Marchand T. MacDermotRoe

Who Dares Wins

By Marchand T. MacDermotRoe

CHAPTER 2

Jack makes his way into the building and up to the office of Joseph "Joe" Zimmerman, the Deputy Director for Clandestine Operations. Jack has always hated getting called to his boss's office. If working in Clandestine Operations has taught him anything it's that when the boss calls it can mean only one of two things, you're in trouble or you have an assignment.

Jack always preferred to be in the field. This was because he would usually be left alone. In the field and far away from Headquarters, Jack was just left to his own devices. He had a mission, he accomplished that mission and did it all without having to deal with a bunch of bureaucrats in Washington. However, the time in between missions was often miserable since it meant sitting behind a desk with the same bureaucrats Jack spent all time trying to avoid.

For the last nine months Jack had done nothing but sit behind his desk and analyze intelligence briefings. He would then email the results of his analysis to his desk supervisor and from there proceed to have his entire analysis torn apart. It was mind numbing work for a field agent and Jack ached to get back into the action. Hopefully, this meeting would bring him good news. Hopefully, this meeting would take him out of the analysis office and back into Clandestine Operations.

Arriving at Deputy Director Zimmerman's office Jack takes a deep breath and with a sigh mutters to himself "Fuck it" and knocks on the door. Deputy Director Zimmerman bellows in a deep gravelly voice "You know how a door knob works don't you?" Jack opens the door which for some reason feels like it weighs a ton. Walking into the office Jack closes the door behind himself and straightens his back, snapping to attention. Just like reporting to the Company Commander, old habits die hard.

At his desk, smoking a pipe, is the 58 year old Deputy Director. Bald and short, his face crisscrossed with worry lines from years of service to his country. His broad chest and big arms gave him the resemblance of an old bull who, though despite his years, is still capable of goring those that cross his path. His office wall was lined with awards dating back to the old Office of Strategic Services, OSS. On his desk sat a picture of Zimmerman dressed in olive drab combat uniform, next to a Red Army Officer in Berlin May 1945 just after the city fell to the Soviets. Zimmerman had been the first American to enter the former capital of the Third Reich and it was his most treasured possession.

"Agent Jack Ryan reporting Sir" Jack rattles off. "Sit down Jack. Please leave the formalities" Zimmerman says gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. As puffs on his pipe Zimmerman looks over a short stack of papers on his desk. Adjusting his glasses he looks up at Jack. "How's the desk life treating you?" Shaking his head Jack decides honesty is the best policy "Truthfully sir, it sucks." Deputy Director Zimmerman cracks a half smile and tells Jack "Well you're days of exile to a desk may very well be at an end. I'm sure you've been following the situation in the Middle East. That Soviet stooge Nasser is causing trouble again." Zimmerman passes Jack the small stack of papers on his desk saying "We just received this from the Cairo Office."

Jack is all too familiar with the situation in Egypt. The country has been a one man dictatorship ruled by a former Egyptian Army Officer Colonel Gamal Abdul Nasser. He had been a member of a group of Officers in the Army of Egypt's former King Farouk. On the 23rd of July, 1952 the Free Officers led by the middle aged General Mohamed Naguib toppled the King and installed General Naguib as the country's new leader. This was largely inspired by the King's failure to defeat the Israeli's in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Nasser had been General Naguib's right hand man in the coup and General Naguib had ensured Nasser a prominent position. However, this happy partenership didn't last for long. In 1956 Nasser overthrew General Naguib and made himself the sole ruler of Egypt with the rather misleading title of President. Nasser then proceeded to provoke a war with Britain, France and Israel in 1956 with resulted in a UN mediated ceasefire. This stalemate, which Nasser claimed as a victory, only spurred him on to more aggressive action.

President Nasser was an Arab Nationalist which held the unique qualities of being a cross between Fascism and Socialism. He allied himself with the Soviet Union and did everything in his power to topple the US allied Arab monarchies in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Jordan in the name of uniting the Arab people in one United Arab Republic. Nasser acquired the weapons for this great endeavor from the Soviet Union who felt that any enemy of the west was a friend of theirs.

