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Robert Morton is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community.

The NRO launches a super-secret spy satellite that was kept hush-hush

 

In writing the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series, the CIA maintains a fleet of miniature stealth spy satellites over the Caribbean Basin. In researching the spy satellites launched by the U.S. Intelligence Community, I came across one unique launch that arose my curiosity and I included it in the PENUMBRA DATABASE spy thriller. I must tell you about it!

Over a decade ago, a super-secret spy satellite was launched atop an Atlas 5 rocket as it roared out of a Cape Canaveral launching pad at an undisclosed time. The spy satellite was hidden in the nose cone and it took off in a cloak of secrecy. A few adventurous young men were able to catch the count down and lift off on video (bottom of post). The Atlas 5 roared the super-secret spy satellite into orbit, and all we know is that it is designed to communicate with other spy satellites. The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) made sure a news blackout occurred after the launch. The NRO ordered that the rocket flight enter a news blackout shortly after liftoff from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral.

*Hint: The private video of its launch is at the bottom of this post, but you'll get more out of it if you first read the rest of the article before viewing it.

The NRO is one of America's 17 intelligence community agencies and is responsible for building and maintaining our fleet of spy satellites. It has carried out many launches in recent years, yet none were as secretive as this one. The 19-story Atlas roared skyward on nearly a million pounds of thrust. In the video, you'll witness the first stage firing off the pad for four minutes before shutting down and separating, leaving the hydrogen-fueled Centaur upper stage to light its engine and continue the push to orbit.

Centaur is designed for use as the upper stage of launch vehicles and will boost the spy satellite into final orbit. Centaur was the world's first high-energy upper stage, burning liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX). Shortly after the ignition, the no-longer-needed nose cone shrouding the payload was jettisoned.

On the video, you can hear in the background continual updates on the rocket's journey, but they all fall silent after the first stage shuts down. Why? Because this particular spy satellite is so secretive that the intelligence community wants no one to learn of the spacecraft's progress or of its success or failure. The Centaur would complete its engine burns and deployment of the top-secret payload in total secrecy.

It’s revealing and makes one think that this particular spy satellite possesses hush-hush surveillance and communication aptitudes beyond the norm, since other spy satellites are launched with much fanfare and are broadcast freely over the news media.

Further, about two hours after lift-off, rocket-maker United Launch Alliance issued a press release saying the launch ended successfully. At the same time as the press release, the spent Centaur upper stage was completing its first orbit. The rocket body was dumping residual propellant overboard, creating a stunningly bright fan-shaped cloud visible above eastern North America, with sighting reports from Louisiana to Canada. For those in the Cape Canaveral area gazing into the nighttime sky, it was a special treat after witnessing the spectacular liftoff just two hours earlier.

The NRO codenamed this Atlas rocket launch "Scorpius" and the mission logo was displayed on the rocket's nose cone featuring a scorpion with a phrase translated to mean, "Beware of Our Sting".

The spy satellite will take a Molniya-style orbit (elliptical) stretching from about 500 miles to 25,000 miles at an inclination of 63 degrees. While we're all sleeping soundly or going about our daily routine, Scorpius will activate and become a data relay satellite that intercepts and routes information from polar-orbiting photo reconnaissance spacecraft to ground receivers. The U.S. has a polar orbiting satellite that passes above both of the earth's poles on each revolution and is in a low earth orbit. The only difference is that a satellite in polar orbit travels a north-south direction, rather than the more common east-west direction.

What does this polar orbit mean? The super-secret spy satellites can view the entire planet's surface. As she orbits above us in a north-south direction, the Earth is spinning beneath in an east-west direction. The result? Our NSA bird will eventually scan the entire surface. It’s like pealing an orange in one piece. Around and around, one strip at a time, until we have incredible and detailed data on any point on Earth. The NSA bird will, literally, monitor the world stage.

The Atlas rocket ascent you see in the video is in a northeast trajectory off the launch pad. It roared above the east coast of the U.S. and is similar to earlier Atlas missions bound for a Molniya orbit. Experts say the liftoff appeared timed to intercept the orbit occupied by an aging SDS communications satellite put into orbit years ago.

