We had just been in Beirut during a partial truce in the civil war. Americans traveling without escort found it prudent to make no waves. And, there was a tendency to see something sinister lurking behind every veil and robe. Thus brainwashed, we boarded a Kuwait Airlines flight in Kuwait City for a trip across Saudi Arabia to Cairo. The airplane was loaded with Arabs in their great flowing robes, headdresses, and, for the women, veils. It was footage for a travel film. Across the aisle from us were two large, swarthy men with heavy beards. Something about them suggested that they might be officials, perhaps security ... [Read More]