"I have now met all the Kings of Arabia and I find no one among them bigger than this man. He is big in word and gesture and smile, as well as in purpose and self-confidence. His personality is complex … The shake of his hand and the way he strikes the ground with his stick proclaim the contrary traits of the man … He gives you the report about yourself and then pats you on the back telling you that he knows better. He gives you at the first meeting a bit of his mind and his heart, without fear, without reserve … He knows himself as well as he knows his people. Hinna ‘l -Arab (we are the Arabs)! The man in him is certainly bigger than the Sultan, for he dominates his people with his personality, not with his title … Strange, indeed. I came to Ibn Saud with an unburdened heart, bearing him neither hatred nor love, accepting neither the English view of him nor that of the sherifs of Al-Hijaz. I came to him in fact with a hard heart and a critical mind, and I can say that he captured my heart at the first meeting. Admiration, however, and love may not go together all the way. We shall see. I promised to be free and open-minded with him. He gave me the privilege, and promised to be the same with me … I think I can trust my first impressions, however, and I am not reluctant. Moreover, I have now a gallery of Kings for comparison … And I am glad I came last to Ibn Saud."
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