Wrestling For Saddam: Torture-Murder Attack of US Olympian as Accused Israeli Spy

A true story of American Olympian Bob Roop who, in 1972, was hired by fraud to wrestle in Iraq. When he defeated the Iraqi champion wrestler in a match seen by a live audience of 200,000 and televised throughout Iraq and the Arab Middle East, Roop was held hostage by Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi dictator used the wrestling spectaculars as political rallies, correlating athletic success with the strength of his ruling political party. Because the wrestling loss weakened his party and political control, he kidnapped Roop and coerced him by torture to wrestle another bout. After the second contest, Roop narrowly escaped two assassination attempts by the mass murderer. Sworn to secrecy by the clandestine US operatives who spirited him out of Iraq, Roop has waited almost the fifty years promised by his oath to tell this tale of atrocity and betrayal. Wrestling for Saddam tells why Roop so badly needed rescue-without it, he would be tortured into admission as an Israeli agent and executed.