Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli pirates : the forgotten war that changed American history

by Brian Kilmeade

Other authorsDon Yaeger (Author.)
Paper Book, 2015

Status

Available

Call number

973.4/6092

Tags

Military, History, United States, Biography & Autobiography, Presidents & Heads of State, General, 19th century

Genres

Publication

New York, New York : Sentinel, [2015]

Description

Biography & Autobiography. History. Military. Nonfiction. HTML:�??Another blockbuster! Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates reads like an edge-of-your-seat, page-turning thriller. You will love this book and also wonder why so few people know this story. No one captures the danger, intrigue, and drama of the American Revolution and its aftermath like Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger.�?� �??Brad Thor This is the little-known story of how a newly indepen­dent nation was challenged by four Muslim powers and what happened when America�??s third president decided to stand up to intimidation.   When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America faced a crisis. The new nation was deeply in debt and needed its economy to grow quickly, but its merchant ships were under attack. Pirates from North Africa�??s Barbary coast routinely captured American sailors and held them as slaves, demanding ransom and tribute payments far beyond what the new coun­try could afford.   Over the previous fifteen years, as a diplomat and then as secretary of state, Jefferson had tried to work with the Barbary states (Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco). Unfortunately, he found it impossible to negotiate with people who believed their religion jus­tified the plunder and enslavement of non-Muslims. These rogue states would show no mercy�??at least not while easy money could be made by extorting the Western powers. So President Jefferson decided to move beyond diplomacy. He sent the U.S. Navy�??s new warships and a detachment of Marines to blockade Tripoli�??launching the Barbary Wars and beginning America�??s journey toward future superpower status.   As they did in their previous bestseller, George Washington�??s Secret Six, Kilmeade and Yaeger have transformed a nearly forgotten slice of history into a dramatic story that will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. Among the many sus­penseful episodes:   ·Lieutenant Andrew Sterett�??s ferocious cannon battle on the high seas against the treacherous pirate ship Tripoli.   ·Lieutenant Stephen Decatur�??s daring night raid of an enemy harbor, with the aim of destroying an American ship that had fallen into the pirates�?? hands. ·General William Eaton�??s unprecedented five-hundred-mile land march from Egypt to the port of Derne, where the Marines launched a surprise attack and an American flag was raised in victory on foreign soil for the first time.   Few today remember these men and other heroes who inspired the Marine Corps hymn: �??From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli, we fight our country�??s battles in the air, on land and sea.�?� Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates recaptures this forgot­ten war that changed American history with a… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member darcette
Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade and Dan Yeager will engage the reader in a new encounter with a force we may recognize from our decade of dealing with foreign intriguers set on mustering their people toward a sense of outrage which their leadership calls for from the top
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 and their imams back up. In every instance where terrorist damage to the citizens of the United States, France, Britain and Denmark was inflicted by these violent pirates, the gains in stolen riches and human chattel scourged by brutal domination were being distributed within the set of pirate cities – Tripoli, Tunis, and Algiers.

As with the Captain Phillips film, the pirates were seeking to board ships, take hostages, and seek ransom for their captures. The United States submitted to the Tribute demands of the pirates during the earlier part of the saga detailing how America sought to protect their merchant ships after the Revolution had successfully started their new country.

The Adams' Presidency left Thomas Jefferson's administration with the task of starting to settle accounts with the city states of the Southern Mediterranean shores and North African coasts, and to do so with expanded resources as the evidence of the barbarity facing Christians who were held captive by the rulers of these city states grew to give indisputable evidence of the power, cunning, and blood lust on the part of the rulers of these zones of peril on the sea where these pirates operated. Kilmeade and Yeager are able to use historical documents to capture the trials and the successes of some personable historical figures, very notable among them being Captain Decatur, Captain Bainbridge (thrice a captive), and Commodore Preble. An entertaining read, and a cautionary tale, in that the risks of treating with these outlaws show the dangerous nature of the conflict with them. The conflict emerges like a brewing intrigue in each case as attempts to negotiate are made.
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LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
A very military-focused history with little analysis offered. The author really warms to his subject during battle descriptions, and fails to provide much in-depth analysis of the events, although Kilmeade's political views certainly seep in. He focuses on the religious reasons the Barbary states
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 used to justify their piracy early in the book, yet stakes over the same issue later when the Americans briefly ally with Muslims in Egypt in order to defeat the rulers of Tripoli. This wasn't a terrible book, but it could have been much better (and more thoughtfully) written.
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LibraryThing member marshapetry
OK book, sorry but Mr. Kilmeade is an awful narrator. Every sentence was so emphatic!!!!! and all those terrible barbarians!!! they wanted SOOOOOO MUCH MONEY!!!!! Every sentence was like that, it was hard to listen to the point of the paragraph when every sentence is so important.

