by Uzi Eilam
“But Dr. Deutsch and Mr. O’Connor already have their own impressive resumes in the fight against the Guardians of the Revolution. They were at the core of an ultimately successful effort to uncover a defense industry espionage ring the Guardians had set up in California, and we’re grateful for their willingness to represent the United States on the task force in Paris and to share their expertise with us here today.”
The national security advisor’s introduction was followed by a wave of whispers and a round of applause, which left Deutsch and O’Connor, who were unaccustomed to such praise, staring at the floor in embarrassment.
Deutsch began by presenting an assessment of the complex threat posed by Iranian activity in Europe, as requested by the national security advisor. His presentation highlighted the Iranian procurement effort as an attempt to accelerate the development of primary strategic systems, with an emphasis on long-range missiles and nuclear weapons. He also touched upon Professor Bernard’s role as advisor to the French interior minister and praised his skilled, judicious, and sensitive management of the task force.
“We’ve had a number of successes, the most prominent of which was an operation in Portugal to intercept cargo that had been purchased in Germany and France. Thanks to a SEAL detachment and a team from a special commando unit of the French gendarmerie, we were able to seize the cargo before it was loaded onto an Iranian plane that was about to take off for Tehran,” said Deutsch. “But we’ve also had some failures, which we’ve studied to make sure we don’t make the same mistake twice.”
“One of the most critical and sensitive issues we’re currently dealing with, based on lessons learned,” added O’Connor, who had remained silent until now, “is leaks from within the task force. We still don’t have any leads, and it looks like we’ll need to double our efforts to penetrate Iranian communications and enhance our decrypting abilities. Another issue worth expanding on is the presence in France of Quds Force cells specializing in terrorist attacks.”
“On the subject of monitoring communications,” Deutsch said, “I’d like to praise the work of Dr. Gideon Ben-Ari, one of the Israeli representatives on the task force. Gideon worked with us, me and O’Connor, on cracking the Iranian espionage network in California. This time, he brought along a young Israeli communications and decryption specialist named Dan Avni, who served in the legendary IDF military intelligence unit, their NSA. Dan’s been an invaluable asset as a member of the task force. He’s been working closely with our people in the embassy in Paris to ensure us a constant flow of up-to-date information gleaned from Iranian communications.”
Eyebrows furrowed, and the NSA’s deputy director raised his hand and stood up. “I don’t understand why we let this young Israeli into our field of operations. There are standard procedures for cooperating with Israel’s intelligence bodies. Why do we need to improvise?” He looked angrier with every word. “What are we doing? Are we trying to cultivate another Edward Snowden? Hasn’t the NSA been sufficiently exposed? Snowden was one of our own, and the damage he caused has been almost impossible to repair! What exactly do we know about this intelligence officer? All we know is that he’s employed by New Horizons, an American company based in Silicon Valley.” Deutsch and O’Connor were surprised by the extent of the deputy director’s knowledge about Dan. “How do we know that he’s not an Israeli plant?”
Deutsch was stunned by the intensity of this criticism and said nothing for what seemed like an eternity. Only after receiving a nod from the national security advisor did he begin to respond to the high-ranking NSA official.
“First, I’d like to suggest to the deputy director of the NSA that we refrain from getting swept up in such suspicions and serious charges,” Deutsch began in an even tone, without betraying his concern. “Our experience with Dr. Ben-Ari in cracking the Iranian network in California was excellent. It was an effort in which we invested a great deal, and from which absolutely nothing was leaked. His major contribution to the work of the current task force has been recognized by everyone involved, and Dan Avni is his protégé. I trust him implicitly.”
“With the moderator’s permission,” O’Connor said, “I’d like to say a few words about Avni’s collaboration with NSA people in Paris. Dr. Deutsch and I have been in the loop from the get go. We’re informed of the details of every meeting Dan has with our people, and we’ve also borne witness to the extraordinary results of the collaboration. Officials from our embassy in Paris attend the meetings of the full task force as observers, which has helped them better focus their work. I’ve been extremely impressed by their technical abilities and their sensitivity to the need for compartmentalization and confidentiality. You did an excellent job training them.”
“I think we should all remember,” interjected a representative of the Pentagon, “that the enemy here is Iran, not Israel or France. Stopping Iranian procurement and, as a result, stymieing their development efforts is a goal of the highest priority. I suggest that we return to the information leaks and the physical threat posed by the Quds Force teams that O’Connor mentioned. These guys are the spearhead of the Guardians’ capacity to carry out assassinations.”
After a long round of questions, which Deutsch and O’Connor took turns answering patiently and at length, the national security advisor brought the session to a close. “I’d like to conclude our discussion here and to thank Dr. Gerald Deutsch and Mr. John O’Connor for their enlightening presentations. I propose we now move into two professional sessions: one on listening and decryption, led by the NSA, and another on leaks, led by the FBI.”
