Fond of Lebanese People : Slain Kilburn Quiet, Frail--and He Knew the Risks

Peter Kilburn, one of three Western hostages slain Thursday in Lebanon, was an unlikely pawn in the high-stakes game of international terrorism. A quiet man of frail health, his love of books and knowledge was rivaled only by his fondness for the Lebanese people.

“He’s just the kind of character who loves to talk to people, to learn about them,” said his niece, Patty Little, of Aptos, Calif.

Kilburn was months away from retirement as a librarian at the American University in Beirut when he failed to show up at work on Dec. 3, 1984.

When Lebanon hostage the Rev. Benjamin Weir was released in mid-September, he told of meeting with four other hostages. But he said he knew nothing of Kilburn or William Buckley, a U.S. Embassy official missing since March, 1984.

Had Stroke

Kilburn once suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and affected his vision. He suffered from high blood pressure and heart problems.

His life was marked by hard times. His father died when he was a child. He and a younger brother, Blake, who lives in Tahiti, spent part of their childhood on the streets of Berkeley, Calif., in and out of trouble, according to his niece.

Kilburn found his escape in academia. He studied anthropology and became fluent in seven languages. He lived in Spain for a time before moving to Beirut, where he lived for 21 years, working at the university, before being taken hostage.

Little said her uncle fell in love with the country and its people. Kilburn even arranged for some Lebanese teen-agers to study in America. One of the students married Little’s sister.

“His heart really went out to the Lebanese people,” Little said. “He felt they had been pushed around too long.”

Knew of Risks

In 1983 letters to Santa Cruz Sentinel columnist Wally Trabing, Kilburn indicated that he knew the risks of being an American in Beirut.

“The Israelis are pulling the triggers and flying the jets. But the planes and tanks and bombs are generally American-made and furnished,” he wrote.

“The Lebanese cannot retaliate. They have no guns or clout. And I have this feeling they are going to take it out on us.”

Kilburn also indicated he had grown weary of the destruction he’d seen in Beirut.

“They talk about the horrors of nuclear war. Well, I think the old kind is quite awful enough.”