As far as content,
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 maybe it was a good review of the Tripoli pirates, maybe it wasn't, it was hard to tell because the author was definitely slanted in his views and he sure made it known. Not just in the voiced emphasis (audiobook) but also the words used to describe the story of the brave patriotic upright moral courageous Americans ini battle with the barbarous villainous scheming awful bloodthirsty dishonest "other guys". Hmmmmm...

Well, you should get the gist from that - if that's what you like, probably a good book to read. I couldn't finish it.
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LibraryThing member AliceaP
About 3 pages into Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade I felt that the author had a real issue with Muslims and he wrote this book to denounce them through a historical lens. As he drew parallels to the Barbary Wars (what's detailed in this book) and present day conflicts, he
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 made the claim that slavery was a unique and barbarous practice only perpetrated by Muslims against whites. (Duh that's not the case.) By the time I had finished the book my overwhelming impression was that this book was not only Islamophobic but a major piece of revisionist history. (I even checked other reader's reviews to make sure that I wasn't completely off the mark here and they back up my feelings pretty much across the board.) He makes a strong argument for a show of military strength over diplomacy. In fact, the Barbary Wars were what precipitated the formation of the Navy and Marines (the 'shores of Tripoli' ring any bells?). I couldn't even tell you if what he says happened really happened when such a large focus was on ideas other than the historical events of the moment. 0/10

And then to discover that this book which was recommended to me by a coworker was in fact written by a co-host of Fox & Friends made total sense after the fact. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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LibraryThing member fdholt
Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger have taken a little known piece of American history, the Barbary Wars, and given it the importance it deserves with this highly readable book. The rulers of the Barbary Coast expected tribute to allow sailing in their areas. Europe paid the tribute but the fledgling US
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 did not have the amount of money necessary. After the Revolution, England no longer offered its protection to American ships. But the new United States needed the trade with other countries, including Italy, to survive. With the loss of ships and the imprisonment of sailors, something had to be done, even though the US had no standing navy. Jefferson changed all that. With the new standing navy and marine corps, he planned to show the Barbary nations what the US was capable of doing. In the end, the new nation triumphed and the pirates were no longer a concern.

Note that this is not a scholarly work. The footnotes in most cases just identify the letter writer and its recipient, but without the source of the letter, although a few were the standard foornote. The sources listed the many books the authors used, including the Naval documents related to the Barbary powers, published by the government and many scholarly sources which need to be consulted for a thorough study of the topic. There are eight pages of plates with portraits of the main actors as well as reproductions of famous paintings and drawings of the period. There is a map which was extemely confusing. There were arrows pointing to various ports: I guessed that some might be of the slave trade/rum - Africa, the West Indies and America. But the rest? The authors also include an excellent index and a cast of characters.

This is a good place to start if you want to learn about the Barbary pirates and will prepare for more intense study.
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LibraryThing member emed0s
So engaging at first, not a surprise because this a story about pirates. But as soon as you scratch the surface you realise it's all for the glorification of the Fox News vision of the US. All they do is for they freedom and let the rest of the world be dammed.

Inside this book is the story of the
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 first coup orchestrated in another country by the US, which is also the first time the left to rot the part of the population that was supporting their interests as soon as it wasn't convenient. That meant that hundreds if not thousands of persons died due to the US meddling but that's not even a footnote because they gave an stipend to the would be leader they were supporting so everything is fine, the US is generous and free.

