The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

But prosperity was not what Ibrahim Ghosn wanted for his people or his land.
Ultimately, perhaps, but only after the other necessary preconditions had been
met. He paid for his orange juice with American currency and walked off. Soon he
was able to catch a cab. Ghosn had entered Israel from Egypt. He'd leave
Jerusalem for Jordan, thence back to Lebanon. He had work to do, and he hoped
the books he carried contained the necessary information.
***
Ben Goodley was a post-doctoral student from Harvard's Kennedy School of
Government. A bright, good-looking academic of twenty-seven years, he was also
possessed of enough ambition for the entire family after which the school had
been named. His doctoral thesis had examined the folly of Vietnam from the
intelligence side of the equation, and it had been sufficiently controversial
that his professor had forwarded it to Liz Elliot for comment. The National
Security Advisor's only beef with Goodley was that he was a man. Nobody was
perfect.
'So, exactly what sort of research do you want to do?' she asked him.
'Doctor, I hope to examine the nature of intelligence decisions as they relate
to recent changes in Europe and the Middle East. The problem is getting FOI'd
into certain areas.'
'And what is your ultimate objective? I mean,' Elliot said, 'is it teaching,
writing, government service, what?'
'Government service, of course. The historical environmental demands, I think,
that the right people take the right action. My thesis made it clear, didn't it,
that we've been badly served by the intelligence community almost continuously
since the 1960s. The whole institutional mindset over there is geared in the
wrong direction. At least – ' he leaned back and tried to look comfortable ' –
that's how it often appears to an outsider.'
'And why is that, do you think?'
'Recruiting is one problem. The way CIA, for example, selects people really
determines how they obtain and analyze data. They create a gigantic
self-fulfilling prophecy. Where's their objectivity, where's their ability to
see trends? Did they predict 1989? Of course not. What are they missing now?
Probably a lot of things. It might be nice,' Goodley said, 'to get a handle on
the important issues before they become crisis items.'
'I agree.' Elliot watched the young man's shoulders drop as he discreetly let
out a deep breath. She decided to play him just a little, just enough to let him
know whom he'd be working for. 'I wonder what we can do with you . . . ?' Elliot
let her eyes trace across the far wall.
'Marcus Cabot has an opening for a research assistant. You'll need a security
clearance, and you'll need to sign a very strict non-disclosure agreement. You
cannot publish anything without having it cleared in advance.'
'That's almost prior-restraint,' Goodley pointed out. 'What about the
Constitutional issue?'
'Government must keep some secrets if it is to function. You may have access to
some remarkable information. Is getting published your goal, or is it what you
said? Public service does require some sacrifices.'
'Well . . . '