Bill Eddy knew the Arabs and the Middle East better than any other American of the 20th century, and the work of his eventful life helped to establish the United States as the dominant strategic power in the region. Born in Lebanon, he spoke Arabic like a native. He was a Marine Corps hero of World War I, a prominent scholar of classical English literature, a brilliant spymaster in North Africa during the Allied landings there in World War II, and a major player in the Washington power games that led to the creation of the CIA. He was the impresario of President Franklin Roosevelt's landmark meeting with King Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia in 1945, and his work as the senior U.S. diplomat in Jeddah cemented the improbable alliance of the United States and the desert kingdom. To know his story is to understand why the United States today is an indispensable force in the Arab world--for better or worse. -- From the book jacket.