RIP Sir Nicholas Henderson
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:46 am
Sir Nicholas Henderson, who died on March 16 aged 89, was Britain's ambassador in three of the most important diplomatic posts – Bonn, Paris and Washington; in the last of these he played a crucial role in securing American backing for Britain in the Falklands War.
Wherever he was posted, "Nico" Henderson's professionalism, cultivated tastes, rumpled charm and attractive if studied eccentricity won him trust and affection. He also succeeded in achieving wide public recognition, not least on account of Zorba, an enormous pedigree Dalmatian who accompanied him to Warsaw, Bonn and Paris.
In Warsaw Zorba distinguished himself by biting the Polish washerwoman when she was grubbing around in search of confidential papers. The unfortunate spy had to undergo a painful course of rabies injections, thus deterring other would-be spies from seeking employment at the embassy.
In Bonn, Henderson hosted a masked ball at which he appeared, with Zorba in tow, dressed as a Dalmatian. The following day the German papers published a photograph of Henderson and Zorba under the headline "British Ambassador receives his guests".
On his arrival in Paris, Henderson was asked on French radio what precautions he had taken against kidnapping. He replied that he had sent in advance to Paris his dog – exceptionally fierce, he had as many victims to his credit as spots; would-be kidnappers should look out. The next day he found that nobody remembered what he had said about the future of Europe, but everybody spoke of the dog who had "autant de victimes que de tâches".