 According to CIA officer Duane "Dewey" Claridge, chief of operations of the CIA Near East Division from 1975 to 1978, in mid-1976, Salameh offered Americans assistance and protection with Arafat's blessings during the American embassy pull-out from Beirut during the down-spiraling chaos of the Lebanese Civil War.There was a general feeling that Americans could be trusted.However, the scene of cooperation came to an end abruptly after the assassination of Salameh.