to the news by saying that Mulroney just wanted a "scapegoat who would bear the burden of his unpopularity". Mulroney's reaction. Via a spokesman, Mulroney said he was "devastated" and "betrayed" by Newman. He went further, saying "I was reckless in talking with Peter C. Newman. This was my mistake and I'm going to have to live with it." Mulroney also said that most of the time he was not aware that his conversations were being recorded. [1] The reality states the contrary: "Senator Pat Carney also disputed comments made by Mr. Mulroney’s spokesman, Luc Lavoie, on Monday that many of the remarks were made in late-night conversations and the former prime minister was unaware he was being taped. Mr. Lavoie told reporters Mr. Mulroney felt betrayed by Mr. Newman. 'He told his colleagues he was doing the taping with Peter Newman,' Senator Carney said yesterday. 'We were all aware. We may have thought he was crazy, but we were all aware.' This view (Mulroney's) is disputed by Newman, who claims that an agreement was struck between the two men in 1976, shortly before Mulroney's first run at the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party. Newman claims that Mulroney agreed to grant him privileged access on a regular basis should Mulroney become Prime Minister. According to Newman, Mulroney wanted someone to write a definitive history of his time as Prime Minister, warts and all. 'I don't want a puff job,' Mulroney allegedly told Newman. Newman writes that he didn't get one, and that the only pre-condition was that any book (based on the interviews) be published after Mulroney left office, which happened in early 1993. The original agreement allegedly also included a provision granting Newman access to documents from the Mulroney period -- some of them cabinet confidences -- in order to round out the book and provide historical evidence and perspective to Mulroney's taped words. In 1995, Newman writes that Mulroney changed the terms of the agreement and denied access to the documents." [2] Newman now says this wasn't the book he wanted to write, but that he was prevented from writing an unbiased historical look at Mulroney's term in office because he wasn't given everything that he was originally promised. Unwilling to let the tapes sit unused, Newman instead wrote this book, which was released September 12, 2005. There has been speculation that the reason behind Mulroney's alleged decision not to grant access to the documents originally promised was that he was planning to release his own memoirs, which were published on September 10, 2007 under the title Memoirs: 1939-1993. It has been suggested by some media outlets that Newman released his book before Mulroney could get his own edited and sanitized version of events out. After the publication of the book, Jean Charest, a former Cabinet minister under Mulroney and former premier of Quebec, came to his defence in a press conference, saying that he agreed with the statement that "Nobody has achievements like this . you cannot name a Canadian prime minister who has done as many significant things as I did, because there are none." Charest pointed out that Mulroney was the father of Free Trade and that the GST was a good thing for the Canadian economy. Newman has pledged to make the tapes available publicly at a later date. The original tapes are now located in a special collections archive at the University of where Newman says they will remain safe for future historians. CBC special. On November 21, 2005, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation broadcast a two-hour feature documentary based on the tapes. In the documentary, select excerpts from the tapes were intercut between commentary from Newman. The biggest difference between the documentary and the book was the documentary's inclusion of Peter Newman's voice from the audio tapes. Rarely seen archival news footage of Mulroney formed the bulk of the visuals for this program. This program was produced and directed by Mike Sheerin, who had previously been nominated for a Gemini Award for making the Life and Times of Peter C. Newman. [3] After the documentary aired, the book was listed as the #5 bestselling non-fiction book in Canada according to Maclean's, [4] whereas the previous week it had been #7. [4] Mulroney lawsuit. On November 23, 2005, Mulroney filed a lawsuit against Newman, arguing that Newman had broken the terms of the deal about how the tapes should be used, as well as what would happen to them if Newman did not produce the "scholarly and serious" biography of him that Mulroney expected. [5] The suit had three main demands: Newman ceases any future plans to print or broadcast the tapes, with the court imposing a permanent injunction to ensure he doesn't. Any money Newman has already made from the tapes is to be donated to two hospitals in Toronto and Montreal. The tapes are to be turned over to Library and Archives Canada. Prior to this, on November 17, 2005, Mulroney's friend, scandal-ridden former media lord Conrad Black, filed a libel suit against Newman for "falsely and maliciously accusing him of breaking criminal laws, including mail and wire fraud and money laundering in his 2004 book about Black." It is notable that these are the same charges that Black faced in the United States