The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1943-04-29
America Loved
In Middle East
By Gordon GaskiL
CWNU Festure-Throuxh special arrangement
with Womsn's Home Compsnion.)

! Dy OOS uOsN oNchAtA
(WNU Festure--Throuxh special arrangement
with Womsn's Home Compsnion.)
Since time means nothing in the
great bazaar of Damascus, | had
contentedly spent full half hour
haggling the price of a dagger
with a merchant named, like all
Syrians apparently, Ali Hassan.
Then for the first time he noticed
the brass insignia on my uniform:
III. S." His eyes opened wide.
+Whatt'' he cried. You Amer
ican?"
l nodded and Ali Hassan pondered
my answer for a moment. Then
suddenly he held out the dagger.
"Takc it," he said, "takc 1t
free for nothing, and the next
time you see that President
Roosevelt, give him the dagger
as present from me and tell
him he has the love OF Ali Has
san of Damascus"
So | took the dagger, and told him
I would, and | Will--for think I
shall never forget the look in his
eyes as he said the name of Roose-
welt
High Opinion Of U. s.
have now been in the Middle
East long enough to be past amaze
ment at such behavior. But at first,
before | became immune, was as
tonished and touched to find how
enormously America bulks in the
thoughts and dreams OF the entire
Middle East To find how American
products are cherished and used
and sometimes oddly misused. To
find how the ancient East is becom-
ing Americanized.
For example, merely because l
was an American, a Jewish mer-
chant in Beirut had given me the
best pair OF shorts in his shop, a
Free French tobacconist had pressed
rare and expensive cigarettes on
me, an Arab restaurauter had re-
fused payment for my dinner, and
a Greek woman who runs printing
shop had waved aside money for
some visiting cards. Instead, she
Wept as she told me how the Nazls
had killed one son, how another sor
works in New York, and how much
she loves all Americans.
"All Americans, she said simply,
will 60 to heaven. ALI of them.
am certain" let it go at that.
Priced American Cigarettes.
When | entered Syria at remote
border point, the frontier official
waived all formalities, and | gave
him package Of American ciga-
rettes. 1.-THE first I've had in two
years." he breathed and he took
them as if they were gold. They
almost we're, for in Beirut they were
selling for dollar a pack.
Syria has always loved Americans.
Most of us forget, If we ever knew,
that after the last war Syria voted
to have the United States rule her,
When America declined, France
took the mandate instead
America has been generous ia
Syrians who emigrated and often
/ found their fortunes. Almost every
other Syrian you meet has a kins-
man in America and asks some
thing like: do you know my son
Joseph, in the state Of Philadel
phia?"
Zahle, charming city in the
Lebanon's lovely Valley OF Mulber.
ries, especially cherishes Amer,
leans. There are 10000 Zahlians ir
Zahle, but 10000 more live in Amer.
lea. The local newspaper actually
has more subscribers in America
than in Zahle itself. I went tc
! Zahle to stay one day and left, very
regretfully, after ten days of unbe
lievably generous hospitality.
A Kiss for the President.
lit was in Zahle, for instance, tha
4 a woman of about SO came up Il
me as was walking along the MAR
j street and asked me, in French
whether | was really an American
said yes, and She asked il sht
could kiss me, then and there. ST
she did, on both cheeks. "Once
for President Roosevelt, and once
for all other Americans, may Goo
bless them.
What she Said about all other
Americans" makes point that
should be underlined: This Law
ish gratitude and hospitality that
Americans in the Middle East
are receiving is emphatically not
for us as individuals, but as
symbols OF the 130, OOO. 900 Amer