Remembering A Tyrant: Gadhafi's Personal Interpreter Now A History Professor At Western Connecticut

As a young man in his 20s, Abubaker Saad was taken in by the dashing, 27-year-old Moammar Gadhafi, who seized power in Libya in a bloodless coup in 1969.

"It was not only me. Most of the young educated guys were really excited. … We thought this is the bright future for the country," said Saad, who worked closely with Gadhafi for nine years as a diplomat and, at times, his personal interpreter. "He's going to promote the country and development."

But within a few months, Saad, who is now a professor at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, and others who worked closely with the new leader, saw Gadhafi's dark and brutal side.

"He was horrible, very horrible. Very rude," Saad said. "You didn't know which word you say is going to tick him off. He was very rude, very impolite. He used to spit in people's face."...