More:
Most of the army dependents got off this morning 15 JuLy 58. With much confusion etc. I take off and hit the rack at home 0830hr, Tell Nora to stay home. I went back to work with the forty-five in the glove compartment of the truck, I figured after five today it will be open season on all Americans left in town. I arrive at the Embassy to find it really in an uproar but still only a handfut of us know they are coming, At 1300hr the Sixth Fieet sails
practically up to the shore of Saint Simon and the beaches of Lebanon are swamped
with people watching them, 1200 hrs Ambassadro McClintock informs Chamoun. Stiness
& McClintock have conference with Gen Chehab, Chehab say they will not come ashore,
Evidentally Chamoun didn't tell him he had asked for troops for obvious reasons. The
boy scouts in the command post here are running around with their heads cut off,
The ambassador calls and says stop them, Stinees calls and says its okay to
come in, Baker calls and tells them to come right into the port., & security officer
in the Army (Leb) issues orders to fire on them. That is over ruled, Chehab begs
the Ambassador for one more chance to clean up the mess, but it is too late to
stop them as they have already started ashore. Colonel Stiness & Cmdr Baker
haven't even taken the foresight to organize a liaison on the beach, Stiness is
so shook up that it is pitiful. At two o'clock Stiness and Lieut Kauffman take off
in a dingy to contact the fleet, Baker runs off down the beach, waving his hands
trying to stop them and have them come into the port, Chuck Ferguson contacts the
Fleet and talks to Lt Colonel Harry Hadd, commander of the battation coming ashore,
He says " I am Mr Charles Ferguson of the U.S. Embassy in charge of the command post
THE FOREIGN SERVICE
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and the Ambassador wants you to change your plans and come right up to the port,
Cabonel Hadd retorts. "I take my orders from the Sixth Fleet", Meanwhile back at
Lebanese Army Headquarters and attempted coup d'etat had been in the making since
Monday 14 July. Col Salem, Col Kader Chehab were going to take over and put Gen
Chehab in charge of the country. It was planned for the afternoon of the 15th,
We feel Chehab knew zbout it and probably concurred, Zogby gets a call of the
possibility from the paiace and a request for 100 Marines to go to the President.
Hayes & Zogby dash for the beaches as the marines can be seen riding for the
shore in their landing craft, Still there are no liaison to meet them from the
attaches office, So old Duke jumps into his truck and takes after Zogby & Hayes
and the beach. Approximately five hundred cars with sight seers are also heading
out to watch the landing. They land about five hundred yards down the beach from
Acapulco, After fighting my way through about hundred cars lined up on the new
highway pass Acapulco, I get there, The marines split up into two companies,
One clearing out the beach to Acapulco and then heading across the sanddunes
to the Airport road in back of the golf course, the other two companies take off
down the beach and swing in over the sanddunes on to the edge of the runways, I lead ttie two companies in clearing out the beaches around Acapulco, All the little chicklet boys want baakseesh and the ice cream fenders are trying to sell them ice cream, Crowds of Lebanese are running up shaking their hands, half the foreign crowd from other Embassies are there,including the Russians
etc, About fifty newspaper men, television, NBC etc are grinding away, They
are spread out about fifty yards and start moving up the beach, I am literally leading them along with some 1litile blond 2nd lieutenant, It was the funniest situation I have ever seen in my life, Here I am leading about fifty
men up the beach, they are ail decked out in combat clothing, bullet prof vest
THE FOREIGN SERVICE
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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etc, I am attired in white bucks, sport jacket and shirt and a forty- five stuck in my belt, It was a little tense at first because the crowd kept moving in and we were trying to move them back, Joe Arida's driver was there, half the crowd from Uncle Sams, Lucy Bouez you know that French women, who is a friend of Therese who drives
me crazy and about twenty of forty others I knew, I was afraid there might be a couple of fanatics in the crowd who might shoot one of the marines and then all
hell would break loose, Larry Collins of UP jumped out in front and said hoid it just a minute I want a get a shot of you and the Lieut, My caption on this invasion
will read, U.S. MARINES ASSAULT BEACHES OF LEBANON,LED BY ARMY SGT U.S, EMBASSY
After clearing the beaches in twenty minutes and running the people off, A captain
and two jeeps pulled up next to me, They wanted to get to the airport and make
contact with the other two companies coming across the airstrip. I said come on I'll lead you. There was a rebel pocket down at the circle near the golf course that I warned them we would probably be fired on, but only small arms and we should
