Tim Kilburn

For They Know Not What They Do Tim Kilburn

Peter Kilburn was on the faculty of the American University at Beirut, teaching library science and serving as the architecture and engineering librarian for over 20 years. Peter lived in a small apartment in Beirut. In December 1984 he was kidnapped from his apartment and held 18 months. After President Reagan ordered the bombing of Libya in April 1986, Peter was sold to the Libyan secret service and they executed him and two British school teachers in retaliation. At the time a number of friends, associates and the general public sent cards and letters of sympathy to the family. I wrote back to all and to those who were his friends I asked if they had letters which Peter may have written to them. This work is a collection of those letters starting in 1966 and follows the history of Lebanon to 1984.