By 1967 Nasser was embroiled in a protracted war in Yemen against the Yemeni Monarchists and the Saudi Army. This war had claimed the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and had drawn away Egypt's best fighting units. The war was going so badly for the Egyptians that in order to stave off total defeat Nasser had resorted to using chemical weapons. This had made the war incredibly unpopular amongst ordinary Egyptians and many analysts within the CIA believed that it wasn't too long before Nasser would be overthrown in a coup.

However, the report that Jack was reading flew in the face of everything he had been hearing about Egypt. Far from Nasser retreating in the face of growing opposition, he instead seems to have decided to redirect his people's anger. The report states that Nasser has closed access to the Straight of Tiran, effectively cutting off the Israeli port of Eilat from all shipping. Additionally, Nasser has ordered the UN Peacekeepers stationed in the Sinai peninsula since the 1956 to leave within 48 hours.

With astonishment Jack looks up at Deputy Director Zimmerman "You mean to tell me that Nasser's plan to solve the problem of one quagmire of a war is to threaten another one?" Zimmerman shakes his head "That's just it Jack. I don't think it's an idle threat. Nasser has made himself very unpopular at home and within the wider Arab world. Arabs are tired of killing Arabs so Nasser is providing them with someone else to fight instead. It would be a holy war, against a common non-Arab enemy to unite the Arab world under his banner."

Jack asks "But where would Nasser get the tanks, planes and soldiers to pull off something like this, especially with so much of his military tied down in Yemen." Zimmerman reaches into his desk and pulls out three black and white photos. They appear to show Russian made Topolev bombers sitting on the tarmac of an Egyptian Air Force runway. Zimmerman tells Jack "These bombers were just delivered as a gift from Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin. When they landed they had the red star of the Soviet Air Force. 24 hours later they all bore the roundel of the Egyptian Air Force. Brand new Soviet made BMP Armored Personnel Carriers and T-62 Tanks have been appearing in and around Cairo. Nasser has even begun to call up Reservists. Everything seems to point to a mass mobilization."

Jack can feel himself beginning to tense up, the gravity of the situation resting on his shoulders like millstone. While examining a photograph of one of the Topolev bombers Jack asks Zimmerman "So what exactly is President Johnson planning on doing about this? If Nasser is serious and he invades Israel, we could loose our most important beach head against the Soviets in the Middle East." Zimmerman sits back in his chair and takes a long drag on his pipe. Exhaling through his nose Zimmerman explains.

"In essence our President doesn't believe Nasser will really do it. The Israeli's are convinced Nasser will attack and the President thinks they won't. The Israeli's want to launch a first strike in order to eliminate the Egyptian Army before they have a chance to invade. The President said that without absolute proof, he will not support a first strike. If he's right and Nasser backs down, well then the status quo is maintained and everything returns to normal. However, if he is wrong and the Egyptians do launch a first strike, Israel will cease to exist and the Soviets will control the entire Middle East."

Jack starts to get the idea that he knows exactly where this conversation is headed. Smiling broadly with a flash of excitement in his eyes, Jack says to Zimmerman "So Deputy Director you need me to go find proof." Zimmerman lets out a hardy laugh and standing from his chair shouts "Precisely! I'm sending you to Israel. I've told Israeli Intelligence, Mossad, that you are coming. You are to go to Tel Aviv, link up with Mossad and get me that proof."

Jack's mind starts racing. He is sweating with excitement. He can hardly contain himself. Jack stands up from his chair as Zimmerman hands him a folder with his airplane ticket and dossier. Zimmerman reaches out and shakes Jack's hand. Placing his left hand on Jack's upper arm Zimmerman says "Find out what that shmuck Nasser is up to. Find me the proof." Looking right into his eyes Jack tells Zimmerman "You can count on me Sir. I will not fail you." Zimmerman slaps Jack on the shoulder and tells him "I know you won't. Good luck and God speed."

Jack walks out of the Office. His heart is pounding out of his chest. "Thank God I'm going back into the field" Jack thinks to himself. He skims over the ticket and notices that his flight leaves tomorrow morning. Just enough time to go home, pack and eat. Jack can barely unclench his hands. He is nervous, excited and overjoyed all at the same time. It is the most bizarre feeling in the world but also the greatest. As Jack heads to his car he is also hit by the tremendous magnitude of the task before him. The fate of not just Israel, but the Middle East and possibly the whole free world is at stake. Failure is not an option