Sean Flynn straightens out the story of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens's last days in Libya: Newsmakers: GQ:
Stevens planned to stay in Benghazi for five days. He'd had meetings in the city on Monday, and he would have more outside the compound on Wednesday. On Thursday, perhaps the most important day of his visit, he planned to turn over the Benghazi mission to the Libyans. The compound would be rechristened "an American Space," and it would offer English lessons and Internet access and show films and stock a library. The United States would provide some computers, books, and the rest of the materials and support—but it would be owned and operated by locals. "An American Space," Stevens planned to say, "is a living example of the kind of partnership between our two countries which we hope to inspire."
Stevens had an affection for Benghazi—where the uprising against Muammar Qaddafi had begun—and the city for him, because Stevens had stood with its people during that uprising. During the revolution, he'd spent most of his time in the streets, talking, mingling, exploring. Nathan Tek, a young foreign-service officer who'd been at his side in 2011, remembers Stevens getting antsy if he was cooped up too long. "He wanted to experience the city as normally as possible," Tek says. "And he understood that security wasn't just big guys with guns and armored convoys. It was having friends, lots of friends, and having people treat you as a guest."