During the meeting with the NSA officials, questions were raised about the intolerable ease with which supervised materials could be procured from French companies. The deputy director sustained his criticism and expressed doubt about the willingness of the Division for the Control of French Defense Exports to install devices to facilitate the audio monitoring of suspected companies. Officials from the Defense Department and the State Department insisted that “such things can’t happen here,” and Deutsch and O’Connor promised to speak with Professor Bernard about the possibility of setting up a more robust listening system.
The meeting led by FBI officials was conducted in a friendlier atmosphere, but the issue was a heavy one. The bureau’s senior representative urged O’Connor not to take the reliability of any of the task force members for granted until they had been thoroughly vetted. The involvement of Dr. Kayghobadi, the Iranian source engaged by the task force, was also the subject of serious questions. At the end of the discussion, O’Connor promised to bring up the issue with Bernard, in a small forum, upon their return to Paris.
“You two have worked hard these past two days,” said the national security advisor with a smile when Deutsch and O’Connor entered his office for a final briefing before returning to Paris. “I hope you’re returning to Paris with new ideas that will help you complete your mission and that of the task force as a whole, which is vital to all of us.”
“Without a doubt, sir,” Deutsch answered. “The meetings here have given us new insight on all the issues they covered. And we certainly have some things to discuss with our partners in Paris.”
“I’d like to thank you for your effective moderation of the meetings,” O’Connor said. “And I have to agree with Dr. Deutsch—we’ve gotten a great deal out of our time here that will help us with our work in Paris.”
“Have a safe trip, gentlemen. And do yourselves a favor—don’t beat yourselves up over the criticism you heard during the meetings. The NSA is still trying to recover from the Snowden affair. He caused them some serious problems, and he worked for them. Our national security is as important to all those folks as it is to you. Good luck.” He shook hands with each of them as they made their way to the door. “I’m sure you’ll make us proud.”
Chapter 35
Gideon spent the entire four-hour flight from Paris to Israel reviewing the m
yriad of events to which he had been party since leaving Israel. The day that he and Haim Bar-Oz had touched down in Paris seemed long ago. His office and Noga, his dedicated secretary, suddenly entered his thoughts, and he realized the extent to which he had been drawn into the project.
He wondered what he should expect to get out of his meetings with Yitzhak Nahari and his associates. He also considered the fact that the project was at a crossroads, and perhaps more than one. What could he do during his meetings in Israel to reach a realistic assessment of the situation?
He still had a clear memory of the most recent meeting in Bernard’s office, with Haim’s baffling responses, General de Villiers’ defensiveness about his failed supervision of French defense exports, and Dominique’s silence. Deutsch and O’Connor, the two Americans, had contributed more than anyone else to the project, and Gideon was certain they would return from Washington with insight and ideas that would help the task force further its work. America is a superpower, he thought, with an almost unlimited capacity to produce intelligent, experienced people. But what about Israel? He wondered whether the hopes he was pinning on his meetings in Tel Aviv were too high and tried to clarify the critical points in question. Could the source of the leaks be identified, if they actually existed? He was troubled by the threat of personal terrorism against the task force members in Europe and by the potential collapse of their efforts to stop Iranian procurement and improve Swiss supervision of financial transactions.
“Welcome home, Gideon!” He was surprised to find Binyamin waiting for him at the door of the plane. “How was your flight? I hope you managed to get some sleep. I’d like to take you directly to the office for a meeting with Nahari. They’re waiting to meet with you.”
“It’s good to see you, Binyamin.” Although he was worn out, Gideon was smiling. “I’m surprised you went through the trouble of meeting me at the plane. To what do I owe this VIP treatment?”
“We assign great importance to our meetings with you,” Binyamin said in his distinctively deep and trustworthy voice. “We followed the developments on the ground in Paris in real time. Yitzhak is quite familiar with the details of the project so far, as well as its weak points. Still, nothing can replace a face-to-face meeting. It was a good idea to suggest the consultation. If you hadn’t done so, we would have asked you to come in anyway. Chapeau!”
During the short time he spent in the VIP security room waiting for his passport to be processed, Gideon’s thoughts focused entirely on the impending meeting with Nahari and his associates.
“So Binyamin, were you able to arrange the secure line I requested?” Gideon asked.
“Of course. It’s linked directly to the communications room of the Defense Ministry Delegation building in Paris,” Binyamin reassured him. “But tell me, why is it so crucial?”
“Dan’s work so far has completely justified his selection. That’s not only my opinion. It’s also reflected in how much his work is valued by the other members of the task force. I thought about it and decided it wouldn’t be right to pull him out of Paris, even for just two or three days. The secure line will allow us to receive new information in real time. We’ll also be able to receive immediate answers from him in response to any questions we might have. I thought this would provide our meetings with a richer foundation of up-to-date information.” Gideon put off broaching the matter of Haim Bar-Oz until the meeting with Nahari.
“That’s a good approach—completely justified,” said Binyamin, as the young passport control officer returned with Gideon’s documents. “Now let’s get moving. Yitzhak and someone from the security service’s counterespionage unit are waiting for us back at the office.”
