Operation Shakespeare : The True Story of an Elite International Sting

On today’s high-tech battlefields, the most lethal weapons are not the big ones, but rather the ones that are small enough to be smuggled inside a pack of chewing gum. Microchips. Gyroscopes. Radar-cloaking and night-vision technology. Developed and manufactured in the United States at extraordinary cost, these tiny weapons of war—which can guide missiles, see through walls, and trigger anything from a wireless IED to a nuclear weapon—are what currently give the U.S. its military advantage. Unfortunately, they are increasingly being discovered in the hands of our enemies.In __Operation Shakespeare__, Pulitzer Prize finalist John Shiffman tells the true story of an elaborate sting operation launched by an elite Homeland Security team that was created to stop Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea from stealing U.S. military technology. The sting, codenamed Operation Shakespeare to disguise its true nature, targets an Iranian arms broker who works on behalf of Tehran. Over the course of three years, the American agents go undercover to outwit not only the Iranian, but U.S. defense contractors and bankers willing to put profit over national security. The chase moves around the world, from Philadelphia to Shiraz, London to Dubai, Beverly Hills to Tbilisi. A mysterious British informant helps the U.S. team lure the Iranian to a former Soviet republic. The Iranian walks into the sting carrying a laptop containing a road map to Tehran’s secret military plans. As the United States tries to bring the Iranian to justice, his own government plots to assassinate him, fearful of what he might reveal. More than a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase, __Operation Shakespeare__ opens our eyes to a vast secret war the United States is waging across the globe. How does rocket guidance technology that is manufactured in California wind up in the hands of terrorists in Lebanon? How do IED triggers travel from the factories of Arizona to insurgents on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan? In addition to answering questions like these, __Operation Shakespeare__ reveals how many of the world’s biggest banks have systematically helped enemy states conceal trillions of dollars’ worth of wire transactions over the past decades. Shiffman also bares others who put profits over U.S. troops, including a major corporation that hands night vision secrets to China and an American scientist who helps Beijing develop stealth technology. Tenacious, richly detailed, and boasting unprecedented access to both the Iranian broker and the U.S. agents who caught him, __Operation Shakespeare__ combines the rigor of the best investigative journalism with the drama of __Homeland__. The result is a fast-paced, masterful account of a little-explored front in the national security wars: the covert struggle to preserve American military supremacy and protect U.S. troops. On today’s high-tech battlefields, the most lethal weapons are not the big ones, but rather the ones that are small enough to be smuggled inside a pack of chewing gum. Microchips. Gyroscopes. Radar-cloaking and night-vision technology. Developed and manufactured in the United States at extraordinary cost, these tiny weapons of war—which can guide missiles, see through walls, and trigger anything from a wireless IED to a nuclear weapon—are what currently give the U.S. its military advantage. Unfortunately, they are increasingly being discovered in the hands of our enemies. In Operation Shakespeare , Pulitzer Prize finalist John Shiffman tells the true story of an elaborate sting operation launched by an elite Homeland Security team that was created to stop Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea from stealing U.S. military technology. The sting, codenamed Operation Shakespeare to disguise its true nature, targets an Iranian arms broker who works on behalf of Tehran. Over the course of three years, the American agents go undercover to outwit not only the Iranian, but U.S. defense contractors and bankers willing to put profit over national security. The chase moves around the world, from Philadelphia to Shiraz, London to Dubai, Beverly Hills to Tbilisi. A mysterious British informant helps the U.S. team lure the Iranian to a former Soviet republic. The Iranian walks into the sting carrying a laptop containing a road map to Tehran’s secret military plans. As the United States tries to bring the Iranian to justice, his own government plots to assassinate him, fearful of what he might reveal. More than a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase, Operation Shakespeare opens our eyes to a vast secret war the United States is waging across the globe. How does rocket guidance technology that is manufactured in California wind up in the hands of terrorists in Lebanon? How do IED triggers travel from the factories of Arizona to insurgents on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan? In addition to answering questions like these, Operation Shakespeare reveals how many of the world’s biggest banks have systematically helped enemy states conceal trillions of dollars’ worth of wire