Jack O'Connell possessed an uncanny ability to be at the centre of things. On his arrival in Jordan in 1958, he unravelled a coup aimed at the young King Hussein. Over time, their bond of trust and friendship deepened. King's Counsel contains secrets that will revise our understanding of the Middle East. In 1967, O'Connell tipped off Hussein that Israel would invade Egypt the next morning. Later, O'Connell learned of Henry Kissinger's role in the Yom Kippur War. The book's leitmotif is betrayal. Hussein, America's most reliable Middle Eastern ally and the only bona fide peacemaker, wanted the return of the West Bank, seized in the Six-Day War. Despite American promises, the clear directive of UN Resolution 242 and the years of negotiations with Israel, that never happened. Hussein's dying wish was that O'Connell tell this story.