Was The Perfect Spy A Double Agent?

60 Minutes: Was Ashraf Marwan Israel's Greatest Spy Or Was He A Double Agent?

(CBS)  He says his father was lame and too weak to hoist himself over the railing. And witnesses have reported seeing two dark-complected men on the balcony moments before his plunge. Missing from the apartment was the unfinished manuscript of Marwan's memoir.

"The day my father was murdered, the book vanished. And all the tapes that my father dictated vanished as well," Gamal Marwan said.

Asked if his father was an Israeli agent, Marwan told Kroft, "Definitely not"

"You're sure of that?" Kroft asked.

"Positive. My father was a patriot," Marwan said.

"Did you talk to your father about this?" Kroft asked.

"I asked him, 'What's going on?' Okay? And, he said, 'You know what? I'm a soldier. And in war, you have to do certain things as a soldier.' Didn't make much sense at the time. Makes a lot of sense today," he replied.

Asked who would have a motive to kill his father, Gamal Marwan told Kroft, "You know, my father's main job was Egypt. And the main concept is to fool the Israelis and win the war. God knows. They have the highest motive."

When Kroft asked Aharon Levran whether he thought the Israelis killed Marwan, he told Kroft, "Never on Sunday, never. It can't be. Why should they kill him? It's only a good reason for the Egyptians to do it once they discovered that he - wasn't so good for them."

A few days after his death, the body of the man the Israelis claim as their greatest spy ever was flown to Egypt for a hero's funeral. Thousands of people turned out, including President Mubarak's son and high-ranking members of the Egyptian intelligence establishment.

President Mubarak himself issued a statement saying that Marwan was patriotic and loyal to his country, but the time was not ripe to unveil those acts.

So in the end, who did Ashraf Marwan really betray? And who finally killed him? If the truth wasn't buried with him, it is most likely buried somewhere in a top secret vault.

"It's in a lot of people's interest that we, that the world, never knows the answer to who killed Ashraf Marwan," Howard Blum said.

"Because?" Kroft asked.

"Because the damage he did and the deals that were made, I think intelligence communities all throughout the world, want to keep secret," Blum replied.

[eyemdope]

GDW666,

"He did? I thought it was Navy snipers. How much credit goes to he who says "go ahead". How much thought does that take?"

A lot of credit. By trivializing the decision, you appear rather ignorant of history with regard to leaders in crisis and how they respond being what defines them as great or poor leaders. There decision involved risks and you don't even acknowledge that had anything happened to the captain Obama would be the first to be blamed by types like you that are now hypocritically claiming his decision was a 'no brainer' and him not worthy of credit. Hindsight is always 20/20, and there were multiple options on the table for a successful rescue. He could have done what Sarkozy did, and negotiate a ransom, and after the hostages are returned to safety the pirates pursued and gunned down, and the ransom money retrieved. Carter was roundly blamed for the 444 days American embassy workers spent as hostages even though he eventually negotiated their release. He was blamed for the failed special forces mission even though its failure had nothing to do with him. Your claim that Obama deserves no credit for taking a tough stance against the pirates when such a choice is not obvious, especially if there was a more liberal president in charge, only reveals how disingenuous you're being.



"You mean release of a journalist that was subject of a show trial."

Yes, exactly that. Show trials result in successful conviction and subsequent punishment. She was released on appeal.

"Where was he when she was falsely arrested and then convicted?"

Are you really that ignorant of the details of what happened? It was only after her conviction when SoS Clinton expressed her displeasure and the Obama diplomats protested vigorously through back channels did Ahmadinejad intervene by writing a letter to the juror and requesting a fair and open appeals process be granted. Your questions reveal an ignorance that comes in spades. What do you mean where was he when the trial was happening? If you had read up on what had happened, the Iranian judiciary had good reason to believe that she was a spy, which is why the previous poster labeled her as such. But of course you remain ignorant of such details. As has already been reported widely, the lawyer that represented her in Iranian court revealed she was found in possession of a classified document detailing the plans for the invasion of Iraq by the US, prepared by a research agency for then president Khatami. She was also in possession of papers from the Iranian conservative political party and had made multiple trips to Israel. So Iranian officials had concrete reasons to believe she was involved in espionage. She also admitted under questioning that she had been approached by the CIA to work
for them but did not take it seriously. So whether she was a spy or not was debatable, but your claim that she absolutely was not is based on your own lack of knowledge on the incident. And questioning where Obama was in the first place when she was arrested, I'll help you out there as well. She was arrested in January before Obama was inaugurated. The dull limits of your knowledge is quite telling.

"Why? Did he work without his teleprompter?"

