EXTRACT 4 FROM MY MEMOIR

The Spy Who Fell to Earth: My Relationship with the Secret Agent Who Rocked The Middle East

CHAPTER 2: MARWAN VOLUNTEERS FOR THE MOSSAD

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THE CAIRO THE MARWANS ENCOUNTERED on their forced return was even more depressing than the place they had left a few years before. Egypt had not yet recovered from the consequences of the 1967 military defeat, and meanwhile, a new, low-level war was also raging. The so-called `War of Attrition’ took place around the Suez Canal, where Egyptian and Israeli troops fired at each other and launched raids on either side of the waterway. Hundreds were killed and injured, particularly on the Egyptian side. Thousands abandoned the towns and cities along the Suez Canal, which were hit by Israeli shells, and marched on Cairo. This all soured the atmosphere in the capital, and for the Marwans the abrupt shift from lively London to gloomy Cairo was unbearable. We can never know for sure whether it was this suffocating atmosphere, or his personal despair and hopeless relationship with his imposing father-in-law that eventually drove the 26-year-old Ashraf Marwan to take a step that would alter the course of his life for ever, and have a profound impact on Middle Eastern history.

In July 1970, when back in London on one of his study visits, Marwan walked into a red telephone box, dialed the number of the Israeli embassy, and asked to speak with someone from Israeli intelligence. He was transferred to the military attache’s office, identified himself, and explained that he wanted to work for Israeli intelligence. The Israeli on the other end of the line failed to recognize that the person he was talking to was President Nasser’s son-in-law, and as Marwan refused to leave his number, there was no follow-up.

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In Egypt, a couple of months later, President Naser died of a massive heart attack. Although only fifty-two, Nasser had been sick for some time and the pressure of office took its toll on him. He was succeeded by his deputy, Anwar al-Sadat, a relatively unknown figure who was ridiculed in Egypt and dubbed `the dark donkey’ because of his Sudanese ancestry. When Nasser was president, Ashraf Marwan had been little more than a low-level clerk. Still, under Nasser’s successor, he would rise to the top, becoming Sadat’s special emissary on the most sensitive diplomatic missions, particularly to Saudi Arabia and Libya.

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When, in December 1970, Marwan returned to London on another of his study trips, he was in a much stronger position than he had ever been under his late father-in-law, and confident that he could offer Israeli Intelligence something they would find difficult to resist. So he tried his luck again, once more phoning the Israeli embassy from a telephone box and offering to work for them. This time, unlike his previous attempt, Marwan left a contact telephone number, though he rejected an invitation to go to the Israeli embassy in person to discuss the matter, saying that such a visit could put his life in danger.

This time, the penny finally dropped and the Israelis realized who the mysterious caller actually was. It happened purely by chance. Two top spymasters were visiting London: Rehaviah Vardi, head of Tzomet, the Mossad department in charge of intelligence gathering from human sources, and Shmuel Goren, based in Brussels and in charge of all Mossad operations in Western Europe. Their London visit was almost over, and they were already in the car on their way to Heathrow airport when the Israeli military attache with them in the car mentioned, in passing, a certain `Arab guy’ who kept phoning to offer his services. When the attache spelled out the name of the mysterious `Arab guy’ - Ashraf Marwan - the two spymasters were stunned, as they knew, at once, that he was none other than the son-in-law of Egypt’s former president and Sadat’s right-hand man. Incidentally, Marwan had been in the Mossad’s sights for some time, particularly since his arrival in London to study, as a potential recruit thanks to his links to the Nasser family; but those at the Mossad responsible for recruitment thought it would be too difficult to procure someone as senior as Marwan to work for Israel. But now - a stroke of luck - he was offering his services of his own volition.

So they cancelled their flights, turned back, and without even reporting to their Tel Aviv headquarters, as was the practice in such cases, decided to make contact with Marwan. They were seasoned enough to know that if things sounded too good to be true, they usually were, but they also knew that such opportunities must be grabbed, otherwise, they often disappear for good. As experienced intelligence agents, they were aware that Marwan might try to mislead them. After all, he was what in the espionage world one would call a `walk-in,’ namely a person who volunteers rather than being recruited to work for a spying agency. Walk-ins are notorious for being double agents, deceivers whose real loyalty remains with those who send them in the first place. But the temptation to recruit someone close to the Egyptian president and to the heart of the Egyptian regime was just too great, and the two Mossad operators decided to take their chance. Subsequently, Marwan, still in London, received a phone call informing him that a meeting would soon be arranged and that he should wait for instructions and not stray from his telephone; a number was given to him for use in an emergency.

