Edward “Skip” Gnehm was the U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait at the time of the February 1991 liberation. Per John Kiriakou: “One of the finest men I’ve ever worked for anywhere in the world. … He loved Kuwait as much as he loved the United States.”[1][2]
Liberation Day
Gnehm led the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City. Per Kiriakou, the first cable he sent read: “American Embassy Kuwait City is now open for business.” Kiriakou: “Just reading that sentence made me think, ‘We’ve won.’”[3][4]
The pro-American graffiti problem
Per Kiriakou, Gnehm said once — a line that “stuck in my mind all these 35 years” — “I have a problem that’s unique among American ambassadors anywhere in the world. I can’t get people to stop writing pro-American graffiti on the side of the embassy.”[1][5]