Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau used to give bodyguards fits because they worried his flamboyant manner and pro-Cuban policies made him a target for "crazies," says his former press secretary.
"When we were in crowds, the Mounties went nuts, wondering whether some crazy would lunge at him or take a shot at him," Patrick Gossage said yesterday.
His comments came after a Star story in which Mike Craft, a self-confessed former "degenerate gambler" and former organized criminal from upstate New York, said he planned to kill Trudeau in the summer of 1974.
Craft said he was attempting to shoot Trudeau at a public appearance in Montreal because of his close association with Cuban President Fidel Castro. Craft said he was working for U.S. mobsters who were upset at Cuba and hoped Castro would come to Trudeau's funeral so they could get a shot at him.
He testified during recent New York state hearings into organized crime and gambling.
Toronto-area author Antonio Nicaso, who has lectured to police intelligence groups on organized crime, said American mobsters like Meyer Lansky hated Castro because he shut down their casinos when he became president in 1959.
Gossage said Trudeau's tight ties with Castro presented heightened security concerns. "He was so offside with U.S. policy on Cuba. He and Castro were on hugging terms."
Gossage said Trudeau was tough to guard because he routinely shrugged off bodyguards and went into crowds alone.
"The Mounties used to go berserk because he'd rush off. He was well-known for losing them or trying to."
Gossage said Trudeau, a judo black belt, felt he was capable of taking care of himself. "He did punch one guy out. ... He was in terrific condition and knew how to defend himself."
"He moved quickly. It was hard to do the `wedge' around him because he moved so quickly. It was a different time. There was no frisking or passing through metal detectors. His rallies were totally open."
Craft said he was called off his assassination bid in September 1974.