Also egregious is the fact that the book is fully based on the correspondence between the US leaders, not a peep of the opinions at the time of the African or European leaders. US über alles ...
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LibraryThing member beckyhaase
THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THE TRIPOLI PIRATES by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager
Have you ever heard the line in The Marine Hymn that states “to the shores of Tripoli” and wondered what happened in Tripoli? This book will tell you why the Marines are proud their actions in Tripoli and why it might
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 suggest an answer to some of today’s more pressing problems with Islamic nations.
In the early 1800’s, the rulers of Morocco, Algiers, Tripoli and Egypt extracted tribute payments from the new United States as well as other nations. The payments escalated until they were simply too much to pay for unfettered access to the Mediterranean Ocean and the northern coast of Africa. Ships and their contents were being confiscated and the sailors aboard enslaved by the rapacious rulers. Jefferson determined that the cost of tribute was more than the cost of war and sent a nascent navy to the shores of Tripoli to free the Americans held in the Barbary Coast nations and free the seas for all nations.
Much more “history” than “story” the book reveals the machinations, men and navy needed to win the war. Interesting and factual with notes and sources, this book is for the historian and the student of public policy as well as those interested in how the past affects the future.
4 of 5 stars
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LibraryThing member gmillar
Easy read. Conservatively presented facts and opinions. Although I don't particularly hold the author in high regard, this is a quick, easy way to present history.
LibraryThing member Tatoosh
This informative and enjoyable book provides a succinct account of the emergence of the United States as a naval military power following the conclusion of the War of Independence.

Tripoli declared war on the U. S. on May 14, 1801, citing a motivation that is largely the same as that driving
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 present day conflicts in the Middle East.

During the late 18th and early 19th century the four nations along North Africa's Barbary Coast—Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli—engaged in a state supported program of piracy. They routinely attacked merchant vessels approaching Gibraltar and sailing in the Mediterranean Sea. As this was the only feasible sea route to trade with Italy, Greece, Egypt, and other ports along the Mediterranean coast, this left merchant vessels at their mercy.

The practices of the states, all Muslim nations, were particularly heinous. In addition to stealing the ships and their cargos, they enslaved everyone aboard the captured ships and demanded an exorbitant ransom for their release. France and England were powerful enough that they could have challenged the Barbary pirates successfully but they chose to pay an annual tribute for safe passage of ships flying their flags. Fledgling states like the United States could not afford to pay the sums that were demanded for the release of their citizens nor the tribute demanded for safe passage.

John Adams asked Tripoli's ambassador to the U. K. how Tripoli could justify its acts of war against a nation that, "had done them no injury." The ambassador replied that according to the Qur'an, "all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave" (page 14).

This religious justification will be familiar to readers who follow the current activities of the terrorist organizations presently murdering innocents in the Middle East.

The U. S. tried appeasement, paying tribute, and diplomacy, all to no avail. Finally and only reluctantly, President Thomas Jefferson turned to direct military intervention.

Despite my generally positive evaluation, I find the usefulness of this book as an authoritative source is diminished by the authors' organizational scheme and casual approach to documentation.

The first few chapters follow the involvement of several the key figures, one at a time, across the years of the engagement. Readers gain some familiarity with the principals but only a hazy understanding of the flow of events across the years.

Subsequently Kilmeade and Yeager offer to a more chronological rendering of the major developments. Many of the key events touched upon briefly in the early chapters are covered in more detail in these later chapters. The use of a chorological scheme that introduces key figures in their context key developments—using boxes within the chronological scheme if desirable—would have provided a superior narrative scheme for the book.

The book is also flawed by the authors' lazy approach to documentation. Most of their claims are documented by general references to books and other documents without an effort to direct readers to the precise information that supports their narrative. Readers are forced to accept the authors' conclusions as valid without a realistic means of verification.

In summary, I found this to be an interesting book that could have been significantly better.
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LibraryThing member MtnGoat
Very interesting account of Muslim Barbary Pirates vs the fledgling new nation of the United States. Well documented.
LibraryThing member labdaddy4
Very much a "lightweight" book on American history. This is a period of history I was not very familiar with - so to sme extent it was informative - BUT - this was very shallow, lacking substance. The book reads more like it was written for elementary aged students.
LibraryThing member billsearth
This book has some strong points and some weak points.
First the weak points;
When opened the book there was a map on the inside cover.
In school it would receive a grade of "F".
It lacked an index of what the hachured area was so I presume it represents the waters controlled by the Tripoli Pirates. Bu
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 there's a problem with that.
Since the title includes "Tripoli Pirates" the pirates must have controlled that Tripoli coast. Many other locations are mentioned in the book which are also not covered by the hachured area.

