The American Friends of the Middle East: The CIA, Arabism, and Anti-Zionism in Cold War America

This talk is about an American Arabist organization that received clandestine support from the CIA.
In 1967, it was revealed that the CIA had secretly funded the American Friends of the Middle East, an apparently private group of pro-Arab, anti-Zionist U.S. citizens. In this talk, Professor Wilford reveals the hitherto hidden history of the American Friends of the Middle East, relating it to the larger story of the rise and fall of Cold War American “Arabism.”

Hugh Wilford is Professor of U.S. history at California State University, Long Beach. He is the author of several books on Cold War American culture and politics, including THE MIGHTY WURLITZER: HOW THE CIA PLAYED AMERICA (Harvard, 2008). He is now writing a book on the American Friends of the Middle East.

The talk is sponsored by the Center for Cold War Studies and International History (CCWS) and cosponsored by the Center for Middle East Studies and the Department of History.

The event is free and open to the public. A brief reception will follow Prof. Wilford’s presentation. Please join us for this exciting event!

hm 10/20/10