Basic HTML Version
IC NEWSLETTER -
SPRING 2009 21
Alumni News
Camille Nowfel ’38
and went on to
become the top Arabic specialist and
the official White House diplomatic
Arabic interpreter. He served under
five
US
presidents
(Eisenhower,
Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford)
and interpreted for 18 Arab kings and
presidents, their cabinet members
and other top officials. Nowfel
has been featured in numerous
publications and is the author of
“America’s Arabs: Hopeless hostages”
(Arabic). He currently lives with his
wife in Washington DC. He has never
forgotten his formative years at IC and
visits the campus during his visits to
Beirut.
Q: Do you still think about IC at
times?
I have very fond memories of IC. I
remember my teachers at the time
and some of my classmates. I am
still in touch with some of them. I’m
reluctant to ask about people that old
because most of them have passed
away. I lived in Sanayaa and used to
bicycle with a classmate to school.
Q: who was the best US
president?
This is an often asked question.
Eisenhower was a great president,
a war hero. He was the first one I
worked for and I was very comfortable.
Eisenhower would beat around the
bush then come to the point. Nixon
was easy to interpret for. He was
direct and very much organized and
very easy to interpret for. Johnson
was an earthy man from Texas. And
he reflected this into his speeches
and remarks - for example, “there are
more ways than one to skin a cat” or
“Yasser Arafat is foot dragging”. There
are idioms which are very difficult
to interpret. Kennedy had flare and
charisma. He behaved as he if were
above the presidency. He earned it but
then he was nonchalant about it. He
made you feel very comfortable. I liked
and respected Gerald Ford as well.
Q: Is there an anecdote that you
particularly
remember
while
working at theWhite House?
I was interpreting for Henry Kissinger
during his trips to the Middle East.
Kissinger is a highly intelligent man
and very articulate. But, for example,
he would meet 10 am with Anwar
Sadat from Egypt and tell him
something about a certain issue and
explain his position. Then from Cairo
he would go to Tel Aviv to meet with
Golda Meir and talk about the same
issue and tell her something entirely
different. Then in the afternoon,
he would fly to Damascus to meet
with Hafez al Assad and tell him
something altogether different. Then
off we would go to Riyadh and visit
King Faisal, still discussing the same
issue, and Kissinger would tell him
something different. Well, King Faisal
caught up with it.
Later during his last visit to America,
King Faisal was meeting with Nixon at
the oval office. And of course Nixon
had with him Kissinger (as national
security advisor and secretary of
state) and others and myself. When
the meeting was over, King Faisal
whispered in my ear that he would
like to have a tête-à-tête meeting
with Nixon and asked me to tell the
president that the King didn’t want
Kissinger in this meeting. As the other
members left the oval office, the King
remained and I stayed. Kissinger was
on his way out and he turned around
and saw us still sitting so he started to
walk back and the king said“no, I don’t
want him”. So I told the president to
ask Kissinger to stay out. He did.
Q: What is most poignant moment
in your career life?
The assassination of Kennedy. I can
never forget it. I was at my desk
when I heard about it. I had been
in the car with him only a few days
before. It affected me tremendously.
Someone walked into my office and
said Kennedy was assassinated. I was
crushed. He was a young president
and I was looking forward to working
with him further.
Q:Who influenced you the most in
your life?
My father. I was raised on the
principles of respect for what is right,
respect self determination and values.
My formative years at IC (which held
those principles) also influenced me
a lot.
Q
&
A
with
Camille Nowfel