in 2007, [6] some of which he was convicted on. [7] On December 5, 2005, Mulroney accepted an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Concordia University. During the speech, he joked that he would be brief because he could only speak at length when he's being tape recorded - making a passing joke about the tapes. [8] Related Research Articles. John Napier Wyndham Turner was a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as the 17th from June 30 to September 17, 1984. Martin Brian Mulroney is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993. Charles Joseph Clark is a Canadian statesman, businessman, writer, and politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from June 4, 1979, to March 3, 1980. The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a centre-right federal political party in Canada. Lucien Bouchard , is a French Canadian lawyer, diplomat and retired politician. John James "Jean" Charest is a Canadian politician who briefly served as the fifth Deputy Prime Minister of Canada in 1993 and, thereafter, as 29th premier of Quebec, from 2003 to 2012; the leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998; and the leader of the Quebec Liberal Party from 1998 to 2012. He became Premier after winning the 2003 election; after he lost the 2012 election he announced that he would be resigning as Quebec Liberal Leader and leaving politics. Charest sits as an advisor to Canada's Ecofiscal Commission. Charest is currently a consultant for Huawei on the Meng Wanzhou case and for its 5G network plans in Canada. Benedict Martin Paul Mulroney is a Canadian television host. He is the eldest son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Milica "Mila" Mulroney is the wife of the 18th Prime Minister of Canada, Brian Mulroney. She was notable for taking on a greater role during her husband's tenure than previous spouses of Canadian prime ministers and for the criticism of lavish spending habits. Alexandre Emmanuel " Sacha " Trudeau is a Canadian filmmaker, journalist and author of Barbarian Lost . He is the second son of Canada's former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and Margaret Trudeau, and the younger brother of Canada's current Prime Minister . Peter Charles Newman is a Canadian journalist and writer. is a German and Canadian citizen, an industrialist, lobbyist, fundraiser, arms dealer and businessman. He has been in the news regarding his alleged role in the 1999 CDU contributions scandal in Germany, which damaged the political legacy of former Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl and involves the former Federal Minister of Finance of Germany Wolfgang Schäuble as well as the Airbus affair in Canada, which was linked through allegation to former prime minister of Canada Brian Mulroney. He was extradited to Germany on 2 August 2009, and convicted of tax evasion. The Airbus affair refers to allegations of secret commissions paid to members of the during the term of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney (1984–93), in exchange for then-crown corporation 's purchase of a large number of Airbus jets. The Chairman of Airbus at the time of the contract competition was (1915–1988), a high-profile German politician in Bavaria. André Harvey , PC is a Canadian consultant, politician and former teacher in Quebec, Canada. The history of Canada (1982–present) refers to the period immediately following the Canada Act until the present. "You had an option, sir" was a phrase used by Brian Mulroney against John Turner during the English-language leaders debate in the 1984 Canadian federal election. The exchange is considered one of the only "knockout blows" in the history of Canadian political debate. Avril Phaedra Douglas " Kim " Campbell is a Canadian politician, diplomat, lawyer and writer who served as the 19th prime minister of Canada from June 25 to November 4, 1993. Campbell is the first and only female prime minister of Canada. She was the final Progressive Conservative prime minister. Memoirs: 1939–1993 is a memoir written by the former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney. The book was released on September 10, 2007 and outlines Mulroney's version of events during his early life, political career and time as prime minister. Michel Gratton was a Canadian journalist. He held the post of Press Secretary for Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney from 1984 to 1987. Caroline Anne Mulroney Lapham is a Canadian businesswoman, lawyer and politician who currently serves as the Ontario Minister of Transportation and Minister of Francophone Affairs. Jessica Mulroney is a Canadian fashion stylist and marketing consultant, noted for her previous work with Kleinfeld Bridal, past guest appearances on television shows Good Morning America and CityLine , and hosting of I Do, Redo . She is a Canadian fashion advocate and contributor to Sunwing's Wedding Vacations magazine. The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister by Peter C. Newman. Head of State (born 20-Mar-1939) SUBJECT OF BOOKS. Peter C. Newman . The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister . Random House Canada. 2005 . 