The Case Officer (6 page)

His sights were set on the China Operations group in East
Asia Division. He had minored in Mandarin Chinese in college, and already
possessed near native fluency in German and French thanks to his mother, and he
wanted to use these language skills against the China target.

Spinelli had his own plans for Mac, and he wanted to
discuss them with him. So Spinelli had asked that Mac be invited to the dinner
party.

The dinner party for Tony Spinelli was held in the home of the
senior Africa Division instructor on The Farm and his wife. Following cocktails
with light hors d’oeuvres, a buffet dinner of venison stew was served. The Farm
was infested with deer, so instructors and base employees were encouraged to
hunt during hunting season to cull the herds. Base freezers were full of
venison the year round.

The group at this particular dinner party consisted of two
Africa Division instructors and their spouses, four students who had expressed
an interest in joining Africa Division, plus Spinelli, and MacMurphy.

Conversation centered around opportunities in Africa
Division for first tour case officers. Spinelli and the other two Africa hands
pressed the point that Africa’s relatively smaller stations meant more
responsibility for younger officers, and less bureaucratic interference.
Because the diplomatic communities in those countries were smaller and more
close-knit than those in Europe or Asia, young case officers were generally
invited to virtually every foreign embassy’s parties and receptions, which
meant better chances of recruiting  assets within the diplomatic communities.

MacMurphy, not being one to enjoy layers of bureaucracy
over his head, felt this was a good argument for selecting a smaller station
early in his career. Nevertheless, he had made up his mind to join the East
Asia Division and specialize in China ops.

By the time coffee and desert was served the group had
broken up into smaller groups spread throughout the kitchen and living room.
Spinelli approached Mac who was chatting with one of the female students in the
kitchen. “We haven’t had much time to talk alone, Mac, and I want to explain to
you why I wanted you included in this group.” Spinelli turned to the other
student. “Will you excuse us for a moment?” When the student walked off, he
turned back to Mac and said, “Let’s get some air.”

Spinelli led Mac out through the screened porch and into
the back yard. The crickets were chirping and there was a gentle breeze
rustling through the trees and leaves. He said, “This is a great place. One of
the jewels of the Agency. You know, we came very close to losing The Farm due
to budget cuts a few years back. Thank God cooler heads prevailed and we
didn’t. I think I’d like to do a tour down here as an instructor myself some
day. It would be a good way to decompress and recharge the old batteries.”

They chatted about The Farm while walking slowly across the
lawn. When they approached the tree line at the edge of the yard a deer bolted
in the woods, startling them.

“You know, Mac, I still feel I owe you big time for what
you did for us in Mogadishu.” Mac began to object but Spinelli put up his hand.
“No, I’ve done a lot of soul-searching since that day. You did what I should
have done. You took control of the situation and acted forcefully when action
was called for. I regret not having done more. I certainly couldn’t have done
what you did, but I should have been more forceful with the ambassador and in
my cables to headquarters. I should have mutinied, or at least threatened to
mutiny, to put more pressure on the powers that be to remove that ignorant SOB
of an ambassador.”

“You did what you could, Mr. Spinelli. Without the pressure
from you on Headquarters, and then from Headquarters on State, they wouldn’t
have ordered the evacuation when they did. We all know that. The only accurate
reporting they were getting was through your channel.”

Spinelli shrugged. “Perhaps, perhaps; it’s kind of you to
say that, but your actions clinched the deal. I know I didn’t do enough and
that bothers me to this day… Enough said on that subject. I’m now in a position
to do something for you and I wanted to discuss it with you before I put any
plays in motion.”

“I kind of suspected you had something on your mind. What
is it?”

“I know your heart’s set on China Ops, but what I want to
offer you—and the China Ops people-- is an opportunity to go after the China
target in an active Africa Division station where the targets are ripe and the
hunting is good.”

“Where were you thinking? You don’t want to send me back to
Mogadishu, do you?”

Spinelli laughed. “This is a little better than that. You
know, we have China Ops officers in several of our larger African stations. What
I have in mind for you is Addis Ababa. It’s a medium sized station by Africa
Division standards. A handful of case officers including the chief and deputy,
and a very active recruitment program among third country dips. The Chinese
Embassy there is about the same size as ours, about forty - fifty people. They
have a big aid program there, and the Chinese officials in Addis seem to enjoy
more freedom than most anywhere else in the world.”

“Why’s that?” Mac was becoming interested. 

“Couple of things.” Spinelli held up a thumb. “First of all
Ethiopia has been a socialist country since the days when Mengistu ruled the
place, so they feel comfortable there among all the rest of the former
communist nations of East Europe and a lot of current ones like North Korea,
Vietnam, and Cuba. Those countries still have a large presence there.

“Second,” an index finger joined the thumb, “the aid
projects of these countries are still very active due to the droughts and
famine that continue to ravage the country, and aid workers and officials
generally seem to enjoy more freedom than others. This kind of bleeds into the
rest of the community.

“Third,” a middle finger joined the other two, “The New
China News Agency, the government controlled news service, has four officers
assigned to the embassy. These NCNA guys are prime targets because they have as
much access to classified information as the other embassy officials. Due to
their journalist status they have more freedom of movement around the country
than the others.”

Mac nodded. “So there’s room for a China Ops officer in the
station, and there are enough good targets to justify sending one there.”

“Exactly. We’ve never had a China Ops slot in Addis Ababa
station, but I’d like to create one – tailored for you. I’ve talked to all
parties concerned and we agree that you would be a good fit for the job. The
assignment could really jump-start your career, and, well…you’re my man, Mac.
You want to go for it?”