Lastly, here’s the video Atlas 5 Rocket Launches Top Secret NROL 24 Satellite:

 

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community, and relishes traveling to the Florida Keys and Key West, the Bahamas and Caribbean. He combines both passions in his Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series. Check out his latest spy thriller: MISSION OF VENGEANCE.

An incredible old movie of a spontaneous WWII Victory Parade in 1945

 

I can’t say enough about how Open-Source Intelligence, OSINT, encompasses intelligence gathering from all sources, including old movies filmed years ago with old- fashioned home movie cameras. This particular one is a great home movie discovered by a young lady when she discovered a film that her father shot, an incredible video he took with an old-time camera during a spontaneous Victory Parade in 1945. Most pictured have since passed away. The guys in khaki or gray shirts and black ties are Navy officers or chiefs. The rest are Army or Marine. How young they all were to do what they did. If any are still alive, they would be well into their nineties now.

 Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community, and relishes traveling to the Florida Keys and Key West, the Bahamas and Caribbean. He combines both passions in his Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series. Check out his latest spy thriller: MISSION OF VENGEANCE.

Women and Christians suffer in North Korea's prison camps: from the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series

 

NORTH KOREA’S PRISON CAMPS

 Although my new MISSION OF VENGEANCE spy thriller exposes the Russian influence in the Caribbean, I found out that North Korea has some sway in the region as well, but not nearly as much. There are 6 Latin American and Caribbean countries with trade agreement with the despotic regime, and Pyongyang has been running trade surpluses in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Before getting to the horrific prison camps maintained by Kim Jong Un, we must keep in mind his influence in the Caribbean. Remember, in 2013, when Panama famously a North Korean ship en route from Cuba to North Korea that hid military wares underneath Cuban sugar. Surely, North Korea is still in the game!

The plot in the spy thriller MISSION OF VENGEANCE unfolds in the Dominican Republic, and I found out that it maintains diplomatic relations with North Korea. I discovered in the United Nation’s Security Council resolution 2321 that North Korean embassies abroad are used for illicit activities. It really should be no surprise that North Korea has about twice as many embassies abroad as countries have embassies in Pyongyang. In my next spy novel, I will research what goes on in North Korea’s embassies scattered throughout the Caribbean, I promise!

Now, for the horrific prison camps in North Korea:

The internment camps are located in central and northeastern North Korea. They comprise many prison labor colonies in secluded mountain valleys, completely isolated from the outside world. The total number of prisoners is estimated to be 150,000 to 200,000.

North Korea's prison camps are comparable to Nazi Germany's concentration camps! It's hard for me to fathom that President Trump would meet with Kim Jong Un at the DMZ in North Korea, giving this despotic dictator acceptance on the global stage. The United Nation's reported on North Korea's camps, and found them comparable to Nazi Germany's concentration camps. It is commonly believed that the Middle East has the worst persecutions against Christians. But this is not true. More Christian are being slaughtered in North Korea than anywhere else.

Pyongyang has dismissed the UN report, which quotes 100 women who experienced torture, malnutrition, forced labor, sexual violence and murder of new-born children (above photo). It's time for all Western democracies to unite and condemn Kim Jong Um.

The death penalty is routinely administered for many offences, including grand theft, murder, rape, drug smuggling, treason, espionage, political dissidence, defection, piracy, consumption of media not approved by the government and proselytizing religious beliefs that contradict the beliefs of the North Korean regime.

There is very little internet and social media usage. The only countries to ban access around the clock to social networking sites like Facebook are China, Iran, Syria, and North Korea. However, since most North Koreans have zero access to the Internet, China and Iran are the only countries where access to Facebook is actively restricted in a wholesale manner.

North Korean citizens have limited freedom of movement and are prohibited to freely travel around the country, let alone travel abroad. Emigration and immigration are strictly controlled, and Kim Jong Un announced that the North Korean government will treat emigrants from the country as defectors.

Although North Korea has an adequate telephone system, with 1.18 million fixed lines available (2008 data), most phones are only installed for senior government officials. Someone wanting a phone installed must fill out a form indicating their rank, why he/she wants a phone, and how he/she will pay for it.