462pp. AUTHORITIES. Below are references indicating presence of this name in another database or other reference material. Most of the sources listed are encyclopedic in nature but might be limited to a specific field, such as musicians or film directors. A lack of listings here does not indicate unimportance -- we are nowhere near finished with this portion of the project -- though if many are shown it does indicate a wide recognition of this individual. Mulroney settles suit against Peter C. Newman. Former prime minister Brian Mulroney has settled a lawsuit against author Peter C. Newman over the publication of a book that was based on their private conversations. Mulroney's lawyer, Ken Prehogan, told The Canadian Press Monday that Mulroney had withdrawn his suit but the terms of the settlement were not made public. Mulroney sued Newman last November following the publication of Newman's book The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister . FROM NOV. 24, 2005: Mulroney suing author over tapes. The former prime minister was angry that Newman had used information from dozens of taped private conversations as the basis of the book. Disputed ownership. Mulroney knew Newman was taping their talks and he did not challenge the book's accuracy. But he disputed the ownership of the tapes and wanted to direct how any profits from them should be distributed. In his lawsuit, Mulroney said he wanted any money Newman made from the tapes be donated to two hospitals in Toronto and Montreal. Newman apologizes to Black to end libel suit. Author Peter C. Newman has publicly apologized to former media baron Conrad Black as part of a deal to end a $2.1-million libel suit. Black objected to a passage alleging he broke the law that was included in Newman's 2004 memoir Here Be Dragons: Telling Tales of People, Passion and Power . Newman issued a "statement of regret" over the disputed comments late Tuesday, accompanied by a press release from his Toronto-based lawyer, Howard Winkler, that said it was part of an out-of-court settlement. "Mr. Newman acknowledges that Lord Black is entitled to the presumption that he is innocent of any wrongdoing and apologizes for and retracts any contrary impression his words may have conveyed," the statement reads. The statement said Black objected to comments that were based on information from an August 2004 report by a special committee of Hollinger International, once Black's main operating company. None of the allegations have been proven in court and the statement issued by Newman's legal team notes that Black "has strenuously denied allegations against him and expressed confidence that he will be judicially vindicated." Black is suing the authors of the Hollinger report. In November, 2005, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago laid fraud charges against Black, alleging he illegally pocketed millions of dollars belonging to Hollinger, his publicly traded newspaper company. Black has pleaded not guilty to those charges. Black's seven-page statement of claim in the lawsuit against Newman was filed in Ontario's Superior Court of Justice on Nov. 9, 2005. Besides suing for financial damages, Black had asked for an injunction against the book being distributed. Winkler said on Tuesday that with Newman's retraction, Black's legal action has been "dismissed without costs." The suit gained attention in part because Newman, 76, was served while attending a black-tie party in Toronto marking the 100th anniversary of Maclean's magazine. Black, 61, and his wife, Barbara Amiel, were also at the function. Newman is also facing a lawsuit by former prime minister Brian Mulroney over another book, The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister . Mulroney alleges Newman broke an agreement by using tapes of private conversations between the two men, who were old friends, to produce what the lawsuit documents allege is a "scandalous" gossip book instead of the serious and scholarly biography that Mulroney says he expected. Canada Still Has Mulroney to Kick Around. IT'S Canada's Nixon moment. "The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister," the edited transcripts of hundreds of hours of interviews with the former conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney (who served from 1984 to 1993), has revealed a foul-mouthed, insecure man with an enemies list that sprawls from Vancouver to Halifax. The book, produced by Peter C. Newman, a veteran Canadian journalist with whom Mr. Mulroney held regular conversations during his years in power, has caused a political uproar in Canada since its release Sept. 12. "I was reckless in talking with Peter C. Newman," Mr. Mulroney said through a spokesman, Luc Lavoie. "This was my mistake and I'm going to have to live with it." "It's the fastest selling nonfiction book in Canada," said Brad Martin, the chief operating officer for Random House Canada, the book's publisher. A review in called the book a "tale of anger, betrayal and braggadocio so loud and lewd that 'unguarded' and 'confession' are an understatement." Mr. Mulroney assumed office with the biggest parliamentary majority in Canada's history and retired at a low ebb of popularity near the end of his second term. In the election that followed, his party, the Progressive Conservatives, was reduced to a mere two seats in Parliament. Excerpts of his taped comments