Emir Farid Hares Chehab held many of the most politically sensitive positions in Lebanon in the period from the country's independence from French rule in 1942 to the early 1970s. From his high-level posts, at the secret police, Surete Generale, and in the Diplomatic Corps, he took it upon himself to painstakingly record his observations and impressions from a unique 'insider' position.

In an increasingly extensive - and top-secret - archive, Emir Farid preserved innumerable documents, letters and reports covering a fascinating and vital part of Lebanese history in the twentieth century. Moreover, the papers form part of a wider web of political intrigue and plotting, revealing an untold side to events in countries across the Middle East, including Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Many documents and dispatches have been destroyed in the course of wars and undercover missives. But much of the archive remained, remarkably, to be carefully collated by the late Emir's daughter, Youmna Asseily, who has written the preface. These papers, reproduced here for the first time in English, shed fascinating light on the continuing troubles in the region.

Published October 2007