The ultimate of despotic rule rests in North Korea’s 3 generation rule, where the innocent are severely punished. Citizens there convicted of more serious political crimes are sentenced to life imprisonment, but the subsequent two generations of their family (children and grandchildren) will be born in camps such as the Kaechon internment camp, known as “Camp 14”. It is a specialized labor camp for political prisoners and descendants of alleged criminals.

U.S. Intelligence has satellite imagery of another prison camp in North Korea, known as Camp 22, formally called the Hoeryong concentration camp. It reportedly closed down in 2012 and was a maximum-security area, completely isolated from the outside world.

Camp 22 may have been closed down, but research by Amnesty International on two new North Korean camps, known as kwansilo, showing new guard posts, the upgrading of a crematorium and a progression of the sites' agricultural activities.

Lastly, enjoy this video that uncovers the atrocities in these camps, from the eyes of a North Korean defector who escaped into South Korea:

 

 Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community, and relishes traveling to the Florida Keys and Key West, the Bahamas and Caribbean. He combines both passions in his Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series. Check out his latest spy thriller: MISSION OF VENGEANCE.

OSINT is a valuable tool for CIA analysts- it can be for you, too

 

OSINT: A VALUABLE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY (IC) TOOL TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH

Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) is a discipline all within itself. It definitely does not involve cloak & dagger, covert collection of classified data. Authors and journalists should sharpen their skills in the use of OSINT so they can overtly acquire information from public sources.

As for me, I write the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series and OSINT techniques allow me to make my spy novels as detailed and genuine as possible- a kind of reality-fiction genre. Also, I write newspaper commentaries and Op-eds that give credit to the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) by delivering an upbeat message about the 17 agencies comprising the misunderstood and egregiously maligned IC. I often wish some columnists and TV anchors would forge their flimsy and negative reports about the IC with the same disciplined approach that CIA analysts follow to forge their intelligence reports.

Through mathematics and logic, the analysts' methodical and reasoned conclusions on geopolitical matters are the closest to the truth. It is the most systematic process I know of. They gather intelligence, analyze the raw data, validate the reliability of the sources, then form a logical, concluding depiction of the truth for our policy makers and POTUS to either read and accept, ignore, attempt to alter...or reject.

OSINT is an important element in this process of truth-finding, and open-source sources are wide open for all to see! Intelligence professionals say that OSINT is “the source of first resort” for the IC to use. OSINT data supports the covert cloak and dagger collection priorities of the intelligence world, even makes them easier and less expensive to carry out. Pertinent OSINT findings can quickly enlighten case officers in “real time” of the shifting cultural, economic, military, political and social nuances in the unstable foreign regions where they operate. Through OSINT, CIA case officers can verify a foreign asset’s candor and to form the right questions to ask him/her.

The U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) probably refers to the same 17 OSINT sources that I do. I am sure they have open-source software installed in their computers that constantly filters through them. If you’re a writer, author, journalist, intelligence analyst or devoted seeker of the truth, explore among these public sources, and go through the OSINT process while doing so: inspecting, exploring, studying, listening to, attending, researching and investigating. Here are the 17 open resources I use:

1. Domestic & foreign newspapers

2. Professional journals

3. Pertinent magazines

4. Domestic & foreign radio stations

5. Domestic & foreign television

6. Newspaper forums

7. Wikis

8. P2Psharing

9. Blogosphere

10. Blackberries

11. MySpace

12. Wikipedia

13. deli.icio.us

13. Amazon.com

14. Relevant contracts awarded

15. Professional conferences & seminars

16. Professional associations: journals, etc.

17. Academic papers

 

     OK, you've uncovered some seemingly worthwhile information on the Web, but it's in a foreign language you don't understand. There are excellent free “Translation” sites on Google to cut and paste your findings onto. I use a Google translation board that converts a hundred different languages into English, French, or whatever language you speak.

     Lastly, I read through the site: Testimony of the Honorable Lee H. Hamilton
Before the Senate Select Committee, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Joint Inquiry into events surrounding 9/11 October 3, 2002. Here’s some snippets from his testimony:

“We need to make greater use of open-source information. We need to develop a better understanding of foreign cultures and religions. Our intelligence agencies need to make greater use of newspapers, periodicals, satellite television, radio transmissions, Internet web sites, books, pamphlets, and religious tracts that will alert us to broad trends and patterns that are developing around the world.”