transactions over the past decades. Shiffman also bares others who put profits over U.S. troops, including a major corporation that hands night vision secrets to China and an American scientist who helps Beijing develop stealth technology. Tenacious, richly detailed, and boasting unprecedented access to both the Iranian broker and the U.S. agents who caught him, Operation Shakespeare combines the rigor of the best investigative journalism with the drama of Homeland . The result is a fast-paced, masterful account of a little-explored front in the national security wars: the covert struggle to preserve American military supremacy and protect U.S. troops. A secret war. A daring sting operation. The great untold national security story of our time: "An impressive and important work...The book has the glamour of a spy novel and the gravity of a meticulously researched exposé" ( Christian Science Monitor ). On today's high-tech battlefields, the most lethal weapons are not the big ones, but rather the ones that are small enough to be smuggled inside a pack of chewing gum. Developed and manufactured in the United States at extraordinary cost, these tiny weapons of war—which can guide missiles, see through walls, and trigger anything from a wireless IED to a nuclear weapon—are what currently give the US its military advantage. Unfortunately, they are increasingly being discovered in the hands of our enemies. In Operation Shakespeare , Pulitzer Prize finalist John Shiffman tells the true story of an elaborate sting operation launched by an elite Homeland Security team that was created to stop Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea from stealing US military technology. The sting, codenamed Operation Shakespeare, targets an Iranian arms broker who works on behalf of Tehran. Over the course of three years, the American agents go undercover to outwit not only the Iranian, but US defense contractors and bankers willing to put profit over national security. The chase moves around the world, and as the United States tries to bring the Iranian to justice, his own government plots to assassinate him, fearful of what he might reveal. Tenacious, richly detailed, and boasting unprecedented access to both the Iranian broker and the US agents who caught him, " Operation Shakespeare reads like a spy thriller—but Shiffman's meticulous reporting leaves no doubt that he is telling nothing less than scary truth" ( Daily News , New York). "A Pulitzer Prize finalist presents the rare and intimate narrative of a daring national security sting designed to protect US soldiers, sailors, and pilots from the greatest danger they face on the battlefield--an enemy equipped with American-made weapons and technology. In Operation Shakespeare, investigative journalist John Shiffman traces an audacious and high-risk undercover operation--from Philadelphia to Shiraz to London to Beverly Hills to Tbilisi and Dubai. The sting is launched by an elite undercover Homeland Security unit created to stop the Iranians, Russians, Chinese, Pakistanis, and North Koreans from acquiring sophisticated American-made electronics capable of guiding missiles, jamming radar, and triggering countless weapons--from wireless IEDs to nuclear bombs. The US agents must outwit not only enemy brokers, but American manufacturers and global bankers too willing to put profit over national security. The three-year sting in Operation Shakespeare climaxes when the US agents lure the Iranian broker to a former Soviet republic with the promise of American-made radar, fighter-jet and missile components, then secretly drag him back to the United States, where he is held in secret for two years. The laptop the Iranian carries into the sting provides the CIA with a treasure trove, a virtual roadmap to Tehran's clandestine effort to obtain US military technology. Tenacious, richly detailed, broad in scope, and emotionally powerful--and boasting unprecedented access to the government agents fighting this shadow war, as well as the captured Iranian arms broker--Operation Shakespeare is a fast-paced and masterful account of the covert effort to preserve American military supremacy, and to protect US troops"-- Provided by publisher Tbilisi, Georgia, and Iskandariyah, Iraq The lure (2004-2007). The storefront : Yardley, Pennsylvania ; The capitalist : Shiraz, Iran ; The captain : Suitland, Maryland ; The producer : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; The informant : London, England ; The bazaar : Dubai, United Arab Emirates ; Love and profit : Shiraz, Iran ; A warning : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; Propositions : Shiraz, Iran ; The magician : Frankfurt, Germany ; "A hero with the Ministry of Defense" : Wilmington, Delaware ; Shakespeare : Wilmington, Delaware ; Contagious enthusiasm : Shiraz, Iran The sting (2007). Mother Georgia : Tbilisi, Georgia ; Arrival : Baku, Azerbaijan ; The magic show : Tbilisi, Georgia ; "They think the war is coming" : Tbilisi, Georgia ; "Very rich men" : Tbilisi, Georgia ; Takedown : Tbilisi, Georgia The secret prisoner (2007-2012). Coups and complications : Tbilisi, Georgia ; Extraction : Tbilisi, Georgia Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.