The well-known historian Jean Tulard is a case in point. He is considered the doyen of French History and recently admitted that cancer could not have caused Napoleon’s death, despite his long-time defense of this as the only acceptable theory. Tulard recently took part in a French TV broadcast, “Bouillon de Culture”, hosted by Bernard Pivot. He told the host that cancer could no longer be considered the cause of Napoleon’s death, given the considerable scientific research on the subject; research that, as we know, was a result of Ben Weider’s unceasing efforts. But Tulard refused to come out in support of Weider and when questioned as to the real cause of Napoleon’s death simply shrugged his shoulders.

Thierry Lentz, Director of the Napoleon Foundation, is another French Napoleonic historian who has revised his opinion, admitting indirectly that the cancer theory is no longer viable. He acknowledges that hair samples from Napoleon analyzed by experts in recent years are authentic in origin. He refuses, however, to admit that Ben Weider’s argument is sound, though the facts are unequivocal. The Canadian businessman recently tried to get Lentz to repeat publicly what he has said in private regarding the impossibility of cancer causing Napoleon’s death. But Weider had to use roundabout means – further evidence of the unfounded competition and hostility that persists between some French Napoleonic historians and Weider.

Ben Weider finessed Lentz with a pamphlet entitled “Empoisonnement de Napoléon – Vérités et Mensonges” (“The Poisoning of Napoleon – Truth and Lies”), recently published and distributed to members of the International Napoleonic Society. The booklet is by Jean-Claude Damamme, author of several works on the Napoleonic period.

"Vérités et Mensonges” is the report of a conference held in January 2003 in Strasbourg, France, where Thierry Lentz acknowledged during his presentation that the analyses of Napoleon’s hair and resulting arsenic poisoning theory were probably sound. But, he added, he would never admit this publicly. Ben Weider had had the conference filmed by a French TV crew, but French law prohibits broadcasting a person’s image without their consent. And Thierry Lentz refused to give his. To avoid the issue, Weider had the conference proceedings – including Lentz’s remarks –written up by Damamme and distributed to the members of the Napoleonic Society. This was just one of the many brilliantly aggressive strategies that Ben Weider has had to employ over the last few decades in his struggle to gain acceptance for his research into Napoleon’s poisoning.

Weider has led many campaigns during his lifetime, but the most difficult has certainly been his struggle to change Napoleonic history. He believes in the importance of fighting for his convictions, and has practiced this philosophy throughout his life. He has consistently emerged victorious from the many difficult battles he has faced.

Ben Weider was born in Montreal in 1924. He spent some time as a child on his father’s farm in St. Lin in the Laurentian Mountains north of Montreal , but grew up in the family house on rue Coloniale in the “Plateau”, a Montreal neighborhood that has since become trendy with artists and young professionals. Weider learned to speak French when he was very young and developed lasting friendships with many French-Canadians. In fact he married a French-speaking Quebec girl, Huguette Drouin.

Ben’s father was a generous, hard-working man who disliked the racism evident in Quebec at the time. “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity – that was Napoleon’s philosophy, and also my father’s,” states Ben Weider. “My father told me that Napoleon freed the Jews, and that without him the Holocaust might have taken place as early as the 19th Century. On April 20, 1799 during the Palestinian Campaign, Napoleon became the first to consider creating a state of Israel . Napoleon wanted the cause of his death determined so that his only son, nicknamed L’Aiglon (The Eaglet), might avoid suffering from the same disease. I promised my father I would fight to the end to fulfill the Emperor’s wishes ,” declares Weider.

Three themes have dominated Ben Weider’s life. They have universal application and form his personal philosophy:

1. Act with passion. Nothing endures without passion.
2. Have the courage to tackle obstacles – never back down.
3. Persevere. Sometimes you need patience, but if you keep trying you will succeed.

Ben Weider’s crusade to change the accepted version of Napoleonic history began in 1961 when Swedish dentist Dr. Sten Forshufvud, a learned historian and poison specialist from Göteborg, first raised the possibility that Napoleon may have been poisoned by arsenic. Weider was also reading up on the subject at the time for his research on sports health and came to the same conclusion: medical descriptions of stomach cancer symptoms disproved the theory that the disease caused Napoleon’s death. The accepted historical version at the time was that Napoleon had suffered from cancer for five years and yet was quite fat when he died. Cancer victims, on the contrary, normally die thin and wasted. Napoleon, therefore, could not have died of cancer.

The theory that Napoleon died of poisoning at the hands of one of his compatriots on St. Helena was clearly troublesome and challenged accepted facts of France ’s Napoleonic era. Most French Napoleonic historians adamantly disputed and ridiculed the theory.

