In Search of Enemies - A CIA Story - John Stockwell

9
The Economy-Size
War
My plane from Madrid landed at Dulles Airport mid-afternoon on
Sunday, August 24. I had found an unoccupied row of seats and
worked on my notes for the entire flight, breaking only to eat and
to listen to a monologue from a USAID officer I had known in
Abidjan.
Normally a case officer would never carry sensitive notes on an
international flight. In fact, agency regulations strictly forbade ittoo
much risk of skyjacking, kidnapping, or search by an aggressive
customs officer. But I had been faced with a dilemna common to case
officers in high-priority operations. Pouch time from Kinshasa to
headquarters was three weeks, and I would be required to report in
detail the day after my return. So I did what most case officers do,
I took a chance and stuffed the notes in my pocket. Once onboard
the Dulles flight I worried less. Barring a skyjacking to Cuba or a
mugging in Washington I was home free. My diplomatic passport
would grease the way through the U.S. customs and immigration.
My bags would not be opened.