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automobile drive from Beirut. Our entire party was invited.
No other visitors were there. The President had reserved
this entire day for our visit. We spent about an hour, before
luncheon, in explaining about our Work, the truth we teach, and
going through an Ambassador College annual publication, The ENVOY,
which the President carefully went through page by page.
We were interrupted by an attendant bringing a telephone
to the President. Suddenly he looked very serious.
"An Ethiopian aircraft with Emperor Haile Selassie on board
has just been highjacked," he said. He was gravely concerned,
lest, with so famous a personage on board, the highjackers might
make them land at Beirut airport. That would have been a delicate
emergency for the President to handle. But less than five minutes
later, the telephone again was brought to him.
This time his face broke into a smile.
"False alarm," he said, greatly relieved. "A pilot had
accidently touched off the highjack alarm button. The Emperor is
on the plane all right, but no highjack." I explained my meeting
with the Emperor, at Addis Ababa, a few weeks before.
Many photographs were being taken.
The First Lady herself had specially planned the luncheon,
and during luncheon sons and grandsons came in, the grandsons
receiving affectionate kisses from the President. But none but the
family were there. Ordinarily, I was told, MANY others would have
been there. I did neglect to mention that one of Dr. Dahdah's
brothers was there. He was part of the family, married to the
President's daughter.
All the meetings with top officials were especially warm,
friendly, and they were extremely interested in the Work we are
doing. While they recognize it as an EDUCATIONAL Work, they
recognize it also as the Work of God, as evidenced by a remark
made by the Minister of Education, when he said, "Your presence
here, Mr. Armstrong, is evidence of the presence of God."
The Prime Minister had to be seen on Saturday morning. He
had just returned the night before from the Conference of
Nonaligned Nations at Algiers. But, my visit with him was really
to go into phases of the Gospel, and for an hour and ten minutes,
we were remarkably in accord in regard to principles and
philosophies. He, too, surprised us with a remark, "Your
appearance and physical presence denote your character and the
nature of your activities. Great men accomplishing important
things bear their age well."
On our last Saturday night a special reception and dinner
was held in my honor at a very large building on the outskirts of
Beirut, facing the sea. Among other things, it contains a large
casino -- I think called the largest in the world. Also a large
theatre, private dining rooms, etc., etc. It is owned by one of