Snow Wolf Read Free Page A

Some date@. Some details and
sketchy notes, like he was trying to work something out, none of it making much
sense. And a code name: Operation Snow Wolf.
    My father had worked for the CIA. He had
been a military man all his life, and had worked in OSS during the war,
operating behind German lines. That much I knew, but not much else, until I
found that old yellow pad.
    For a long time I sat there, trying to figure
it all out, my heart and mind racing, until I saw the date on one of the pages,
and it finally clicked.
    I drove to Arlington Cemetery. For a long time I looked at my father's grave, looked at the inscription.
    JAKOB MASSEY Born: 3 January 1912 Died: 20
February 1953
    I looked at those words until my eyes
were on fire from looking. Then I went and made photocopies of the written
pages I'd found and delivered the originals in a sealed envelope to my lawyer.
    I made the call to Bob Vitali an hour
later. He worked for the CIA in Langley.
    "Bill, it's been a long time,"
Vitali said cheerfully. "Don't tell me. There's a school reunion, right?
Why do they always have these things when you're just about getting over those
days? The amount of money that place in Richmond cost me in shrink's bills
..."
    I told him what I had found and how I had
found it, but not the contents.
    "So what? You found some forgotten
papers of your old man's. Sure, he worked for the CIA, but that was over forty
years ago. Do yourself a favor and burn them."
    "I think someone should come and
look at them."
    "Are you kidding? Is this what this
call is about?"
    "Bob, I really think someone should
come and look at them."
    Vitali sighed and I could picture him
looking at his watch at the other end.
    "OK, what's in there? Give me
something I can work with, and I'll ask around, see if what you found is
important. Remember, it's over forty years. I'm pretty sure whatever you've
found has been declassified. I think maybe you're getting excited over nothing."
    "Bob, please come and look at them.
    Vitali said impatiently, "Bill, I
haven't got the time to drive to your place. Give me something to go on, for
Christ's sakes."
    "Operation Snow Wolf."
    "What's that?"
    "That's what it says on the top of
the first page on the pad."
    "Never heard of it. What else?"
    "There's more."
    "Like what more?"
    "Come over and look at the
pages."
    Vitali sighed. "Bill, I'll tell you
what I'm going to do. I'll ask some of the old-timers here, or one of the
Archives boys, and see what I can come up with. See if this Snow Wolf thing
rings a bell." I could hear the impatience in his voice. "Listen,
I've got a call coming in, I'll talk to you soon. Be good, man."
    The line clicked dead.
    I stood up and went into the kitchen and
made coffee, It seemed like I sat there for a long time, my heart still
pounding, thinking about those pages and what they might mean. I didn't want to
tell Vitali everything because I wanted to know what Langley knew. My mind was
ablaze but I didn't know what to do next.
    It must have been an hour later when I
heard the screech of car tires outside. I looked out of the window and saw two
black limousines pull up, and half a dozen men step out briskly, Bob Vitali
among them.
    He looked white-faced, and when I went to
the door he said urgently, "Can I come in? We need to talk."
    The others waited outside on the porch
while Vitali came into the room with just one other man. He was tall, maybe
sixty, distinguished, with silver hair. He had an arrogant look about him and
he didn't smile or speak. Then Vitali said, "Bill, I guess you figured
this is about those papers you found ..."
    The other man interrupted sharply.
"Mr. Massey, my name is Donahue. I'm a Section Head with the CIA. Bob
explained about what you told him. May I see the papers you have, please?"
    I handed him the papers.
    He looked white. "These are
copies?"
    Donahue's tone demanded an explanation. I
looked at him. "The originals are in a safe place."
    A muscle twitched in Donahue's face,
suddenly