be through it in a few minutes. Five Marines piled into the back of the pickup and the two jeeps followed, We whipped off to the Airport, We ran right through
the rebel barricade and they never fired a shot, but just looked at us. We pulled up to the first army guard post and two Marines jumped out and took over,
Two more Marines jumped out and took over the ones right in front of the Airport,
I was a little afraid that we might be fired on by the Army or Gendarmes who hadn't
got the word, As it was they didn't know what was happening, but looking out, over
the sanddunes and seeing the Marines heads appearing [they weren't about to try to
stop us, We whipped up in front of the Airport, dashed into the lobby and took over,
The Captain and four of us took over the control tower and Col Bustani offices,
By that time Marines were just coming across the Airstrips, There was one mass confusion amongst the people there, We would allow nobody in and nobody out
THE FOREIGN SERVICE
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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Major Saad chief of security(you remember the report on that bastard early in
the crisis) tried to get into the control tower where the speaker was. I put a
Marine on him and told him to hold tight until the situation squared away. Col
Hadd the commander showed up about ten minutes tater, Col Holbrook couldn't
get in so I went out and got him. He had word from the Ambassador to Col Hadd
to let the Lebs have the airport back and resume commercial traffice. The Marines
would just stand by as security forces. That was all ironed out with Col Bustani
in a meeting about five o'clock, I called and informed the Ambassador. Haif hour later
looked across the runway and here comes CoL Stiness, Cmdr Baker, & Lieut Kauffman
across the runway. I hollered to them to come on up, Colonel Stiness & Kauffman
got to the ship too late to stop them, Cmdr Bker was down on the beach trying
to wave them off. You can picture Baker waving his hands at about thousand
Marines coming in with assault boats. Col Hadd wouldn't pay any attention to
him when he did get in. The Ambassador wanted to see Col Hadd in his office
Stiness, Holbrook, Baker, & Kauffman took off for the Embassy and left instructions
for me to bring him in. John Mecklin and his crew showed up and were snapping
pictures like mad etc, After the Col secured the airport, he took off with me
in the pickup truck. I figured it would be better to come in that way rather
then a couple of jeeps down the corniche, I didnt want the opposition sniping
at us untii everyone was squared away on what the mission was, Colt Hadd is a hell of a nice guy and was rather amused by all the recent snafu.
I brought him up to the Ambassador's office where Higgs, Stiness, Baker and company were waiting. I introduced him to the Ambassador. They had a small conference which T didn't
attend, but waited outside. The Ambassador came out and congratulated me on the
job. I said so long to the Colonel and wished him luck, He thanked me and we
joked a little bit on the situation, I went down to the command post and turn in
a report on recent events, I saw Capt Fagan and Major Boyd wandering around the hallways.
PAGE SEVEN
They just informed me that the opposition had just thrown them out of their
apartments, They were spending the night with Long, I started out the door when Chase
Wysong, & Helen Calvert wanted a ride, Helen invited us up for dinner actually
it was her lunch that she had planned on feeding guests, but got stuck in the command
post all day. At dinner the Marine guard called and said Hayes was trying to contact
me, I called him and got an ass chewing, 1st for being on the beach, two for carrying
a revolver, I don't think he has checked with the Ambassador, but it didn't make any
difference to me anyway, All I said was yes sir and no sir. He finaliy asked me
what I was doing there and said I thought I could be of some help, I didn't tell
him that our office sure looked awfully bad without any representatives, but what the
hell, He went on for about five minutes yacking, I didn't say anything didn't even offer
an excuse, He began to feel a little foolish after awhile and hung up, I understand
Holbrook came back to the office and said it was a good thing Howard was there he
sure was a big help those first few hours in all that confusion. I went back and
finished my dinner got a little tight and went home, Ahmed had boarded the apartment
door up. I couldn't even raise anyone. So I said to hell with it and went down to
the Embassy and sacked out on the Col's couch; I awoke at 0630AM and went home shaved
showered and had Nora yack mv ear off, Tuesday night there was singing and dancing in
the Christian quarters and not a peep from the Opposition camp. There was not a single
shot fired last night, I came to work this morning and no one said anything to me,
Hayes came in and bitched because I parked my car in the middle of the island, He said
we still don't park illegal. I said during the crisis recently everyone has been parking