follow. CLIFFORD KRAUSS. Mr. Mulroney relished being a confidant of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He always expressed warmth for Mr. Reagan in public, but his private views were less benign. He once said, "Brian, did you read that article in the Reader's Digest that trees cause pollution?" I knew him and liked him well enough that I didn't get into an argument. I just said, "I gave up reading Reader's Digest, Ron." Mr. Mulroney said he advised Mr. Bush on how to deal with rumors during the 1992 presidential campaign that he had had an extramarital affair - - accusations Mr. Bush denied. Bush said, "Isn't that the goddamnedest bit of trash you've ever seen? Can you goddamn well believe it?" This is the way he talks, you know. I said, "I can, George. By our standards, this is normal up here in Canada. Let me tell you something before you get too worked up. I've got a guy up here who wrote, among other things, that I took a shower with some beautiful blonde that I had never met in my goddamned life. It wasn't even true at all." And he said, "What's that got to do with it?" I said, "Well, a month later my popularity jumped seven points. So whatever you do, don't deny a goddamned thing!" He laughed so hard and he said, "Can I tell Barbara?" Mr. Mulroney wanted to tie Canada more closely to the United States, negotiating a free-trade agreement. His successor as prime minister, Jean Chrétien, said during his political campaign that he wanted to renegotiate the agreement, but then embraced it once in power. Both acts displeased Mr. Mulroney, as Mr. Chrétien did generally. Only a mean, dirty bastard would do something like that, or a [expletive] stupid one. And you know what? He's both. As his popularity plummeted in his last years in office, his disgust with Ottawa grew: This place is sick. They're all married to one another. They're shacked up with one another. Their wives are on the CBC payroll. It's just awful, the goddamned incest here. Ottawa is really a sick place. This is really a sick town. A sense of loyalty and friendship and mutual respect in some cases is nonexistent, and there's something in the air here that transforms people from supplicants to sinners overnight. Mr. Mulroney, who liked to see himself as a figure on the world stage, claimed to have been a central player in the demise of the Soviet empire. I led a revolution. I never thought I would, but I did, because this was a revolutionary time. Now we have a united Germany in NATO and the Warsaw Pact and so on. During the Meech Lake discussions, I was brokering this with Bush and Gorbachev right in Ottawa. When Mr. Mulroney stepped down, he left his party in the hands of Kim Campbell, the first woman to serve as Canada's prime minister. She held office for only a few months before losing in a landslide to the Liberals. Mr. Mulroney blames Ms. Campbell's boyfriend in part for the loss. Throughout the whole goddamned thing, she's been screwing around with this Russian guy. The guy was sneaking into hotel rooms and the campaign bus. If I'm in an election campaign and you bring Marilyn Monroe and 15 others into my hotel room, I'd throw them out. Christ, she'd arrive in Montreal, and the Mounties would drive like hell over to her boyfriend's house. She'd spend the whole goddamned afternoon and night there. (Ms. Campbell, at the request of The Vancouver Sun, responded in an e-mail message to these remarks. "In 1993, Brian Mulroney was the most unpopular prime minister in the history of Canadian polling and the Progressive Conservative Party was at historically low levels of support," she wrote. "The question that begs asking is why he then gave me, as his successor, only two and a half months to turn the party fortunes around before an election had to be called." She added: "The effect of hearing Brian Mulroney in his own voice is, sadly, to remind Canadians of why they didn't like him and delay what he so clearly craves and feels he deserves -- respect for the achievements of his government.") Mr. Mulroney believed that at least some newspapers had it in for him. One of these was The Montreal Gazette, to which he attributed a degree of bias that surprised even Mr. Newman, his interviewer. If you go to The Montreal Gazette, you will not find one favorable adjective in 10 years. Even [expletive] Hitler. Newman: Even what? Even Hitler had somebody writing one good adjective in 10 years. Maybe one day he said hello to somebody, and it was recorded, I don't know. As a leader, Mr. Mulroney said, he was surpassed only by Sir. John A. Macdonald, who became Canada's first prime minister in 1867 and was the father of the Canadian confederation. History, he was sure, would judge him positively. Still, Mr. Mulroney said, the low esteem in which he was currently held by some of his countrymen was difficult to endure. The last few years have been breathtaking in the calumny and the smears and the bitterness and the malice directed against me. And so I had to decide, lookit, am I going to be influenced by it? Macdonald wasn't. Macdonald had some rough years and he took solace in the bottle, God love him, and he had a lot of family problems, as you know. But I got comfort from my family because I had no family problems. I've got a wonderful wife and magnificent kids.