“You don’t owe me anything Mr. Spinelli. In fact, you’ve
already done more than enough by bringing me into this outfit. I haven’t had so
much fun since Mom and Dad bought me my first bicycle. And I’m humbled by the
quality of the people in my class. I keep thanking you and the good Lord for
making me a part of this group.”

Spinelli put his arm on Mac’s shoulder and led him back
across the yard toward the house. “Consider it done then. I’ll start the ball
rolling and get the necessary paperwork up to the DDO’s office for his
approval. You can plan on rotating out to Addis Ababa next summer right after
you’ve completed the Special Ops Course.”

“Do I have to start studying Amharic?” asked Mac, only half
in jest.

“No, that’s not a requirement. Your English will do quite
nicely down there. And maybe your Chinese, if you get lucky…”

Chapter Twelve

F
ollowing the Operations Course, the class
returned to Langley for two months of on-the-job training. Mac was assigned to
the Japan Desk in East Asia Division. There he was involved in the support of
Tokyo Station; running name traces, responding to Tokyo’s operational requests
for research, evaluating intelligence reports, doing file summaries, and
sitting in on operational discussions regarding the station’s progress in
meeting it’s operational directives (ODs) which emanated from Langley and set
the priorities for station operations.

Due to his Chinese language skills, the station’s China
Branch was his main focus. He followed the early development of a fast moving
case involving a mid-level Chinese MSS intelligence officer who made frequent
trips outside of China to Japan. The case resulted in the MSS officer’s
defection to the U.S. embassy in Tokyo.

His involvement in this high-profile case also brought him
a lot of high-level personal exposure within the Agency, particularly the eye
of the Agency’s legendary DDO, Edwin Rothmann.

Chapter Thirteen

A
fter a final live exercise in New York City where
they practiced development and recruitment, agent communications, surreptitious
entry and bugging of a hotel room, and most of the other skills they had
learned in the previous fifteen weeks, it was back to The Farm for another
sixteen weeks of intensive paramilitary training in the Special Operations
Course.

MacMurphy and his class were issued combat boots and
military fatigues, without rank or insignia, for this portion of the training.
The group learned infiltration and exfiltration techniques and practiced cross
border operations on the river and in the woods. They were taught land
navigation with a map and compass, and stream and hill navigation without the
aid of a map and compass. They practiced small unit and sapper tactics to
attack enemy installations and to defend friendly perimeters.

None of this was new to Mac and the other former military
officers, but for the rest of the class it was, and all of the former military
guys helped the others out, which added to the bonding process.

They also visited another secret CIA site for an intensive
week of instruction in demolitions and explosives. They learned about roadside
bombs – how to make them and how to defuse them. By the end of the week every
student was a qualified sapper.

What was new to the former military guys as well as the
civilians was the intensive course in interrogation techniques and resistance
to interrogation. Although the students never had to endure waterboarding and
other forms of physical torture, the psychology of interrogation and how to resist
it was a key part of the course. It was as realistic as it could be under the
circumstances – every student realized he would not actually be harmed – but it
gave each of them the undisputable knowledge that the threat of bodily harm, or
worse, was a very effective interrogation technique, with or without other
props.

The final month was split between the Arizona desert and
the Panama jungle where the class learned survival skills and escape and
evasion tactics in the two very different environments. It was during the
jungle phase of the training that Mac learned the most important lesson he
would ever learn in the course. He would be forcefully reminded of that crucial
lesson in days to come.

That lesson was:
If it doesn’t taste good, spit it out
…

Chapter Fourteen

29
October 1994,

Turkish
National Day

Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia

M
acMurphy hated diplomatic
cocktail parties, functions given by people who didn’t want to give them for
people who didn’t want to attend. He certainly fit into that latter category.
But as a CIA case officer under official cover, he was forced to attend these
boring parties.

And there was a more compelling
reason that he did not want to attend this particular function. CIA
headquarters, over the strong objections of MacMurphy and the Addis Ababa
station chief, had instructed MacMurphy to corner one of his best friends on
the diplomatic circuit in Addis, a Chinese intelligence officer, and deliver a
recruitment pitch.

Huang Tsung-yao was operating
under the cover of a reporter for the New China News Agency, but he was
actually a very capable intelligence operative from the Ministry of State
Security. Mac had been ordered to go to the party and attempt to recruit him to
work covertly for the CIA.        

MacMurphy and his station chief believed
strongly that if these instructions were carried out, they would destroy Huang’s
career. They thought the approach was a dumb idea.

Mac knew his friend Huang would
refuse the pitch. He and Huang Tsung-yao were very close. They had a natural
affinity for one another that went far beyond their mutual interest in tennis.
Although raised in different cultures on different sides of the globe, they
shared athletic good looks, charm, a natural sensitivity and intellectual
curiosity. They were more like brothers than adversaries. Case officers share
many traits.

But he and the station had fought
the battle with CIA headquarters and lost. His orders were now clear, the
arguing was over; he was obligated to follow Headquarters’ orders, sent under
the name of the Director, even if against his better judgment. That’s how
things worked in the Agency. Just like the military. It was time to salute.

Three years earlier, in Somalia,
he
had
disobeyed a direct order. But this was different. He didn’t like
what he was being told to do now. But, while hating the taste of it, and wanting
to spit it out, he would salute and do it.

Chapter Fifteen

A
s he turned east from the former
Revolution Square and took Dessie Road toward the Turkish Ambassador’s
residence, MacMurphy thought about how he would approach Huang.