14. The CIA’s Scheme to Pimp for a King
In the 1950s, America was starting to get involved in the Middle East, and seeking friends. The youthful King Hussein of Jordan seemed like a potential ally. So when he visited America in 1959, officials tried to satisfy all his whims. When Hussein requested “female companionship”, the CIA turned to reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes’ right hand man, former FBI agent Robert Maheu. He came up with a scheme to hook up the visiting royal with an actress. A declassified CIA memo shows that Maheu arranged “female companionship” for the 23-year-old Hussein during a visit to Los Angeles. Referring to the king as a “foreign official”, the memo stated: “The foreign official was especially desirous of female companionship … and it was requested that appropriate arrangements be made through a controlled source of the [CIA’s] Office [of Security] in order to assure a satisfied visit“.
Jordan’s monarchy was not A-list royalty, so Maheau could not get any A-list actresses to entertain King Hussein. With the Marilyn Monroe types unavailable, Maheau worked his way down to the B-list. He came up with Susan Cabot, a 1950s B-movie actress who had starred in low budget flicks such as The Wasp Woman, in which she transforms into a deadly wasp. Cabot was to meet King Hussein at a Los Angeles party thrown by wealthy oilman Edwin Pauley. Cabot was bluntly told in advance: “We want you to go to bed with him“. She initially declined, but finally agreed to go. There, the CIA memo continued: “She became quite taken with [King Hussein] and found him to be most charming“.