Another issue with the map is the sea routes shown. As best I can figure out, they are the slave trade routes both for procurement and sale, rather than regular commerce.

The main weakness in my opinion of this book is omission, more than the facts chosen for inclusion.
There is a lot of consternation indicated about the pirates capturing people for slavery. The captured people were sold or used for labor rather than ransom. At the same time, the American forefathers fought this war largely to stop the slave capture activity of these pirates, although other issues are mentioned such as the lack of dependability of the countries of north Africa.

The obvious omission is the ownership of slaves. Four of the five founding American Presidents owned slaves. Wikipedia has 123 for Washington, 200 owned by Jefferson, 100 by Madison, and "dozens" by Monroe. Only John Adams did not own slaves, although he refused to support abolishing slavery. So I think it is misleading to talk of slavery as one of the reasons for the war.

Strengths of the book;
The authors did make a long list of history books on this period of time. But More than that, they dug up original correspondence and congressional records of events concerning the book's topic. So the facts included are probably very accurate.

My opinions:
From this book, I conclude that the war was fought to prevent the pirates from confiscating American and European ships and had little or nothing to do with slavery. The authors have muddied the story with long descriptions of Caucasian slaves while omitting the rest of slavery, especially that so heavily endorsed at the time by the founding fathers themselves. Still, I also believe that our nation's founding fathers had many more admirable traits than most emerging nations had.
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LibraryThing member JeffV
America's first war after gaining independence was against the Barbary States along the north coast of Africa. Paying tribute to the Ottoman Sultan, these loosely affiliated kingdoms were ruled by bashas who earned their money the old fashion way -- they stole it. Bending the knee to large naval
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 powers, they preyed upon the merchant fleet of the fledgling US, who, going into the late 18th century, lacked a fleet to protect them. This would change under Thomas Jefferson's watch.

The war was or became more complex than simple trade protection. The bashas proved deceitful, and demanded the US pay them ransom for prisoners taken and tribute to allow ships to go unmolested. Our nation did not have the finances to long deal with such extortion, however, so war became inevitable. Still, there were diplomats on the ground...often making deals that suited their own interests.

The audio book was read by the author, Brian Kilmeade. I've not read anything by him before, but he comes off sounding like a combination gung-ho Marine and Duffman from the Simpsons. The book isn't read as much as shouted. And if nothing else, this highlights the author's bias and possible agenda in this book -- he often emphatically calls out the "Muslim pirates" in an inflammatory manner that is more in line with today's rhetoric and not close to Jefferson's approach to the matter. Indeed, Jefferson went through great lengths to explain to the bashas that the United States embraced all religions, theirs included. The war was many things -- but it most certainly was not a military crusade.

I'll give Kilmeade credit for an entertaining story, though, and it is perhaps of some value to those who might not otherwise give a thought to this episode in early American history. It's just more of a Hollywood telling.
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LibraryThing member GShuk
I am commenting on the audio, not sure how the book is.
I listen to over 50 audio's a year and this was the worst audio reading of book ever.
There was emphasis at the end of almost every sentence.
Not sure if story was good or not because it gave me such a headache I stop listening to it.
LibraryThing member JayLivernois
A tight, well researched history of the past that has many parallels with today. Unfortunately, when the authors reflect on the psychological state of Jefferson during his time as a widower, they forget to mention the comfort he enjoyed with his "slave", Sally Hemmings, who was in fact his wife's
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 half sister and mother of several of his children. Another instance where the therapeutic perspective does not effectively count.
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LibraryThing member konastories
Joy's review: An interesting story about how the American Navy came to be and how the US first sought to project power in a foreign land. But it is told here very superficially and without any historical context about piracy. The authors go into great detail about the suffering of the seamen held
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 captive in North Africa, without so much as referencing the irony that the people most upset by all this held slaves in America often under much worse conditions. It's a pretty lazy history.
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LibraryThing member Jarratt
An excellent and exciting telling of America's first foreign war. While well-researched, the book's non-academic tone is welcomed; it reads like a thriller.

