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9/8/1951 - Visit to Kerak II by Richard H. Nolte

INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS RHN Vat Kerak II September Mr Nalter S Rgers Institute Current Affairs Fifth Avenue New York I N Y Dear Mr Rogers But going south through sucessful passing nmerous laboriousl regrading section eventual paving refill radiator water battery bottles layer clews could clearly again A minutes later cleaning faces waters peremnial streams A truck there marrow valley bottc water behimfl Replenishing bottle water supplY forded creek there bridge began dusty plain leaving resti patch green behind At length arrived Wadi MuJib water intheplainwlmdingdowntctheDead Sea Halfamiledeanecouldsee thread water River Arnon twisting through tumble boulder rough valley either bared intermittent green The prospect magnificent veritable Gra Canyon If colors ermde eseaprments smber dlstanees reduce scale WeAl Muib aonetheless graadsr Grand Totmo rocklmg descemded cutting forth across valley after abrupt selves We parked intending httest presence water ofgrthings Xn emmet river crossing matural place Rtiatrsarreplenie aestretche faceseaewashed thewater small children shout marvel mlnnews Amd there Arab coffee tobehadinthe shade efaroof ofwovenreesinfront small stone roadhouses No narrow shade cliff boiled watched trucks busses occasional paused there surprising amouut traffic Themenwereuniformlymuffledinblak Themen manyofthemLegion aries Ii armed Everyone least knife married firearms People their forward ordan appeared opposite drawing Ith every pitol eliot cartridges whole impression frontier readiness Oddly firepower I never single fired I Jordan Perhaps restraint isfinancial Bulletsareerexpensive andeventheLegionmenhavetobuy their least those carry their personal I suppose bullets killed murderer Kimg AbabAllah being fired germnt henee lheral discharge The killer aimed slugs Toward three afternoon after quick sheltered reeds boulders climbed furnace splashed cross immediatel began zigzagging climb Wadi Mmib On intermittent stopping three times refill hissin radla passed zrLders R dminion atocct theca eHeJaz seoerttRs ofialeast Hh trtheXeliesshttoe bttpr across totwe having Crossedthehe rnfrontier headlMnJib fthatancient According Bible eountry takes Moab grandfather Lot O00iB C warned angels Som where Lot lived about destroyed Lord Arise warnlr baketwife addthtwodaughters whicharehere lestthou onsumedintheiniqultofhey Cenesis19 Escapeortlife locknotbehindthee neithe rstathninalltheplaln eseape othesun cnemned So Lot wouenfolk hills Lord rained Sodn Gomorrah brLmstne heaven andheove4s0 cities adathe plain andall inhabitants Of cities which But locked behind became After Wil derness theodaughtersbecameedaboucontinutheir father c_Ived And firstborn called Moab father Moabi Te aeric smset silhouetted Kerak drove toward solid dcLDating Crusader fortress being nicel balanced RHN solitary minaret other We climbedtlong cline slope topped which Kerak ocmpaot7 gathered audinhedeelmi proceededothe ArabLegion Efloers Club Kerek Major Abdul MeJld The Major stocky thirty years showing tendency toward plumpness He bruwn sumewhat_pear shaped fleshed below cheekbones black mustache which neither being carefully allowed shiny brown forehead which crown He speaks competent English unmistakeaby British accent He short desert impression would expect Legion forces intheKerakdistrict anaref rcughl lixmilesiongbythirty miles Ad appearances deceiving I Kerak feeling Major Job Things smoothly soldier civilian alike Kerak seemed respect after illustrious Abdul Qadir Pasha topranking Arab officer Legin executive officer Pasha presi court which tried several suspects Amman recently implicated murder King Abdullah I administrative milita qualities skill chess Bu chess player Major experience scemthingunique Chess hobby We watched nsever occasions gardetothe Officers Club along towards sunset In these games opponent himself Legion captain Nr2 inKeto Major The captain versatile knights these games limited regulation buttheMa Jorneverseemedtonotioe anditnevermadeadifference The Major almost alwaysw He played headlong Kaik opponeat Kul would grunt enemy There would swift series grunted mosyllables steady clattor chessmen discard As curiosity evening I timed games after other The shortest minutes longest I found myself Nmderit Lonother fields theMajorwouldbeequalquickandsure After spending night Officers Club small building sik_in chairs table other moved stone house Kerak Greek Caholle priest There hotel Kerak Fa oseph offers hospitable refuge occasional visitor The house consist fourbe priest which opened church Thebedrocemopenedoffthecentralsitting diningrofurnishedwith table chairs apadded benches against walls where callers their Turkish Coffee The kitchen forbidding eternally swarming flies Its essential furniture consistS burner primus stoves couple cupboards stoDe working shelf against Jerry withatapinthebottomfastenedonthewall watersuppl Thesinkwasaro which carried emptied every Next kihen Closet certainly windw inches square thick prIde ventilati It failed totall ftmetias As there plmabig thehouseatall But sanill Herewasthe placeinthehse flies forebore peneTate atmosphere being strag Water infact wasachiefproblem Onsaedays nowateraallmarnecut house Jars household though usualywhilewewere there therewIdbeahrortwotaflw sufficientfr ordiaax needs The water turned middle upper village Ad varis points children could several public collectig wateri gasolinetins WaterwaspumpedtothetanfrathepointstreamflAng ofthe limestonerokanddwtheWadlKeraaquarter milebelw Tw constantlyatwrktollftthewater butoUehaheight theflwmust small Before present system installed between Kerak relied cisterns which fallen disuse In wesawafewidlecattleada vegetablepatchonedx Butitheolddays Kerak dependent valley water atural defensive strength Despitethelackof oftheties wewerecomfortableinFather shousehol Hemadeuswelcome whichwasmoreimportanteventhaareg ularwatersuppl Heisaanofmediumstaturewithabaldheadand asifi capensati heavy black beard He tendency exaggerated laugh cmnonplace occurence wildly humorous But hospitality concern beiagwas sincere His husehold cluded initiall sisters ladies learning Arabic ongueobeabletoServemreeffectivelamtheArabs Durirthetie there other cloth other sisters descended Father Joseph claimed night hospiality atsthe house eaves which being sqare walled roofed But Father Joseph cheerfull carried The credit because parishioners strike tochanthisdailis oaemptychurch Notthathisooeatiwasvery large third ofKerak eghtthousihai surriarea ChriS tBese ohurehes Catholic Greek Catholic Orthodox Protestant The Greek Catholic church havig seceded Greek Orthodox church recogaizm authority Pope Rae But isistig replaceArabic thela theGreekCatholicsiworship whichFather cosidered He couldn about hwever being bishop parishaers could strie bring pressure bishop That strike because sheik famil adopted Greek Catholicismecause rival adopted somethingelswantedtobrpressuretobear FatherIosephadIteha Bershipinthe churchwasmre aateroffamiallegiabaseapelitlcal ceidera istBaofidividal sleee buthehopedhiswrkwoIdhelp fhisfl atleast Butteflwe aactingas needed would ccessi their attendance prayer The strike ontisd I still Por Father Y syapathize width Yurs sincerely Received New York R H Nolte