The Volunteer: The Incredible True Story of an Israeli Spy on the Trail of International Terrorists
Language: English
Pages: 320
ISBN: B00A16JL26
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
“[It’s] James Bond in a T-shirt and slippers . . . a page-turner, filled with well-observed, convincing detail.” —George Jonas, bestselling author of Vengeance (the book that inspired the film Munich)
In 1982, a twenty-something named Michael Ross left home to backpack across Europe. Little did he know that his vacation would set in motion a chain of events that would hurl him into a career where the bosses are seasoned spies, and the work is tracking the world’s most dangerous terrorists. The Volunteer is a fast-paced memoir that provides insight into our world, both pre- and post-9/11, told by a man on the front lines in the war against terror.
invented identity to Halleck and his colleagues. Unbeknownst to me, this was a stock exercise in the intelligence business. I was being asked to create something that every covert intelligence operative must have: a bogus but believable cover story about who you are, where you come from, and what you’re doing. In intelligence parlance, this assumed identity is known as a legend. It sounds easy, but it’s not, as Halleck demonstrated to me in about thirty seconds. “Nice to meet you, Fred Porter,”
proceeded to give me a detailed picture of what awaited me should I change my mind and make it through the training program. Far from promising me roses and sunshine, he told me that my work would involve operating in hostile countries, often alone, while under foreign cover. He also outlined the risks of torture, long confinement, and even execution that I would face if I were caught. Dahlia was in the room throughout the whole conversation. Benny wanted her there, because he knew she would
Israel. Through their auspices, I secured placement in an Orthodox conversion program that provided me with a year of intense study in Judaism and Hebrew. The application process said a lot about my new faith: while Christianity and Islam proselytize aggressively, Judaism almost seems eager to discourage new converts. During my interview with a representative of the ministry of religious affairs, which oversaw the program together with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, the interviewer was downright
intelligence requests from each other’s HQ. I worked opposite CIA officers from the agency’s Counterterrorism Center (CTC), a body created in the 1980s to coordinate counterterrorist activities among various U.S. agencies. My perspective was unique, because I was the only Mossad officer doing liaison work with both the CIA and FBI. The experience taught me an enormous amount about why America—and, by extension, the entire Western world—was so unprepared for 9/11 and its aftermath. Traditionally,
already a certified spinster—part of that middle-aged female cohort in the Mossad married to their jobs. I ended up working closely with Etti until the end of my career and grew immensely fond of her. We hovered at the entrance to her office, where she was puffing away on one of her forbidden cigarettes (Mossad HQ has a strict but unenforced no-smoking policy) and talking on a red secure phone with someone in military intelligence. She signed off by saying, “If your dick were half as impressive