United States Ambassador to Lebanon, Reginald Bartholomew (...

EAST BEIRUT, BEIRUT, LEBANON - 1984/09/20: United States Ambassador to Lebanon, Reginald Bartholomew (left) with US Assistant Secretary of State, Richard Murphy (center) and Robert (Bob) Oakley (right) speak to the press at the Ambassador's residence soon after the US Embassy Annex in East Beirut was badly damaged by a suicide truck bomb attack that killed more than 20 people. Many were surprised by the, again, lax security (proper barricades had not been erected at the Embassy Annex) given that the former embassy in West Beirut and the Marine BLT headquarters at the airport had both been blown up by terrorist suicide bombers killing hundreds. The only reason more people were not killed iin the 'annex' attack was because the British Ambassador was on an official visit and his security guards were waiting for him outside and saw a van, driven by the suicide bomber, swerve past the marine checkpoints. They shot the driver who pulled the van away from the building as he died, blowing up the van across the street from the building rather than inside or next to the embassy which would undoubtedly have caused scores more to die.. (Photo by Peter Charlesworth/LightRocket via Getty Images)