Talk:Saud of Saudi Arabia
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[edit] Saud's possible homosexual activities
There have been persistant rumors and speculations that Saud may have been fond of sex with boys, but I don't know if these rise to the level of being included in the article or not. Here's what we know.
In Secrets of the Kingdom (2005), Gerald Posner wrote:
- "He [Saud] had become an utterly ineffective leader and his botched rule threatened the continuity of the monarchy. He drank heavily, to the fury of the religious authorities who knew of his secret addiction. Also, according to author Said Aburish, it was not a very well-kept secret inside the royal family that Saud had a liking for yound boys, and that the CIA willingly procured some for him, giving his critics the credible argument that it exposed the king to personal blackmail."
Posner's source is A Brutal Friendship: The West and the Arab Elite (1998), by Said Aburish, which said:
- "In Kuwait, the Getty Oil Company provided some royals with blondes. King Saud's preference for little boys was not a barrier, and the CIA and oil companies provided them."
Arburish's source is Miles Copeland, The Game of Nations: The Amorality of Power Politics (1969), but that book only subtly hints that the CIA and oil companies prodided Saud with "somewhat more exotic services." Arburish claims: "The suggestion in the book [that young boys were involved] was confirmed by the author [Copeland] in 1988." Copeland died in 1991, and did not leave a written statement to clear up the matter.
So the idea that young boys were provided to Saud by the CIA is ultimately based on the word of Copeland, and the word of Arburish. The hints reappear often, since the idea is so scandalous. Is this an important enough claim to include in the article? – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 18:42, August 7, 2005 (UTC)
