It was the first week of February, and the U.S.S. Independence was steaming into the Persian Gulf bearing its complement of attack aircraft to begin the bombing of Iraq. In Washington, the U.S. national-security apparatus continued its countdown to armed conflict. The prospects for war largely depended on sensitive diplomatic negotiations centered on the U.N. Inside knowledge of those secret discussions could give an adversary or even an ally an edge over Washington, as the White House struggled to prevent countries like France and Russia from letting Saddam Hussein off the hook.
In the middle of this escalating crisis, a man...
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