In the last three chapters of John Le Carré’s A Most Wanted Man, we learn that Brue’s wife is talking about leaving him. Brue contemplates the mess he is in, and arranges written legal assurances that Annabel will not be in trouble for her actions involving Issa. Brue meets Dr. Abdullah, and negotiates a meeting with Issa (wearing a fountain pen fitted with a listening device). Brue thinks about what Lantern told him, “…Just take my word for it, Tommy. Five percent is all you need to know. So tell me who isn’t five percent bad?” (266). Brue feels bad because he’s not an unblemished character himself. Here he is helping the British spy agency entrap a man they say does 95% good ( and only five percent bad).
The meeting between all parties (Brue, Annabel, Issa, and Abdullah) takes place at the bank with many spy agencies monitoring. While electronically transferring Issa’s money to charities, Abdullah does transfer some money to various unknown shipping companies. He says, “Now this one would be very essential for the afflicted of Yemen… If your client is concerned to distribute medical relief throughout the Umma, this is a most efficient means of achieving his objective” (312). Issa did not pick this shipping company (it’s not a charity)s, but goes along with Abdullah choice. The transactions are finished, and the parties leave out the front door of the bank towards a waiting cab. This is when the surprise occurs. Le Carré writes, “But Abdullah had no time to answer, or if he had, Bachmann never heard him. A high-sided white minibus had careered into the forecourt, smashing into Bachmann’s cab, skewing it sideways, starring the side window and crumpling the driver’s door” (318). Five men run out of the van to abduct Abdullah and Issa. It turns out that they are American, and it reflects badly on the American spy agency. It would be better for the U. S. to not abduct the men, and use them to prevent future acts of terrorism. The Germans lose their control of the operation, and we get a taste of spy agencies acting beyond the law like dictators in South American Islands act.
2 comments:
I really enjoyed your post. I think that you did a good job talking about how spy agencies are using too much force, like dictatorships. The only trouble I have is that I sometimes need a moment to understand what you're talking about.
I read this book also. I have to wonder if the Americans were acting on the behalf of the USA or were they just doing it for a certain group. Because even under the Bush Administration(sorry Bush fans)we weren't that stupid. So it might not have been the American spy agency. Of course this is written by a British author, so maybe that is how he see the US
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