And I know you and I are writing in somewhat “stream of consciousness” so please don’t take this the wrong way...
But you cannot suggest he was in fear for his because of what he wrote—and then say what he wrote was a fraud.
Okam’s Razor is at play here. What is the simplest, easiest to understand reason why he was in Benghazi without security?
That is more often than not, the reason.
I can say that he was in fear , the diary is real, but where it was located is a plant.
It supposedly is in Stevens handwriting. Not that I necessarily believe it.
I do believe it was planted at that location. I don’t know whether the diary is real.
It tells me he believed his own hype, had "gone native" as many Arabist FSOs do, and he paid the price for his foolishness.