They’re taking the meetings I requested seriously, Gideon thought with a tinge of trepidation. He had never actually doubted the importance Nahari ascribed to the project, but he hoped he also possessed the depth of knowledge the meeting would require. And most importantly, how would he handle the evidence against Haim Bar-Oz?
“Welcome back, Gideon!” Nahari’s long-time secretary stood up when the two men walked into the reception area, greeting him with a cheerful smile. “Yitzhak is waiting for both of you. Turkish coffee for you Binyamin, correct? And what can I get you, Gideon?”
“Just some water, if you don’t mind.” Gideon’s mouth had become a veritable desert in anticipation of his meeting with Nahari.
“I see that Binyamin found you at the airport all right,” Nahari said as the two men entered his office and sat down. “Thank you for suggesting this consultation. As I assume you know, we take these meetings extremely seriously.” He didn’t introduce the man who was already seated in his office when they entered. “Let’s begin by hearing your brief situation assessment of the project in Paris. I suggest you keep in mind that we’ve been kept informed, in relative detail, regarding the developments up to this point. What we’d like to hear from you are the important points, as far as you’re concerned.”
Gideon did not start immediately. He felt he needed to collect his thoughts and make a deliberate decision about how to begin. Nahari, Binyamin, and the other man waited patiently.
“We had one major success,” Gideon began. “The operation at the airport in Portugal where we confiscated a large shipment that the Iranians had assembled in Europe over the course of a number of weeks.” He paused and glanced down at the notes he had prepared for the meeting. “We know that it was a heavy blow for the Iranians and that it sent shockwaves up to the most senior levels of the regime. We’ve also had some failures. We know about some of them, but we must assume that there are others that we’re not yet aware of. There’s no hermetic seal preventing European companies from selling supervised goods and substances to Iran, and the shipment we seized in Portugal is irrefutable evidence of this fact.” After another brief pause and a long sip of water, he broached what he regarded as the main issues in need of clarification. “There are two matters that have raised questions that we’ve been unable to answer.”
“Only two?” commented Nahari dryly. “If that’s all, then you’re in pretty good shape.”
“They’re not so simple, Yitzhak,” Gideon said, drawing a deep breath and releasing it slowly. “There are indications that information is most likely being leaked from the very heart of our task force meetings. One example was our ambushes in the Pyrenees Mountains, which ended in failure after the Iranians canceled their smuggling operation at the last minute. It suggests they received precise information about our movements.” Gideon looked directly at Nahari and quietly and slowly revealed what he had hesitated to verbalize until that moment. “Haim Bar-Oz is in contact with the Iranians. Dan Avni’s communications monitoring program has supplied us with proof.” The silence that overtook the room was deafening.
“Are you certain?” Nahari growled.
“I have no doubt. Professor Bernard and Dr. Deutsch are also in the loop on this one, and they agree.”
“And what have you done about it so far?” asked Nahari.
“We still haven’t confronted him. We thought it would be best for me to raise the issue here. In the meantime, we’ve been cautiously excluding him from all important information and feeding him falsified intelligence when necessary. But we can’t go on like this much longer.”
“Yitzhak, we have to take care of this at once,” Binyamin said, breaking into the conversation with his thundering baritone voice. “We have no way of knowing what he’ll do if he suspects he’s been compromised.”
“You’re right, Binyamin,” agreed Nahari. “And we will. But first let’s finish hearing Gideon’s update.”
Gideon continued. “The leading figures in the project do not trust the security of information shared with the whole task force. We often convene in small groups for consultations, but that has not allayed our concerns. We also have an Iranian source, an academic who has been recruited and who has been providing us with interest
ing information. His contact on the task force is Madame Dominique de Saint-Germaine.”
“And who is she?” Binyamin asked.
“Well…” Gideon hesitated, somewhat embarrassed. “To be completely honest, I met Dominique in Paris many years ago when we were both students. She was chosen to join the task force by her superiors in the French prime minister’s office,” he explained, trying to appear unflustered.
“But now that you’re working together, haven’t you rekindled your old romantic flame?” asked Binyamin. “Isn’t this somewhat similar to what happened to you in California?”
“I see no reason for involving personal matters in the work of the task force,” Gideon shot back, trying hard to piece together a logical argument. “And besides, California’s in the past.”
“Gideon, we’re dealing with a sensitive area, and it’s only appropriate that we also consider personal motives. When we look for reasons for switching sides, shouldn’t we also think about motives for blackmail?”
“I see neither reason nor logic in dealing with the issue in this manner. You sent me on a mission, and I left my comfortable life and my consulting firm to do so! I did so because I thought it was an important undertaking and, most importantly, because I had been asked to serve my country! The critical issue here is the duplicity of Haim Bar-Oz, and we have to deal with it!” For the first time, the truth hit him. He had been so distracted by Haim’s documented betrayal and his own romantic feelings for Dominique that he had never even considered the possibility that Dominique might also be working for the Iranians.
