The Big Breach - Index of

The Big Breach; From Top Secret to Maximum SecurityCompliments of http://www.192.comThe refreshingly fast lift sped me up to the fourth floor and the doorsopened on to a small lobby with corporate grey carpet tiles and barewhite walls, like a 1980s merchant bank. For a second or two I studiedthe small coloured floor plan conveniently placed by the lift exit,then set off down the labyrinth of corridors to my designated room.The open-plan PTCP office overlooked the building's spacious open-airterrace and the Thames, and accommodated half a dozen officers andsecretaries. A few looked up inquisitively at the newcomer, whileothers kept their heads down in their files or computer screens. Theofficer nearest the door stood up and stretched out his hand. `Hello,you must be Richard Tomlinson,' he said. His tightly curling grey-blondhair was thinning savagely at the temples but still grew thickly on theforehead and at the sides, creating three broad stripes of fur-likehair. I presumed that he must be Badger. `Sit yourself down. I'llexplain what you'll be doing.'Badger had entered the service later in his career than usual. Heobtained a PhD in genetics at Imperial College, worked as a researchscientist, then as a management consultant, before joining the servicein his mid-30s. He was posted first to to Nigeria, then Costa Rica.Badger's enthusiasm and well-rounded work experience made him aneffective officer but he was not destined to be a high-flyer in theoffice - he was not enough of a back-stabber. `I want you to take overthe running of BELLHOP, the biggest operation in the section,' Badgertold me enthusiastically.After the 1985-89 Iran-Iraq war when Iraqi chemical weapons killed manythousands of Iranian soldiers, the Iranians wanted to build their ownarsenal of chemical and biological weapons, but did not have theindigenous capability. They needed to acquire the technology, equipmentand precursor chemicals from technically more advanced countries.Prohibitions on the export of such materials under internationalconvention did not deter the Iranians from attempting to acquire theequipment clandestinely. Any Iranian national blatantly attempting tobuy banned equipment would instantly attract attention from westernintelligence agencies, so they ruled out that option. Instead, they setabout recruiting a network of western traders and engineers who woulddo their dirty work for them, either unaware of what they were gettingthemselves into or turning a blind eye to its illegality. `Your task,'Badger explained, `is to inveigle your way into this network undercover then meet and cultivate the Iranian ringmasters.' From then on, Icould take the operation where opportunity led. Badger's hope was touse the infiltration to gather intelligence, perhaps recruiting one ofthe Iranians if the opportunity arose, then disrupt and delay theirprogramme. He tossed me a hefty pink dossier, labelled P/54248. `Readthat and come back to me when you've got a plan.'This was going to be fun, I thought to myself. Loads of freedom todesign my own operation, a really worthwhile objective and a good bossto work under. I set about reading the file on BELLHOPenthusiastically.Reading an MI6 file can be a slow and laborious job. The papers arearranged in chronological order but that is the extent of theirorganisation. They contain a vast jumble of information from manysources. Telegrams, letters, police SB reports, copies of military andpage- 126 - To purchase the original limited edition hardback version of this bookplease call 08000 192 192 or go to http://www.192.com