in VOA Special English.Moammar Gadhafi came to powerin Libya on September first,nineteen sixty-nine.He led a military overthrowwhile King Idris was away.Early relationswith the United Stateswere generally good, saysBruce St John, the authorof seven books on Libya.BRUCE ST JOHN: "In the early years,he was very much focusedon Arab nationalism, Arab unity,Arab socialism.And in fact, the United Statesgovernment in the first twoor three years -- maybe evenuntil nineteen seventy-four-- there were peoplein the United States governmentwho thought we could workwith the man and work with his regime.It was only later that he beganto employ terrorist-type techniques,not only in North Africaand the Middle East, buteventually throughout the world."Colonel Gadhafi distrustedhis own generals, so over the yearshe built up special brigades.He built these forces with his sonsand members of the military loyalto his native tribe and its allies.He also brought in foreign forces-- African mercenaries.During the nineteen seventies,he tried to unite Libyawith other Arab countries.Experts say that was alsowhen he began to provide aid towhat some governments consideredterrorist organizations.These included the Irish RepublicanArmy and the Abu Nidal Group.Relations with the United Statesfell to an all-time lowduring the eightieswhen Ronald Reagan was president.He called Colonel Gadhafi"the mad dog of the Middle East."Author Bruce St John pointsto two events from that time.In December of nineteen eighty-five,terrorists attacked the Romeand Vienna airports.And in April of nineteen eighty-six,a bomb exploded at a West Berlindiscotheque popular with American troops.Two soldiers died.BRUCE ST JOHN: "Gadhafi and his regime-- the evidence was somewhat murky-- but the United States governmentbelieved that they were involvedin both of those instances.And it was particularlythe La Belle discotheque incidentthat led the Reagan administrationto take a decision to punishthe Gadhafi regime and put it on noticethat we no longer toleratethat kind of activity."American planes attacked targetsin Benghazi and Tripoli.Many people were killed,including the adopted daughterof Colonel Gadhafi.In nineteen eighty-eight,a bomb blew up Pan Am Flight 103over Lockerbie, Scotland.Two hundred seventy people died,including many Americans.Another bombing took placethe following yearon a French plane over Niger.Libya refused to surrender suspectsin the two bombings.Libya faced yearsof United Nations sanctionsuntil it finally surrenderedthe two suspectsin the Lockerbie bombing.One of them, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi,was found guilty.But Scotland released himin two thousand nine,saying he was dying of prostate cancer.He is still alive.In two thousand three-- the year of the American-ledinvasion of Iraq -- Moammar Gadhafibecame more cooperativewith Western countries.He agreed to pay the final amountof money owed to familiesof the Lockerbie bombing victims.And he announced that Libyawas ending its programsto make weapons of mass destruction.The United States reopeneddiplomatic relations with Libyain two thousand six, but waitedthree more years to send an ambassador.And that's IN THE NEWSin VOA Special English.For more news, go to 51voa.com.