The Prince: The Secret Story of the World's Most Intriguing Royal Prince Bandar bin Sultan

About this book

A riveting portrait of one of the most enigmatic yet influential powerbrokers in AmericaPrince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz AlSaud the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States from 19832005. At a time when understanding our friends is as important as understanding our enemies Prince Bandar bin Sultan remains one Americas most enigmatic powerbrokers. As the illegitimate son of a Saudi prince and a servant girl Prince Bandar overcame his unrecognized beginnings to rise as one of Saudi Arabias brightest diplomatic stars ultimately becoming the Ambassador to the United Statesand one of the most influential men in Washington. As Ambassador Prince Bandar worked with CIA Director Bill Casey to fund covert CIA operations with Saudi petrodollars. He played a key role in the IranContra affair; consulted with President Gorbachev to secure Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan; negotiated an end to the IranIraq war; and with Nelson Mandela resolved the Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Affair. He served under four different American presidencies and was called "Washingtons indispensible operator" by the New Yorker. Yet Prince Bandar was more than this. His entre into Washington society and the Oval Office was unmatched. George H.W. Bush took the Prince and his family on fishing vacations; First Lady Reagan used him to convey messages to her husbands Cabinet; Colin Powell would drop by his house to play racquetball.