A General for Peace

Leonard Johnson is a soldier with a difference. A retired general in the Canadian Armed Forces, he is also a passionate and outspoken crusader for world disarmament.

Johnson was a conventional military officer, steeped in Cold War ideology, a firm believer in peace through strength. With his 1980 appointment as commandant of National Defence College in Kingston, Ontario, his views changed dramatically. By the time of his retirement in 1984 he was a harsh critic both of U.S. military policy and of the central doctrine of contemporary strategy--nuclear deterrence. Since then he has embraced activism, tirelessly promoting the cause of peace and security.

Written in a warm, engaging style, A General for Peace is an account of Johnson's increasing disenchantment with military orthodoxy and a plea for sanity in a persistently mad world.