The Honorable Lee H. Hamilton went on to say, “For years, the open-media and educational institutions in parts of the Islamic world indicated the growing level of hatred and commitment to violence against the United States. We need to pay closer attention to what the rest of the world is saying about us.” His words can be accomplished via OSINT.

Lastly, this video Comprehensive List of OSINT Tools demonstrates how Google searching will open up a whole new world of information gathering for you. Enjoy!

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community, and relishes traveling to the Florida Keys and Key West, the Bahamas and Caribbean. He combines both passions in his CoreyPearson- CIA Spymaster series. Check out his latest spy thriller: MISSION OFVENGEANCE.

The Casa Marina Beach & Resort in Sosua, Dominican Republic: from the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series.

 

CASA MARINA BEACH & RESORT- SOSUA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

The north shore of the Dominican Republic is beautiful to explore. High hillsides overlooking pristine, coconut palm-lined beaches below offer breathtaking vistas. I booked in at the Casa Marina Reef Resort, searching for scenes for the MISSION OF VENGEANCE spy thriller. It is an all-Inclusive resort located 10 minutes from the Puerto Plata International Airport and 25 minutes from Puerto Plata. It’s a family-oriented resort that sets in the town of Sosúa and has a semi-private beach with 500 meters of beach front.

The rooms are clean and comfortable, the food at the buffet always offered a wide range of choices, with lots of fresh fruits and desserts. The pool was great and the oceanside jacuzzies were amazing. They are nestled into the rocks and you can sit in the warm water with cold ocean spray hitting, a totally invigorating experience.

I talked to the bartender and many locals at its Tiki Bar, a neat, thatched roof outside pub that overlooks the ocean. I leaned much about the local customs and lifestyle practices to embed in the novel. Their description of the street vendor culture in Sosua was fascinating.

Make sure you explore downtown Sosua, and I highly recommend some of the restaurants that are a short walk away from the Casa Marina Reef Resort, like Baileys Restaurant (0.2 mi), Bologna Ristorante Pizzeria (0.2 mi), and Margot Restaurant (0.2 mi). The Waterfront Restaurant is my favorite and a few scenes in the MISSION OF VENGEANCE take place there. It’s a casual place and I recommend sitting at a back patio table, to view Mount Isabel de Torres rising from the gin-colored waters in the distance. Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster met his contacts there in the novel, and ordered a whole grilled lobster, shrimp, and Chilean sea bass meal. Well, they do sere it and I devoured it… to die for! No need to hire a cab to get to the downtown, a local will be more than happy to pick you up in their scooter and cart you anywhere you like, for a small fee. Hint: Check out Paradise Island.

Back at the Case Marina Beach & Resort, I enjoyed their “Banana Mama” cocktail. Pretty potent, I drank two and felt like I took a couple stomach relaxers. Don’t drive anywhere after downing them!

I walked down some stairs to a path leading to the beach. You’ll enjoy it and an umbrella only costs $5 for all day, in case of rain. A nice, private beach, very clean and clear water, a very good place to relax and chill. It’s also fun watching the massive waves hitting the rocks nearby, sending cold spray into the warm jacuzzies. The sunsets rival those in Key West, Florida. There couldn’t be a better location for a resort in all of Sosua.

In the evening, their theatre opens for free shows, which are professionally done and are absolutely impressive! The animation staff keeps you entertained both during the day, but their theatre shows every night are not to be missed. You’ll enjoy Luz, who dances with the kids every night; Jimmy, an amazing dancer who loves what he does; and Amaury Chihuahua, with his sense of humor.

Don’t let the MISSION OF VENGEANCE spy thriller scare you away from the Casa Marina Beach Resort. Yes, an American family was murdered there, and CIA Spymaster Corey Pearson hunts the killers down. But it only happens in fictional spy thrillers! Here’s a few snippets from the novel:

 

Episode I: Terror in paradise

Sousa, Dominican Republic

     John Celik was in seventh heaven. He just got back from windsurfing off the shores of Cabarete, known as the windsurfing capital of the world. Now, he would spend the rest of the day with his wife and two children where they stayed at the Casa Marina Beach & Reef Resort in Sosua.

