QUOTE:
Khashoggi was a longtime Saudi Intelligence operative, especially close to Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the Prince who for many years led
the Saudi secret Intelligence agency and who also served
as Saudi Ambassador in London and Washington. Khashoggi also had an intermittent presence in the Saudi newspaper and broadcast media.
Khashoggi was a celebrity in his corner of the Arab world, and this was indicated by the interest he attracted as a speaker and participant at the conference. Saudis and other Arabs thronged
around our table as Americans back in the day might have sought
proximity to, say, Dan Rather at a P.R. conference on our shores.
It was no secret that Khashoggi was prominent in the Saudi
intelligence community, nor did anyone believe or pretend that there
was anything independent about the newspapers and broadcasting
networks for which he occasionally worked. These, no less than the
oil company, were controlled by the Saudi regime. Nephew of the
billionaire arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, Jamal Khashoggi was in the
highest echelons of Saudi wealth and power outside of the Royal
family itself. He was a fixture in the ruling class.