The first 'American among the Riffi': Paul Scott Mowrer's October 1924 interview with Abd-el-Krim.

In October 1924, Paul Scott Mowrer, a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Daily News based in Paris, convinced his employers that an interview with Abd-el-Krim, the leader of the Rifian uprising against the Spanish in northern Morocco, would provide original and interesting copy for American readers. This article deals with Mowrer's difficult trek from French Morocco into the Rifian heartland, his observations concerning the Rifian environment and Abd-el-Krim's movement and his two-hour interview with the Rifian leader. Further, it discusses his journey out of the Rif back into French Morocco, his observations concerning French policies in their Protectorate and his general reflections on the Rif War. This essay employs materials from Mowrer's personal papers, his autobiography, and the twenty-one articles he published in the Chicago Daily News from November 1924 to early January 1925. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]