     They strolled through manicured grounds past a thatched-roof beach bar and along a stone path under the shade of coconut palms. The waves of the Atlantic Ocean pounded the rocky shoreline and the palm forest ended at the sunny Marina Beach where they planned to spend the rest of the day swimming. The red flag warning was up on the beach, meaning to not go in the water. Tourists who disobeyed the warning had drowned.

     The couple grabbed two Bahama Mamas off the beach bar, stepped down the stone steps with the kids and waded into one of three large jacuzzies nestled in large rocks that overlooked the ocean. The strong Atlantic waters rose gently offshore before transforming into monstrous curling breakers that crashed into the boulders below, sending a cold ocean spray into the warm jacuzzi. It was refreshing.

     A half hour later, they drove their rental car to downtown Sousa to shop among the street vendors.

            ******************************

    A man peddled an ice cream cart through the traffic, tapping on car windows, holding up popsicles for the drivers to see. John motioned him over and bought his family a round of skim ice and popsicles to beat the heat. As they enjoyed the cold refreshments under the shade of palm trees that lined the back street they were on, a vendor stopped and showed John a plywood board with fancy men’s jewelry pinned on it. He was about to wave him off but noticed a most unusual tie clasp, a large blue and green rhinestone parrot set in silver. He bought it.    

     Later that evening, John lay in bed with his wife in their room at the Casa Marina Beach & Reef Resort. Their eight-year-old daughter and twelve-year-old son slept soundly. He picked up the tie clasp off the lamp table and examined it. A faint, thin line encircled the parrot’s body, which at first glance looked seamless. He gently pulled, and it came apart. Inside was a computer flash drive!

     John jumped out of bed and inserted it into his laptop. A slight whirring sound lasted for a full half minute, indicating there was a large amount of info downloading. His screen lit up in a pale blue and pages of useless figures and nondescript forms appeared. Someone had encrypted the data.

     He looked over at his wife, for she was an IT in security at Microsoft HQ in Seattle, Washington where they lived. She was sound asleep. It had been a fun-filled, but exhausting day. He decided to wait until morning to show it to her.

 

     It was 11 a.m. the next morning. No “Do Not Disturb!” sign hung on the door, so the maid gently knocked and entered, then screamed in horror. A man and woman were gagged and strapped to chairs with duct tape. Two children were tied together in their bed. All were shot through the head.  End of novel snippet.

    

I hope I didn’t scare you away from visiting this marvelous place! Check out this video: Casa Marina Beach & Reef Resort.

 

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community, and relishes traveling to the Florida Keys and Key West, the Bahamas and Caribbean. He combines both passions in his Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series. Check out his latest spy thriller: MISSION OF VENGEANCE.

The Schooner Wharf Bar maintains the Old Key West atmosphere: from the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series

 

SCHOONER WHARF BAR & GRILL

KEY WEST, FLORIDA

This open-air hangout in the Historic Seaport District of Key West is known for its seafood complemented by live music and dockside views. Yeah, much of Key West is transforming into an ultra-modern manscape, but the Schooner Wharf maintains that "old Key West" atmosphere- salvaged wreckage, interesting characters and fishermen what nots embellish the interior walls and ceiling. The fresh mahi-mahi and snapper sandwiches are to die for.

I mention this place often in my spy thrillers since a CIA safe house sits only several blocks away on Eaton Street. The Schooner Wharf Bar is an excellent place for CIA operatives to meet with and debrief contacts!

Chickens strutting around on the sand floor, animal lovers with their dogs (and parrots) sit at the open-air bar or at a table while listening to daily live music. It’s fun to people watch there. Hint: their Rumrunners and Mango Daiquiris are featured during Happy Hour. Try one!

It’s become a favorite of visiting place for celebrities such as Beach Boy Al Jardine, and because of the rustic charm and warmth it became the saloon of choice for treasure salvor Mel Fisher, who often referred to it as "A treasure." "This must be the center of the universe," echoed the late broadcaster/author Charles Kurault after his visit to the bar.

Little wonder why it was voted “Best Local's Bar” six years in a row, the Schooner Wharf has been praised in the New York Times and Aqua magazine for its unique nautical decor, music and food, and open-air proximity to sweet ocean breezes.

