The Consular Official called us, his voice severe. What were we up to, he wanted to know. Why did we lie to him?
"What's he talking about?" we wondered.
"You told us you were the Department of Education," he accused.
There were 5 of us, all on official government travel. We had indeed told him the day before that we were from the United States Department of Education. Now, he'd read in a newspaper that we were really the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sneaking into the country under false pretenses.
A great beginning to a novel? No, a true story of an official government trip. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
We'd spent months planning this trip to Israel, taking care to keep it under wraps. We'd applied for our official government passports from the same U.S. Department of State that now challenged our identities. We'd arrived in the country quietly, the day before, and proceeded to the Embassy where we enjoyed the comforts of the Ambassador's office while he was away skiing. The Consular Official had been gracious to us then. He had even offered us a driver to show us buildings we would be visiting later in the week. And that is where something went terribly wrong. Outside one of those buildings, a man stood staring as we drove past. A man who must have recognized the Embassy car and one of its occupants.
Perhaps it was the same person who took the briefcase. The first briefcase that is, the one that disappeared in the airport. Whoever he was, he was almost certainly responsible for getting that story into the newspaper.
"What's he talking about?" we wondered.
"You told us you were the Department of Education," he accused.
There were 5 of us, all on official government travel. We had indeed told him the day before that we were from the United States Department of Education. Now, he'd read in a newspaper that we were really the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sneaking into the country under false pretenses.
A great beginning to a novel? No, a true story of an official government trip. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
We'd spent months planning this trip to Israel, taking care to keep it under wraps. We'd applied for our official government passports from the same U.S. Department of State that now challenged our identities. We'd arrived in the country quietly, the day before, and proceeded to the Embassy where we enjoyed the comforts of the Ambassador's office while he was away skiing. The Consular Official had been gracious to us then. He had even offered us a driver to show us buildings we would be visiting later in the week. And that is where something went terribly wrong. Outside one of those buildings, a man stood staring as we drove past. A man who must have recognized the Embassy car and one of its occupants.
Perhaps it was the same person who took the briefcase. The first briefcase that is, the one that disappeared in the airport. Whoever he was, he was almost certainly responsible for getting that story into the newspaper.
|
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- Someone placed a story in the press that we were undercover FBI agents.
- Panicking, the office decided not to pay for a translator.
- We compared Hebrew letters in our guide book to the highway signs to chart our course.
Type in Your Comments Below
Amy Brantley
07/12/2007
You are simply fascinating.
Carol Gilbert
07/07/2007
Haim! I'm shocked! We wore perfectly ordinary business suits! There is obviously more to the story, but there's only so much I can tell. What I did relate is true, however farfetched it may seem to you. Obviously you have not worked for the Federal government. :)
Haim Kadman
07/07/2007
Very interesting but a bit far-fetched. or I bet you wore sun glasses and Havana hats the lot of you.
eiffelvu
07/05/2007
it was nothing like this but years ago we went to Israel, flying out of Rome from Dubrovnik, (long story),the security we went through was like nothing I've ever encountered before or since by El Al..reading your article brought back that encounter..thanks
Dreamweaverr
07/05/2007
I lived in Beirut for a couple years and stood out like a sore thumb. I am tall and blonde.I can't exactly blend in. I know I was followed many times. We just learned to live with it, but it can be very disconcerting to say the least. Being in politically volatile areas, you have to be very aware of what you are and are not permitted to do while you are there. Sometimes the smallest thing can set off a tempest, no matter how careful you are. Good story.
Joyce Priddy
07/04/2007
Fantastic writing.
Sophia S.
07/04/2007
Carol, you are the best storyteller
Donna Porter
07/03/2007
So entertaining. Fabulous work.
Amanda Cartwright
07/03/2007
I love these stories, Carol!
Christine Bude
07/02/2007
Intriguing tale.
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