In 1967, it was revealed that the CIA had secretly funded the American Friends of the Middle East, an apparently private group of pro-Arab, anti-Zionist U.S. citizens. In this talk, Professor Wilford reveals the hitherto hidden history of the American Friends of the Middle East, relating it to the larger story of the rise and fall of Cold War American "Arabism."

Hugh Wilford is Professor of U.S. history at California State University, Long Beach.  He is the author of several books on Cold War American culture and politics, including The Mighty Wurlitzer: How the CIA Played America (Harvard, 2008).  He is now writing a book on the American Friends of the Middle East.In 1967, it was revealed that the CIA had secretly funded the American Friends of the Middle East, an apparently private group of pro-Arab, anti-Zionist U.S. citizens. In this talk, Professor Wilford reveals the hitherto hidden history of the American Friends of the Middle East, relating it to the larger story of the rise and fall of Cold War American "Arabism."

Hugh Wilford is Professor of U.S. history at California State University, Long Beach.  He is the author of several books on Cold War American culture and politics, including The Mighty Wurlitzer: How the CIA Played America (Harvard, 2008).  He is now writing a book on the American Friends of the Middle East.