Chapter 17 Allen's Directive

1330 Zulu, Thursday, July 5, 1984, The Agency Director’s Office

Jason is summoned to Director Allen’s office. He arrives, knocks on the door and is told to come in by Allen.

“You sent for me Sir?”

“Yes, Jason. I need to see the senator privately so I don’t want the call on my phone log. Would you contact Mary Sue Lee and set up a meeting? I’ll keep my schedule open so I can meet any time he can meet without calling any attention to our meeting. And please keep this between us for now. If things go as I expect I’ll have a new assignment for you and David but don’t say anything yet, particularly to Jackson.”

“Yes Sir, I’ll talk to Mary Sue immediately. Sir, I’d like you to know Mary Sue and I are dating and it’s starting to get serious. I assure you our personal lives will not interfere with our jobs or compromise the back channel communication with the SIC.”

“Ok Jason, that can strengthen the channel as it should increase trust as long as the relationship is going well. I only ask if things go sour tell me and I’ll ask David to replace you until we are sure you and Mary Sue can continue with absolute integrity. And meanwhile, I’m happy to hear you and Mary Sue are getting together. I have high regard for you both and hope the relationship blossoms.”

“Thank you, Sir, I understand and I assure you if our relationship falls apart I will inform you immediately. If that’s all I’ll contact Mary Sue this morning and get a time for you to meet the senator.”

“That’s all Jason. Just let me know as soon as you have a time for me to be at the senator’s office.”

Jason leaves and calls Mary Sue. She tells him the senator will be free for the meeting at 5:30 pm. She tells Jason the Director should come to her office and she will make sure he gets to the senator’s office without notice and they will not be disturbed. She concludes by saying: “Jason I really enjoyed the time we spent together on the 4th of July holiday. I am ready to see you more than for a Saturday night date or afternoon jog.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that Mary Sue. I have been feeling lonely all week and it’s because I miss you. Let’s do see each other more. I want you to know I told the director we are dating and he is very supportive. Let’s meet for dinner tonight and talk more about our relationship.”

“Can we meet at that restaurant on Wilson Blvd where we had dinner two weeks ago? I love the atmosphere and the food is great. Plus it’s very convenient for me to stop there on my way home. Shall we say 6:00 tonight? I am glad you told me you told the director about us. That means I had better tell the senator today before he meets with the director. I’d rather he hears it from me than from the director.”

“Six o'clock works for me. See you then.”

2230 Zulu, Thursday, July 5, 1984, The Senator’s Office

“Senator, I have been thinking about our conversation on May 14 with regard to our suspicions of a possible mole in our intelligence community. This flap with the NSC over the planned military exercises in East Germany convinced me we need to explore the possibility of a mole. The intel we got from the Brits late last week is the final straw. Their contact who informed them of the plan for exercises now tells them the exercises are off. This happens less than three or four weeks after the President decides to kill the plan for troop reductions. The timings are just too suspicious. If you agree I intend to initiate a plan to identify the mole if one exists. I think I can do this in a way that does not connect to either of us in case we need deniability.”

“Bill, given this new information I agree with you. What is your plan? If you can tell me.”

“I’ll give you a brief outline but not the details as I do not want you, or me for that matter, to be tied in any visible way to what I am planning to have my people do. First of all, I want to continue Operation Fox Trot for another month just to be thorough. Perhaps we can uncover something helpful. Then I am going to initiate a special effort, involving just two of my most trusted agents to review all the events since the 1980 election that are unusual in any manner.  I want them to look for any individuals in any part of our intelligence community connected in any way to two or more of these suspicious events. I also want these agents to analyze any new unusual events in the same detail. With just two agents involved the effort will likely take three or four months but I don’t want to risk tipping off the mole, if there is one, by involving too many agents; especially any I don’t absolutely trust without any doubt.”

“I concur with your plans, Bill. Just keep me in the loop with the cigar messages at our card games. Two or four cigars means you are continuing and three means you have stopped and I’ll arrange a private meeting to get an update. How do you want to explain today’s meeting if it becomes known you were here?”

“If it should ever come up let’s both say I was here to bring you up to date on the new intel from the Brits relevant to Fox Trot. One more thing I think you should know. Jason Speare, who you met at the May hearing, informed me he is dating Mary Sue Lee and it’s getting serious. I am happy for them and see no problems but if you are uncomfortable with it let me know.”

“That story works fine for me since it is true and I can remember it. As far as Mary Sue dating Speare, I don't see any problem. She told me about it today. You spoke highly of him so if you are ok with them dating it’s ok with me. Even better, by any chance is Speare one of the agents you plan to assign to the search for possible mole activity?”

“Yes, he is. I knew his father during the war and I trust him completely. Why do you ask?”

“Since he and Mary Sue are close now I think it could be beneficial to bring Mary Sue into our confidence about the search. Because she sits in hearings with other intelligence agencies she may know of unusual events not shared with your agency. It’s difficult to maintain the necessary compartmentalization of intelligence and ensure there is beneficial sharing between agencies so there may be events Mary Sue is aware of that are not in your agency’s databases. I trust Mary Sue. I even have her attend events at foreign embassies for me where she might learn of possible agents of their intelligence services.  If Mary Sue and Speare are seeing each other they can cooperate on the search project without drawing attention to it and I can be kept in the loop without direct communications.”

“Ok senator, as soon as I get the new project up and running I’ll have Jason bring Mary Sue into the operation. But let’s continue the cigar messaging as well.”

“Good, I think we have a plan. Thanks for coming by Bill. I’ll see you at next Sunday’s card game. I need to win back some of the money you took from me last time.”

“Looking forward to giving you the opportunity senator.”