Time was too short for the two Mossad operators to bring to London one of their experienced case officers to meet Marwan, so the choice fell on a certain Dubi Asherov, the second man in the Mossad station in London under the station commander, Rafi Meidan, operating from inside the Israeli embassy.

He was in his mid-thirties, tall, slim, blue-eyed, Israeli-born but with good European manners. He joined the Mossad just before the 1967 war. His English was good, with no hint of the usually heavy Israeli accent, and he was also fluent in Arabic, which was important as, at this stage, it was not yet clear whether Marwan could speak good enough English and what language he would prefer to use in his meeting with the Israelis.

As the day of the first meeting between Marwan and the Mossd loomed the Israelis were anxious. They feared a trap. Unbeknownst to the British authorities, armed Mossad agents surrounded the hotel where the rendezvous was due to take place, ready to break in to rescue their spies if needed. The film's opening scene based on John le Carre’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy demonstrates, in a most dramatic fashion, how a British agent falls victim to such a trap set up by Russian spies, and the deadly consequences of his mistake.

In the hotel lobby, just before the meeting, Shmuel Goren, wearing a dark suit, positioned himself on a sofa facing the entrance, holding a copy of The Times inside which he pressed a four-year-old, quite blurry picture, taken from an Arabic newspaper, of Marwan during his wedding to Mona Nasser. As the minutes passed and Marwan did not appear, the Israelis inside and outside the hotel became nervous and alert. Finally, a tall, slim, smooth-faced, well-dressed gentleman walked in, holding a black document bag. Goren glanced down at the picture and compared it to the rakish man who had just walked through the front door; after a split-second’s hesitation, he signaled to Dubi Asherov, standing nearby, that this was his man. Asherov approached Marwan, stretched out his hand, and said in Arabic, `Mr Marwan. It’s good to meet you. I am Alex’; Alex being an alias. Marwan was taken aback as he did not expect to hear Arabic and replied in English, whereby Asherov immediately switched to English, inviting Marwan to join him in a private room. Shmuel Goren, the man with the newspaper, folded the paper, collected his winter coat, and left the building unnoticed.

Ashraf Marwan around the time he met the Israelis for the first time

Away from prying eyes and more relaxed, Marwan did his utmost to impress upon Asherov what he had to offer. He pulled out a sheaf of papers and started reading, translating it into English. Asherov was impressed, as what Marwan now described in minute detail was the Egyptian Order of Battle: the commands, formations, and units of the Egyptian army, as well as the weapons used by the various units. Asherov was busy taking notes and stopped Marwan from time to time to ask for clarification. Marwan also handed over to Asherov a sealed brown envelope that contained documents.

Marwan did not ask for anything in return; for now, all he wished to do was impress. He said that in a few weeks’ time, he would return to London on yet another study trip, and he’d then make contact with Asherov again. He made it clear that in the next meeting, and in those which might follow, the only person he would have contact with would be Asherov. The two men had hit it off. Asherov was a bit older than Marwan, but not much, and Marwan felt quite at ease with the Israeli. He also wanted as few people as possible involved in the meetings, as the fewer people knew about him, the more secure he would be. When the meeting was over, they shook hands and Marwan left first, hailing a black cab, which was then followed by Mossad agents eager to see with whom he would meet next. They knew they had a potential treasure - a direct link to the heart of the Egyptian leadership - but they were also suspicious. A few minutes later Dubi Asherov emerged from the hotel and took a cab to the Israeli embassy, where he met Goren. Together, they opened Marwan’s envelope and closely inspected its top-secret documents. Looking up at Asherov, Goren said, `Material like this from a source like this is something that happens once in a thousand years.’

COMING SOON …

CHAPTER 3: SPYING