For years, European powers succumbed to paying "tributes" (bribes) to the Muslim rulers of north Africa to keep their ships and countrymen from
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 being attacked while plying the trade routes along the Mediterranean Sea. Initially, the new United States tried to play that game, but since we were short on funds, our merchant men were being held prisoner and used as slaves. This is the story of Thomas Jefferson saying "enough." He got Congress to agree to build many ships and finally took the fight to the African rulers.
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LibraryThing member Karlstar
This was a good, short review of the war with the Barbary Pirates. I've read other versions that were a bit more complete concerning the attempt to overthrow the Bashaw of Tripoli. The sections on diplomacy, the situation in the United States at the time and the actions of the navy were well done.
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 It was a little bit nationalist, but not over the top. I didn't notice any inconsistencies or inaccuracies. A good, short history.
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LibraryThing member Alex_Szabo
Makes me want to sing the Marines theme song AND understand it. I read this while flying from Jax to Mia. Was unable to put it down!!!!
LibraryThing member MikeBiever
America has demonstrated that it will not be bullied on the world stage time and time again. This was perhaps the first time in American history where that precedent was set. The Muslim pirate gangs of the Barbary coast region thought they could harass and intimidate the new, fresh United States;
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 as they had been doing to the other nations. But the Americans were having none of it. And in time, took actions to set down the thieving Muslim pirates.
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LibraryThing member buffalogr
Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger have taken a little known piece of American history, the Barbary Wars, and given it readability. Author is a Fox news reporter and talking head--this leaks over into the book. Many of the attributes given to Jefferson, he did not possess and actually thought
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 differently. Some of the naval heroes don't fare well either. Read the book with the the idea that you actually know history and this is another slant.
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LibraryThing member starkravingmad
Not a vibrant read.
LibraryThing member atdCross
Short and simple but thoroughly enjoyable read that captures the intrigue and drama, the political difficulties, the wins and losses in battle, and the heroism, weaknesses, strengths frailties of the characters without diminishing their patriotism. Excellent writing.
LibraryThing member Castlelass
Narrative non-fiction that provides a partial history of the early US Navy and its confrontations with the Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The book is a quick and easy read about a lesser known part of US history. It covers successes and failures in military
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 and diplomatic encounters with four northern African countries, Tripoli, Algiers, Tunis, and Morocco, collectively known and as Barbary Coast. It highlights the efforts of a number of little-known Naval officers.

The book starts with the capture of a US merchant ship by Barbary pirates, and enslavement of its crew. The leaders of the North African nations demanded tribute in cash and goods as a fee for protection against further attacks. One of the highlights is the detailed description of the Battle of Derna in 1805, the first combined land and sea battle of US forces on non-American soil (the land group included hundreds of mercenaries).

The primary downside is an undercurrent of political slant, emphasizing a preference for the use of military force. It skims the surface of topics that warrant a deeper dive. For example, it points out the suffering of Americans enslaved by the Barbary states, but there is no mention that slavery is ongoing in the US at the same time (or of the fact that Jefferson himself owned slaves). One wonders what else has been glossed over or omitted. It has spurred my curiosity, and I plan to seek out more in-depth and impartial sources.
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LibraryThing member walterhistory
In the second installment of Kilmeade's look at obscure events in American history, he focuses on the Tripolitan War which gave birth to the US Marine Corps. His account is an ugly mess of "trial and error" going from utter disaster & humiliation to crushing victory over the Barbary pirates. He
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 exposes the flaws of incompetent admirals along with leaders who displayed a daring that left the Barbary pirates helpless. Also, as Kilmeade explains, both Washington & Adams were powerless to stop the plundering & threats in the attempt to maintain trade. Adams had begun the naval buildup & Jefferson pushed it along in spite of having to cope with ambitious diplomats & incompetent admirals. Patience & sheer audacity finally undermined & destroyed the Barbary pirates' ability to further military conflict. Indeed, the reader will read the unfolding events as a display of how foreign policy had a rough start yet proved useful later on. It is to be noted that Jefferson & Adams were deeply disturbed with a Tripolitan Ambassador who made a veiled threat. From that encounter, it was Jefferson who learned about Islam & its book. His knowledge of that time proved useful in how he approached the Barbary pirates. There is much more but at this point, the reader will find it amazing reading.
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Subjects

Language

English

Original publication date

2015-11-03

Physical description

xvi, 238 p.; 24 inches

ISBN

1591848067 / 9781591848066

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