John Weisman is one of a select company of writers to have had books on both the New York Times fiction and nonfiction best-seller lists. His best-sellers include Rogue Warrior (written with Richard Marcinko) and Rogue Warrior's eight fictional sequels. A former journalist, Weisman has worked in more than three dozen countries. His latest work, the Black Ops novel SOAR, is now available through HarperCollins/William Morrow. He is currently completing the second Black Ops novel, Jack in the Box, for release in 2004. He can be emailed at: blackops@johnweisman.com
Special Event: John Weisman will be appearing to sign autographed copies of his latest thriller, Soar, at the following locations:
August 15: Fort Bragg
11:00-11:30 a.m. - Bldg 80-5050 (2nd street and Buckner Rd)
2:00-4:00 p.m. - Bldg 1017 on Canopy Lane
August 19 & 20: TREXPO EAST (Chantilly, VA)
10:00 a.m.-5::00 p.m. - TEAM ONE NETWORK booth, at Dulles Exposition Center, Chantilly, VA. Official ID credentials required.
August 30: Quantico
12:00-2:00 p.m. - Marine Corps Post Exchange
September 6: Horse Shoe Curve Restaurant (Pine Grove, VA),
6:00-9:00 p.m. at Horse Shoe Curve Restaurant
Pine Grove Road
Pine Grove, VA
Pine Grove Road [Rt 679] runs off Rt.7, just west of the Blue Ridge, and 2 mi. east of the Shenandoah River.
When President G.W. Bush declared war against global terrorism in the days after 9/11 he made clear the fact that the United States would treat any country that harbored or supported terrorism as an enemy.
So why, then, are we still so friendly with Saudi Arabia?
Let's bypass the fact that Da Kingdom, as I sometimes like to call it, is run by a corrupt, duplicitous, oppressive regime. Let's overlook that Saudi women cannot vote, drive, or do much of anything without the permission of their husbands or other male family members. Let's not dwell on the fact that slavery still exists in Da Kingdom. Let's not focus on the abominable Saudi record in the human-rights area. If we did, we might not like them so much.
And let's not talk about the fact that despite all the cash the Saudis spend on American military goods and services, and all the medals their generals pin on their tunics, Saudi Arabia is so lame militarily it cannot even defend its own sacred sites. When a renegade Wahabi imam and his 250 terrorists took over Mecca's sacred Kaaba in November, 1979, the Saudis had to beg the French to dispatch special forces to dislodge them. French commandos were flown in by Concorde and swiftly ended the two-week takeover.
When Da Kingdom was threatened by Saddam Hussein in 1990, Saudi royals came screaming to the U.S. for help. And we answered the call. We sent half a million troops to the region, put Saddam back in his crate for a few years and guaranteed the safety and security of the Saudis. At the cost of more than 100 American lives.
So, how did Da Kingdom thank its old pal Uncle Sam?
Well, let me list a few of the ways.
During the 1991 Gulf War, American intelligence wanted to test blood samples from Iraqi POWs to learn whether they had been given any vaccines to counter chemical or biological agents. But the Saudi high command refused to give its consent, because it did not want non-Muslims drawing the blood of true believers. The problem was worked out only through the direct intervention of the American CINC, General Schwarzkopf.
When five Americans (including one U.S. military casualty) died in a November, 1995, terrorist bombing, Saudi authorities actively prevented U.S. investigators from pursuing the perpetrators.
When 19 American military personnel who were in Da Kingdom to defend Saudi Arabia died in the terrorist bombing of the Khobar Towers in 1996, the Saudis did everything they could to hinder the investigation.
Hmm. I'm beginning to see a pattern here.
Let's fast-forward to 9/11. Guess what: 15 of the 19 perps are Saudi nationals. And what was the first reaction of the Saudi government? To deny any responsibility, of course. But within a few days, with the evidence growing rock solid and undeniable, the Saudis had to change their story.
So, Da Kingdom's Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary & Consul General to the United States, a pudgy, bespoke-suited, Habanos-smoking dude named His Royal Highness Prince Bandar bin Sultan (whose embassy, incredibly, has more diplomats accredited to the State Department than Great Britain does), spent a fair amount of time on TV reassuring Americans that the Saudis are our devoted partners in the war against terror. His Royal Highness tried very hard indeed to make his case. Oh, yeah, he was very trying.
So, just how is Da Kingdom helping its old pal Uncle Sam fight terror these days? Let me list a few of the ways…
Guess what: it turned out that Prince His Royal Highness Bandar's wife, Princess Her Royal Highness Haifa, wrote checks that ended up paying the expenses of two of those scumbag Saudi 9/11 hijackers. Haifa claimed she can't quite figure out how that happened. I guess when your income is an estimated $25 million a month, a few thou here and a few thou there is hard to track.
But she's not alone. According to my pals in the intelligence biz, Saudis are still funneling money to Usama Bin Laden.
There's more. According to recent investigations, Saudi charities that benefit from the patronage of the royal family still support terrorist causes all across the Middle East.
And let's not forget that according to some Middle-East based intelligence sources, Saudi money is still somehow finding its way to the families of homicide bombers who target innocent civilians in Israel.
Are you beginning to see a pattern here?
You're not the only one. Saad al-Fagih, a leading Saudi dissident based in London recently said that al-Qaeda enjoys a "supportive, sheltering environment" in Saudi Arabia. Given the complexity and obvious long-term planning of the triple homicide bombings at those foreign compounds May 12, Mr. al-Fagih is obviously given to understatement.
The current U.S. ambassador to Da Kingdom, Robert Jordan, was undiplomatically blunt about a Saudi screw-up after the May 12 attacks. He stated U.S. authorities had warned the Saudis about possible impending attacks. But the Saudi government, Jordan said, "did not, as of the time of this tragic event, provide the additional security we requested."
Despite Ambassador Jordan's charges, as well as a growing body of evidence suggesting that the Saudis knowingly put American lives at risk, the most recent "Patterns of Global Terrorism" volume, which is compiled by CIA and released under State Department cover, actually lauds Saudi Arabia for its counterterror efforts.
Da Kingdom, says the report, "has worked to enhance security at US installations to match the heightened threat level throughout the Arabian Peninsula." Our friends the Saudis, the report insists, "has expanded its cooperation in the war on terror…"
Tell that to the families of the 34 KIAs from the May 12 attack.