as close to the Embassy as possible, He stalked off, About ten o'clock it was rumored
the Marines were heading in to take the Port and bring the ships in, Mass confusion
broke out again at Leb Army Headquarters, The Marines started in with four large
Amphibious Ducks that weigh about 80 tons, They were told to stop and start nine times
in two hours, Finally they arrived at the Corniche at two o'clock amongst wild cheering by Lebs, Americans, etc, I went home to bed, Nora woke me at six o'clock tonight
to go back to work. She had been down to the Ambassador's house where there is one
PAGE Eight
duck & three jeeps, About fifty Marines stationed there, She had to tell me all
about her conversation with the Marines etc etc etc etc, You know Nora, I'll probably
have to shoo out a half a dozen Marines each day when I come home, Ch well let
her have a little fun. She's doing good cooking and the house is fairly clean and no
pile up on laundry. l have done six NIACTs tonight already and it is presently 1 AM
Washington traffic hasn't started to come in yet. I'M so tired these days that I'm
a little punchy, I don't know what they are saying on the outside, but the radios
in the middle east are spewing out their hate propaganda etc, The opposition in
town have just about had it, They are trenching in, but they won't fight I'm sure,
A monitor of the Damascus radio yesterday picked this up four times. All Syrian
soldiers return to your units where ever you are immediately. They sandwiched it
in between songs, It wasn't on a regular news broadcast so the UN people probably
missed it. Of course they also didn't say from where they should return from, but
you and I know, Saeb Salem, Kareme, or Jumblatt haven't held any news confererce
lately and don't imagine they will, They are probably making plans to head for
Syria.
That is everything up to date that I can think off, I will add more if
anything new happens before this letter goes out, I'm giving it to one of the
dependents,because I don't think the mail is functioning vet. I anxious to hear
from you and the children darling. I wished you could have been on the Corniche
today to see them in. I know it would have swelled your heart with pride. I guess
it is better for you to be there though, This affair can still blow up in our face,
I don't think the opposition will dare pull anything on the American residents,but
we don't know yet. You know how they hate. Hamdad's men are guarding my place as
well as his, so Nora will be alright. She has instructions to beat over there if
they start anything,
There is talk of British going into Iran with Turkey, and we into Amman Jordan.
All his business could be prelude to WWIII- who knows, I'm for having a go at the
bloody bastards now and let the chips fall where they may. The Lebanese are singing
a song about Ike and how he has saved the Lebanon, I kind of laugh- you know switchy these people can be.
They are saying at least they keep their promise etc. I'm glad
PAGE NINE
we did, When I sent that one out asking for troops I was a little afraid we might not come, I have
not heard or seen Therese since you left, I thought they would at least try to call but nothing,
I am in hopes to get out among the populace tomorrow and feel them out, At least ride
along on their pats on the back for a change. Until we fall back in disfavor again which
should be next week probably, because we wont do something else for them,
I have Lance & Kevin's picture here in front of me, I sure miss them especially that
little rascal Lance, I bet he is driving those wops crazy. I'm sure your
just about gone by now. I sure hope you are squared away and have found some help, Don't
get all tired out and run down honey. I hope to be coming out of here one of these days
and I don't want an old tired sick Mommy on my hands. I sure miss you darling and wish
you were here tonight so we could really kick this thing around over some coffee,
I'M going to hang up for now,but will continue every three days to give you same
kind of hour by hour description of the events. To quote Bill "Sic,Sigh, Sullivan, Its so tiring to read all this inside dope".
PS, A fumy anecdote called into the Command Post at 3:30 PM yesterday, by Lyle Grace
of Pan American,"Hey Ferguson, what the hell's coming off, I can see some combat
soldiers moving across the runway down here and they sure as hell look like Marines.
Ferguson answers Aw come on Lyle you have been seeing too many war pictures,
Lyle: "On Yeh, well there was just a big bastard ran down the corridor here dressed
in combat green, bullet proof vest, and BAR and that ain't no Leb Army man, good bye
I've got to see whats going on."
YOUR EVER LOVING, COTTON PICKING LOVER BOY, Duke
PS 1. Fagan & Boyd moved back into their apartments with proper apology from opp.
2. Limited reading of this letter for obvious reasons.
3. Rumor of American parachute landing in Turkey.
4. I haven't paid rent or cashed check yet.
5. You've been replaced by Sgt Lang, a nice guy, for 60 days.
6. Heinline as been assigned Jordan permanently which leaves me out in left field. G-2 will
assign a cryptographer from the States on 1 Aug 58.
