cpip
Gone Fishin'
Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr., first black American to reach the rank of four-star general, was wing commander at Wheelus AFB in Libya during the coup.
In early 1970, as the base was preparing for handover to the new Libyan government, then-Colonel James had an encounter with Col. Muammar Qaddafi himself.
In a face-to-face encounter during the base’s final days, James noted that Qaddafi was wearing a sidearm in a holster strapped to his leg. As the two men talked, moreover, the Libyan leader moved his hand onto the grip of the weapon. James later recalled, “I had my .45 in my belt. I told him to move his hand away. If he had pulled that gun, he never would have cleared his holster.”
Qaddafi withdrew his hand and the confrontation ended without violence.
So: let us assume that young (not even 30!) Qaddafi's bravado gets the best of him and he does indeed pull his pistol.
Nearly anything that happens next is a bad result: if James was correct that he's faster on the draw, then he's just shot down the leader of the government of his host country. If Qaddafi not only draws but fires, then it's an attack on the United States. If he manages to kill James, it's even worse, and James has become a martyr to rally behind.
On the other hand -- Nixon is in the middle of Vietnamization, and the Cambodian incursion hasn't happened yet. How would the American public react? How would American allies in NATO?
For that matter, if Qaddafi is alive and James is not, will the Soviets still be as enthusiastic supporters of someone who now looks even more problematic than Castro? If Qaddafi is dead, will they find a more amenable successor to work with?
In early 1970, as the base was preparing for handover to the new Libyan government, then-Colonel James had an encounter with Col. Muammar Qaddafi himself.
In a face-to-face encounter during the base’s final days, James noted that Qaddafi was wearing a sidearm in a holster strapped to his leg. As the two men talked, moreover, the Libyan leader moved his hand onto the grip of the weapon. James later recalled, “I had my .45 in my belt. I told him to move his hand away. If he had pulled that gun, he never would have cleared his holster.”
Qaddafi withdrew his hand and the confrontation ended without violence.
So: let us assume that young (not even 30!) Qaddafi's bravado gets the best of him and he does indeed pull his pistol.
Nearly anything that happens next is a bad result: if James was correct that he's faster on the draw, then he's just shot down the leader of the government of his host country. If Qaddafi not only draws but fires, then it's an attack on the United States. If he manages to kill James, it's even worse, and James has become a martyr to rally behind.
On the other hand -- Nixon is in the middle of Vietnamization, and the Cambodian incursion hasn't happened yet. How would the American public react? How would American allies in NATO?
For that matter, if Qaddafi is alive and James is not, will the Soviets still be as enthusiastic supporters of someone who now looks even more problematic than Castro? If Qaddafi is dead, will they find a more amenable successor to work with?