[Chapter 464: Mystery of the Plane Crash]
"Sir, we lost a plane, it's Pan Am flight 103," Tanner reported.
After saying this, he fell silent. The last thing his master liked to hear was news about a plane crash. Unfortunately, this matter seemed suspicious.
"Where did it go down? Were there any survivors?"
"No, the plane had an accident over Lockerbie, a very small town."
William White recalled that this was the mess that Gaddafi had to deal with in the end. However, the specifics were hard to say.
"Speak up, Tanner. What seems suspicious?"
"On the flight, besides some kids traveling to Europe, there were two high-ranking CIA officials. Given the current information, the chance of mechanical failure is very low. This 747 had just undergone major repairs."
"Another 747? Just like the one that went down near California?"
[T/N: In 80s, there are 5 major 747 crashes including the currently discussed; Korea (1983), China (1985), Japan (1985), India (1985), and American (1988) flights.]
"Yes, after the incident, repairs began on this model."
William White felt quite frustrated. He hated having to cover things up. Who knows what Boeing might be hiding?
"Tanner, our plane is heading for repairs as well. This thing is just not reliable. Keep a close watch on this incident and find out who's behind it."
William was feeling a bit down; this was supposed to be Christmas vacation -- couldn't they just let people relax a little?
While he was down, Bush Sr. was in a real pickle. Was he really supposed to mourn just after taking office? Those two CIA guys must have gotten themselves into some serious trouble.
William White obviously knew what was happening. They had taken out Gaddafi's adopted daughter and destroyed his radar station and airport. This was retaliation.
Well, even though this conclusion was widely accepted, William White still had doubts. Unless Gaddafi was completely insane, he wouldn't do something like that.
America was never reasonable. If your actions leaked, believe me, the Americans would turn your country into ruins without facing any consequences.
It seemed like terrorists could explode things at will without a care in the world.
That was the most troublesome aspect. Even if they wanted revenge, it wasn't easy to find a target.
There were all sorts of theories about the Lockerbie disaster. Some claimed the CIA officials were smuggling diamonds and ended up being used. Others said it was a deliberate setup, but the specifics of the target couldn't be disclosed too clearly.
It was a tragedy and a disaster, especially when ordinary lives were used as pawns. No matter how lofty your ideals may be, it was a despicable and shameless act.
Regrettably, in this era, such events were quite common. Everyone seemed to be doing it without any guilt.
"Max, boost security at my place; you all need to be extra careful too."
"Sir, got any news?"
"It's highly likely it was intentional retaliation, not some mechanical failure. No organization has claimed responsibility yet. Overall, something smells fishy."
"Understood, sir."
"And, check on those two CIA fools. Are they really in trouble? Find out ASAP."
William White was confident that if those two were involved in diamond trading, it would be easy for him to find out.
Having arranged everything, he still had to keep an eye on his media outlets. This was no time for goofing off; he better stick to official information.
He planned to avoid flying for a while. There was no room for error -- if something went wrong, he wouldn't make it back.
It was an age infested with spies. It wasn't just between the U.S. and the Soviets or hostile countries; even among allies, it was the same.
For them, as long as the mission was accomplished, that was all that mattered. Those entering this line of work simply didn't care about moral issues.
The sudden plane crash quickly dampened the festive atmosphere. The American public's sense of security was greatly lacking, and they desperately wanted to know what had happened.
William White was deeply troubled, and there were deeper reasons for it. Previously, his people were already monitoring Gaddafi's agents. If they made any unusual moves, he was confident Tanner would inform him right away.
Now the situation was that there were no unusual activities.
So, it was certainly necessary to investigate the facts. He was eager to learn who was cold-hearted enough to do such a thing.
If possible, he would try to stay far away from them. Someone capable of such cruelty was not someone he wanted to mess with, no matter if they were the world's richest person.
This so-called world's richest man, although holding considerable clout, was not someone to take risks with. Engaging in excessively dangerous activities was a quick way to get himself killed.
...
"Director, we have no clue what they know. Since they started using satellites, we've struggled to ascertain their status."
"Damn high-tech! What's the situation in Africa?"
"No changes. It seems they've heightened their security alerts again."
William White's cautious nature was certainly not without cause. After the incident with flight 103, the CIA buzzed around like a hive of disturbed bees, searching for so-called clues.
A bunch of conspiracy-focused folks wouldn't buy the mechanical failure story, including the poor soul who was lost on the flight. If they couldn't find that person, they'd remain a significant suspect.
"Director, we found the target. The cargo is intact, but..."
"But what? The FBI won't let us take back the cargo?"
"Damn it, those idiots! They better mind their own business. I'll call their director."
William White didn't realize that the Lockerbie incident was a quagmire. The number of parties involved was unimaginable. If he got drawn into it, he would be in serious trouble.
"Are there really diamonds?"
"Yes, sir. Some managed to scatter around. If it weren't for the special luggage, we probably would've lost quite a bit."
"Ha, those bastards are capable of making deals with the devil."
*****
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