Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, April 2002, pages 13, 15

Special 20th Anniversary Report

 

A Reputation Built on Second Looks and Double Takes

 

By Molouk Y. Ba-Isa

When one thinks of white knights, the names Andrew I. Killgore and Richard H. Curtiss don’t immediately spring to mind, but they should. Many nationals in the Middle East and many Americans of Middle Eastern extraction assert that Killgore and Curtiss are heroes. Admittedly, they are very low-key heroes. Coming upon these two middle-class Americans in a hotel lobby chatting and drinking coffee, one might think they were two retirees on a break between a round of golf and an early dinner with friends.

That is, unless a wisp of their conversation drifted by. Then phrases such as “exposing Zionist tactics,” “recruiting more supporters,” and “blasting them out of their complacency” might elicit at least a curious backward glance. But never fear, Killgore and Curtiss are used to the stares. In fact, they’ve built their reputations on second looks and double takes. For the past 20 years they’ve been compelling people to reconsider their views on issues affecting the Middle East.

“Curtiss and I started the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs because we found that the real news on happenings in the Middle East wasn’t reaching the United States,” said Andrew I. Killgore, publisher of the Washington Report. “We felt that it was important that someone set out to bring the truth about the situation in the Middle East to the attention of average Americans. Then they would have a better understanding of the issues and hopefully it would help the people of the United States and the Middle East remain friends.”

Once upon a time, Killgore and Curtiss were just two retired fellows. Killgore had been the U.S. ambassador to the State of Qatar when he retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 1980. Curtiss had been the chief inspector of the U.S. Information Agency when in 1980 he also retired from the U.S. Foreign Service. The two men had known each other for years since they’d first met in Baghdad while working at the U.S. Embassy there in the mid-1960s.

“From out of the blue in September 1981, I received a telephone call from a retired British ambassador,” explained Killgore. “He said that he wanted help to start a magazine focusing on the true situation in the Middle East. I agreed, but with two conditions: There must be enough money put forward in advance for the magazine to survive for one year, and Richard Curtiss must be appointed to run it. Our first issue came out in April 1982 and the rest, as they say, is history.”

After the first year, Killgore and Curtiss found themselves on their own. It was a struggle to make ends meet, but they refused to give up.

“We had our pensions to depend on and they turned out to be a little better than we expected, so we’ve never received a salary for our work. We’ve been dedicated volunteers for 20 years,” Richard H. Curtiss, executive editor of the Washington Report, said with a laugh.

Despite operating on a shoestring, over the years the Washington Report has attracted talented journalists of many backgrounds to contribute to its pages. Curtiss pointed out that the journalist who currently is reporting for them on Palestinian affairs, Rachelle Marshall, is a Jew and a member of the Jewish Peace Union. Her background has given her great freedom to express views that an Arab Muslim might be unable to voice without howls of protest and perhaps demands for prosecution from U.S. Zionist groups.

Both Curtiss and Killgore agreed that fewer than half the Jews in the U.S. support the Zionist agenda, but the Zionists are organized and well funded.

“More and more Jews are starting to oppose the Zionists, and some are finally having the courage to speak out against the Zionist movement,” said Curtiss. “But no one should believe that the Zionists will give up easily. They control many members of Congress through their political donations or simply through the threat of withdrawing support from their political campaigns. They are extremely well organized and work on several fronts at the same time. In addition to their political activities, they constantly review which businesses are showing any sort of support for Arabs and they threaten to boycott those companies if the support continues.”

This has created a problem attracting the funds needed to produce the Washington Report. The only companies or groups who take advertisements in the magazine are those with strong ties to the Middle East. Other companies are discouraged from advertising because of the threat of boycott and negative publicity that will be heaped on their companies by the Zionists. Over the years the staff of the Washington Report have had to deal with numerous threats from Zionist groups determined to close their offices down. They have received obnoxious packages and letters. They answer obscene telephone calls nearly every day. Pro-Zionist media have promoted slanderous reports about their activities.

“Since the tragedies of Sept. 11, I have heard people say that even if Israel hadn’t existed, Sept. 11 would have happened anyway,” said Killgore. “Well, I can remember a time before Israel existed and let me tell you, the U.S. didn’t have an enemy in the Middle East. There simply is no way to avoid the obvious truth that the reason we are in trouble in the Middle East is the Palestine-Israel problem. Other issues are just ghosts.”

Despite the power of the Zionist lobby, the staff of the Washington Report do try to influence policymakers to look at the Middle East with an unbiased perspective. All U.S. congressman are provided with subscriptions to the magazine free of charge, and all U.S. embassies in the Middle East receive free copies of the Washington Report as well. Both Curtiss and Killgore agreed that Arabs in the Middle East need to work harder to draw positive attention to their concerns. They thought it would be an excellent idea if Saudi Arabia went on a charm offensive throughout the U.S. and had Saudi nationals speak directly to the American public.

“This was done with good effect during the Gulf war, and it really helped the American public understand more about Saudi Arabia and the Middle East,” said Curtiss.

“People like Khaled Al-Maeena [editor of the Arab News] and Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal [a successful investor who is a nephew of King Fahd] are excellent examples of Saudis who are really well-rounded debaters, who do well in many different types of forums,” continued Killgore. “There are many more like them in the Kingdom who could give lectures and presentations to various groups in the U.S. and help counteract the negative image of the Kingdom which the Zionists are trying to create.”

Both men also thought it was time for Arabs to be tougher and more forthright in expressing their views on the international stage. Curtiss and Killgore appreciated that it was a cultural predisposition for Arabs to be very polite and courteous, especially with those of other backgrounds. However, they felt that if Arabs would master the technique of delivering candid comments with a smile, it would enable them to function more effectively in the rough-and-tumble world of modern diplomacy.

“We have seen that Crown Prince Abdullah has decided to move in this direction,” said Killgore. “He is handling the Western diplomats very well. The crown prince is still polite, but he has also learned to be direct. Clarity is required to get the message across to the West. ‘No!’ is one word that everyone can clearly understand.”

Molouk Y. Ba-Isa is a staff writer with the Arab News. This article first appeared in the Feb. 15 edition of the Arab News. Reprinted with permission.

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