I enjoyed the 3-egg omelet for breakfast, called the “Schooner Omelet”: where else can you get an omelet with large pink shrimp, feta, fresh tomato, and garden spinach?  My favorite appetizer while sipping on a cold brewski is the “Key West Conch Fritters” that is served with their special Key Lime Mustard sauce. If you like fresh stone crab claws, peel-and-eat shrimp, fresh-shucked oysters, or conch chowder and fritters, you’ll dig this place. They’ve also got plenty of landlubber food, too.

 

I slide in my spy thrillers scenes that take place at the Schooner Wharf. You can check out the latest thriller, MISSION OF VENGEANCE. Here’s a snippet from the PENUMBRA DATABASE spy thriller, where a CIA leader housed in a safe house on Eaton Street strolls down to the Schooner Wharf Bar to take a break from tracking down a Black Hat Hacker, known as BHH:

 

The aging ex-marine general felt culpable for trusting BHH and for carelessly allowing him to steal the upgraded database off Cheng Chow’s computer at MIT. He would tell both Corey and Pinkston of his gaffe, and for ignoring their misgivings about BHH.

He strolled past the Turtle Kraal. Today, he would pass on their crab cakes and try something different. A change of routine makes me more creative.

As he walked into the Schooner Wharf Bar, he noticed three CI agents already positioned inside. The couple who scrutinized the four unknowing men outside Harpoon Harry’s sat at a corner table. A lone male agent sat on a barstool with a camera case placed on the stool next to him…a .45-caliber Glock 30 with two extra 36-shot magazines nestled inside.

The informal, open-air atmosphere calmed Morrison down a bit. He sat at a small table and inserted his Montecristo cigar back into the black, gold-trimmed snuffer, then gazed out at the classic yachts lining the Key West Historic Seaport. A few dogs lay patiently under their owner’s barstools.

His mind wandered back to BHH’s unexpected appearance on Bimini. The guilt resurfaced… disregarding Corey’s reservations about the hacking genius after he recruited him at the Las Vegas convention… overlooking Pinkston’s distrust of the guy and his refusal to work alongside him.

A friendly waitress asked him what he wanted, interrupting his thoughts.

“A Key West Sunset Ale.”

“Anything to eat?”

A fisherman walked past, toting a large net satchel of oysters.

Morrison said, “I want that!”

The waitress laughed, “You can’t get ‘em any fresher! I’ll throw in some extra cocktail sauce with your order…be right back with your drink.”

Morrison’s smile evaporated the moment the waitress walked away. He feigned being in a good mood…but felt miserable for not listening to the gut instincts of Corey and Pinkston. BHH was an opportunist with sociopathic tendencies.

On a daily basis, BHH called him from the safe house outside San Francisco. He found weaknesses in the $1.8 billion deep data-mining algorithm that Hsin and Cheng were devising and embedding into the outdated Operation Jeannie database. Since BHH already perfected a failsafe firewall shield around the old Jeannie, why not have him perform the same function on Cheng’s MIT computer?

The waitress brought a full serving of oysters on the half shell from the raw bar. Morrison dug in. He tried to keep his mind off BHH’s treasonous deception but could not. The pleasurable atmosphere of the Schooner Wharf Bar- a place Charles Kuralt once called the “center of the universe” and what Mel Fisher, the treasure hunter who discovered the 1622 wreck of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, referred to as “a treasure,” gave no comfort to Morrison.

He grew nauseous and stopped eating the fresh oysters. It wasn’t the oysters that sickened him…it was the thought that BHH had conned him. He hacked into Cheng’s MIT computer and stole the entire mathematical algorithm that boosted Operation Jeannie’s deep data mining capabilities a hundred times over…and now it was about to get into the hands of the terrorist network on the out island of Abaco, in the Bahamas. He left a fifty- dollar bill on the table and left.

 

Lastly, enjoy this excellent video of the Schooner Wharf Bar- the musician Michael McCloud plays his song “Schooner Wharf Bar Dog” as the video scans the place! 

 

 

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community, and relishes traveling to the Florida Keys and Key West, the Bahamas and Caribbean. He combines both passions in his CoreyPearson- CIA Spymaster series. Check out his latest spy thriller: MISSION OFVENGEANCE.