Once again, the constituents that represent the toothless party out of power on all levels of government rears its ugly jealous head because they've never had such a charismatic leader with such natural talent for oratory. FYI, every president such the teleprompter was made has used it. So why is it that GOP presidents have such difficulty using such a simple device? Of course you're threatened because Obama is proving to be a far better communicator than the supposed 'great communicator' himself, Reagan in case you didn't know. Plus, the oratorical skills of Obama and Clinton put that of the bush duo to utter shame. Why can't republicans learn how to use a teleprompter?

[mjlewis6]

This is a contract disposal by a third party to eliminate any further damage.

Whatever was possible to be written, has been stymied. Marwan played
both sides to insure his viability and his lifestyle. THAT alone is motive
sufficient for a Third Party to eliminate him as a possible player in a larger
negotiated/posturing situation in the MIddle East....Syrians, Saudis, or
even another of the General's Group in Israel may have taken him out.

The biggest clues are in the walls and nearby apartments to Marwan's
to have seen his writing or know what he was doing....A fall is pretty
convenient, regardless of which group is involved, but sensitive enough
to have acted with the goal of making it an accident.

[ibsteve2u]

That is one of the perks of being a double-agent: Unless you are caught by and returned to the nation you are betraying so that the appropriate pounds of flesh can be extracted in public revenge, "national pride" - that thing that so many claim is sufficient reason alone for war - will ensure that your betrayal is kept secret.

[antoniof123]

Looks to me like he made a lot of money off the two of them.

Morons they keep fighting only to bring death to their children.

They had better hope their children never wake up.

[edward1975-2009]

Seems to me he had two idiot nations as clients.

[gdw666]

"It's now common knowledge that the US has often used Murder Squads even Dick Cheney had a Assassniation Squad during the 8 years of the US crime wave to silent those who would tell the truth."

Then we can assume that you have a reference to this "common knowledge".

[gdw666]

"Had the US not painted over the US flags on their jets & stopped the tank advance"

Nonsense. Never happened.

"there would be no Israel today"

Despite the Israeli butt-kicking of the Arab armies every time they attacked.

" Islam would not be warred on by the Bushies. "

There is no such war. Unless you want to hide behind a blasphemous interpretation of Islam so that you can kill.

[gdw666]

"Kills pirates that kidnapped captian."

He did? I thought it was Navy snipers. How much credit goes to he who says "go ahead". How much thought does that take?

"Now secures the relaese of a convicted spy. "

You mean release of a journalist that was subject of a show trial. Where was he when she was falsely arrested and then convicted?

"Looks like he works well under pressure. "

Why? Did he work without his teleprompter?

[nextgenman09]

The jewraelis are our worst enemies. They leech off US Taxpayer welfare (60 year welfare babies) and they spy on us. All the stereotypes are apparently correct.....

[mejordelahistoria]

and I thought that the greatest spy was 007 , chuck norris and vin diesel............ I guess there is a difference between fiction and reality.

[juwboy]

GianniOrtiz claims that AIPAC has a death grip on US politics.

However,

Gentile-Americans outnumber Jewish-Americans by about 50-to-1.

Gentile-Americans outnumber Jews worldwide by about 20-to-1.

So, if GianniOrtiz`s claim is true, then GianniOrtiz is saying that a tiny fraction of any Jew is more than a match for a schickerer Yock like himself.

What a HUMILIATING admission for you to make, GianniOrtiz!!!

[babooph]

Had the US not painted over the US flags on their jets & stopped the tank advance ,there would be no Israel today& Islam would not be warred on by the Bushies.

[rhs648]

Marwan earned a very unique posistion when two different enemy countries claim him as their greatest spy. Either one country is lying or he managed to pull off quite a balancing act. This guy could have been arrested by either country and executed by either country. Is it possible that publicly Equipt and Israel were enemies while privately they worked together. No. That sounds too much like a conspiracy theory.

[airjackie]

We know it's murder because of the string of murders but why now? It's now common knowledge that the US has often used Murder Squads even Dick Cheney had a Assassniation Squad during the 8 years of the US crime wave to silent those who would tell the truth. For years the US has hail some figures like Prescott Bush while not speaking up about the Assassination Squad he used to try and kill FDR. The secrets of Ashraf Marwan will come to light as it will be like other secrets that come out. Remember the secret of the Nixon Leak.

[GianniOrtiz]

Thank you for these stories. The Israeli government clearly has us by the short hairs and even though i read and research and speak to other activist,, I/they cannot understand the degree to which they do. I will have to go back and hear this piece again - it contains historical clues as to why AIPAC seems to have death grip on US politics, media, monetary and military policy - 30 years later, but whatever... Thank you again for doing your job. Very important, even though you gave Paulson the Bully pulpit to push through the Bend Over Package.