Ben Weider traveled to Sweden several times to meet Dr. Forshufvud and compare his personal research to the Swedish historian’s. In 1978, the two self-taught historians published Assassination at St. Helena . French Napoleonic historians poured scorn on the theory developed by the two amateurs – a Swedish dentist and a Canadian businessman – who wanted to take on academia. The two were not even French, yet dared give a history lesson to well-known French Napoleonic historians!

The more French historians rejected his research out of hand, the more Ben Weider devoted his energy and conviction to the task. Weider has always responded to opposition by listening to his opponents and then answering their objections politely and knowledgeably. He can be very persuasive and has enjoyed many successes, especially his campaign to promote bodybuilding as a serious sport. He was able to convince several heads of state of the sport’s benefits.

Ben Weider went to great lengths to objectively persuade French Napoleonic historians they were wrong about Napoleon’s death and that it was in their best interest to at least consider his arguments. His efforts were unsuccessful, and for a long time they refused by and large to even listen to Weider’s proposals. He was convinced that he was on the right track, though, and did not let this setback discourage him.

Weider decided to modify his strategy, and instead of spending his time on discussion and debate, concentrated on rigorous scientific research that exceeded anything previously conducted by experts in the field. Weider had the means to achieve his ambitions and did not stint in his efforts, personally or financially.

For years, Ben Weider conducted a scientific investigation worthy of the cleverest detective. In 1998 he received a very special, rarely awarded title in recognition of his research: Honorary Chief Inspector of the Montreal Police Department. The title was awarded by former Police Chief Jacques Duchesneau, now CEO of a government organization responsible for passenger safety in Canadian airports. Duchesneau described Weider as the greatest detective he had ever met.

Weider’s research into Napoleon’s death first turned up the journal of Louis Marchand, the Emperor’s personal valet on St. Helena . It had been written for Marchand’s immediate family and was not intended for general publication. However with the family’s consent, the document was released to the world and published in 1952. Marchand’s manuscript was significant because it described Napoleon’s physical state and his day-to-day symptoms in the months preceding his death.

Moreover, when the results were plotted on a graph, it was clear there were significant variations in the amount of arsenic present in the hairs, proving that the arsenic was introduced into the body during specific periods and not on a continual basis. This important distinction eliminates the theory that arsenic may have been present in the wallpaper of the house where Napoleon was quartered. The arsenic that was found in the hair must have been absorbed into Napoleon’s blood unevenly, at different times.

Dr. Pascal Kintz, a well-known and highly respected toxicologist in France , carried out the analysis and presented his report in 2001. The arsenic levels varied between 6.99 ng/mg and 38.53 ng/mg in the five hair samples analyzed, whereas the human body can only safely tolerate levels from 0.1 to 1.0 ng/mg. The results were once again conclusive and confirmed all previous tests, particularly those carried out by the FBI. The Emperor had without a doubt been poisoned and Ben Weider uncovered the truth for the world.

Since the recent publication of “Vérités et Mensonges”, Ben Weider has received numerous letters of support. They endorsed Weider’s irrefutable conclusions and his dedication to the investigation. There was also criticism of the bad faith shown by some highly regarded French Napoleonic historians.

More recently, Ben Weider officially requested the help of the Metropolitan Police Service at Scotland Yard in London to determine if the evidence unearthed in his research into Napoleon’s death would warrant a murder investigation if part of a crime inquiry today. The Yard’s Suzanne Williams, Detective Superintendent - Special Operations, confirmed that the facts established by the research, and specifically the hair analysis evidence, would indeed be cause for investigation and such a case would be sent to the criminal prosecution unit.

The Napoleon project has cost Ben Weider personally over US $3 million, $1 million of which went to create a chair of Napoleonic history at Florida State University in the United States . Some may consider Napoleon a tyrant – for Ben Weider, however, the French statesman was a superior individual who wanted only the best for humanity. He believed in equality among people and could not tolerate racism. Napoleon Bonaparte, much like Ben Weider himself, believed that one should never back down in the face of opposition. The Emperor dreamed of the ideal “citizen of the world”, wanting his people and troops to adopt this model and be true defenders of the truth. Ben Weider is a living example of Napoleon’s dream.

Weider has never chased after honors. His real reward is setting the historical record straight.

During the year 2005 he knew an immense satisfaction whereas its theory of the poisoning of Napoleon was finally recognized scientifically in Paris .  This conclusion to his personal efforts of almost 40 years to prove the veracity of its thesis was for him significant as much than its other successes on the level of physical conditioning.  Ben Weider is also very proud of his title of Colonel of the 62nd Field Artillery Régiment of Shawinigan, Quebec.

What will Ben Weider, the Canadian bug that refused to be squashed, take on as his next challenge? He will probably pursue his work on Napoleon and write more books. He has successfully faced the struggles life has brought, but there are always new battles and adventures to tackle. Weider does not intend to take things easy.