Posted on 05/28/2008 7:56:23 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay
Chapter One: The Buried Bodies 0500 February 10, 1986 Bethesda, Maryland
On my morning run through February’s chilly darkness, my chocolate Lab, Tyler Beauregard, sets the pace. This is our routine together, though we always vary our route now. At agent training, which I just completed, they drilled into us the notion that in our new lives, routines will get us killed. When you join the Dark World, you must become unpredictable. Erratic. We must strip away all the conventions of our old lives and fade into the background. We’ve been trained. We’ve practiced. Today, I begin my life as a ghost.
These morning runs will be my one tip to the old life I’m leaving behind. Still, today I take new precautions, such as the snubby Smith & Wesson Model 60 .38-caliber revolver tucked away under my belt.
I love these morning runs with Tyler. She is a remarkable animal, my familiar, a canine that intuits more about loyalty and honor than most of the people I encountered as a police officer in Montgomery County, Maryland. She pads along, tongue lolling, breathing steady. She’s a pro. She could run marathons of her own.
My footfalls echo across the empty Bethesda neighborhood. The tidy brick houses and apartments are dark. In my new life, I’ll be spending a lot of time in darkness. I’ve learned to be paranoid. I’ve learned to look around corners and watch my back. Our instructors warned us that the KGB opens a file on every one of us new agents as soon as we graduate. Then they probe our lives and backgrounds in search of weaknesses, skeletons, or any sort of leverage by which to exploit or co-opt us. Sooner or later, they will make contact with an offer. Or a threat.
I glance behind
(Excerpt) Read more at stratfor.com ...
VIDEO Fred Burton discusses his new book, GHOST, from his personal experiences while a counterterrorism agent.
Looks very interesting. Thanks for posting it.
Looks interesting and I will have to order a copy. Thanks for the posting.
He teased the issues, gave background on the attacks, but didn't get into much detail about what happened afterward. Granted, I'm sure he's limited in what he can tell, but he more or less let us know that he was involved in the investigations.
The highlight of the book was the story behind C-130 crash that killed President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq of Pakistan, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold L. Raphel, and dozens of others. I enjoyed reading about his discussions with "Cheech" of the theories the Pakistanis thought caused the crash, (i.e., a missile) and the revelation that a container filled with VX nerve agent was detonated in the cockpit, killing the pilots instantly.
The personal stories of his buddy Fred, his lab, and father were touching. The reasons for getting out of the agency were understandable, which partly had to do with wanting to be a part of of his children's lives.
His politics are not that clear in the book. I get the feeling that the whole issue of politics kept the agency from catching terrorists. Leaking info seemed to be one of the major issues tying the hands the the intelligence community. His main example was the raid on Libya in the mid 1980s. He points out that Dick Luger and Sheets Byrd (he was more formal in names) completely leaked to the press that the bombing was about to happen. Needless to say we lost a jet that night.
Burton makes it very clear that he did not like protecting Yasser Arafat, but that he would have taken a bullet for him, because it was his job. He seemed to have issues with Iran Contra, and calls out Col. North on the issue. Burton had been working on questioning the hostages when they were released, and was trying to figure out why they were released. Terry Waite contacted Burton and wanted to get in contact to Col. North. North was on a mission, and Waite was told that Ash-Shiraa had reported the plot. Burton claims this was the first time he had knowledge of the plan.
He didn't agree with what was going on, but doesn't really say whether it was right or wrong. He's conflicted because lives were saved, but the Iranians were armed. (I fully support Ollie North in what he did)
He does mention that Kennedy was a great president. I'm not quite sure how that can be accomplished less than 3 years, but that's his opinion. However, he does note that the Clinton administration made it difficult to conduct operations.
The book is worth the read if you're interested in the roots of today's current terrorism problem. If you enjoy Jack Bauer and 24, you'll enjoy the book. Also, if you read anything from STRATFOR or George Friedman, you'll enjoy the book.
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