Controversial Books | Page 436

432 CAIRO TO DAMASCUS bread himself. When the women offered him the bread he would not touch it. The women then brought in a dog, and the dog wouldn't touch it either. This makes the dog as smart as the prime minister," El Ariss said, laughing. "The Lebanese women do most of the protesting now," he resumed. "It's safer. They get beaten, but not as much as the men. "Our workers are against Zionism," the Communist went on, "because Zionism is a method of slavery. It is a form of Jewish imperialism." This attitude surprised me because I was confident the worker in Israel was infinitely better off than anywhere else in the Arab world. Then I remembered that a Communist—wherever found—believes in one god only, and in only one workers' paradise on earth. El Ariss so hated the United States, whose influence he said was growing in the Middle East, that he would answer no important questions, but launched off on a party-line speech each time I sought to go beyond his platitudes. I finally thanked him, and left. FACES IN LEBANON A FEW days later I received a letter from Stefan Meyer in Damascus, saying that he was coming to Beirut and would introduce me to more German sympathizers of the Arab cause. While waiting, I learned that Fawzy Bey el Kawoukjy was vacationing at the summer home of the Lebanese minister of defense. When I arrived I saw several tents pitched on the grounds for Kawoukjy's staff and bodyguards. While I waited, a servant brought me coffee. At long last the Arab hero appeared, accompanied by half a dozen officers. Kawoukjy (he had just been made a pasha by King Abdullah) was a tall, well-padded man, with greenish eyes and florid face. The impression I had was that of an alcoholic with stained teeth dressed in an elegant sport coat, nervously chain-smoking. The interview was a total failure.