Novella · Libya, 1990
The Quiet Betrayal
An Espionage Story
Libya, 1990. A scientist knows too much. A CIA officer needs to know what he knows. And both men are about to take risks that could cost them everything.
Jamal Sennousi is a respected Libyan chemist working inside one of Muammar Qadhafi’s most closely guarded secrets: a chemical weapons program developing some of the deadliest substances ever created. Educated in the United States and increasingly troubled by what his work could make possible, Jamal begins to question the regime he serves — and the consequences of remaining silent.
Thousands of miles away, the CIA sees an opportunity.
Khalid Muhammad Al Jassim, a CIA case officer operating under deep cover as a Syrian businessman, is sent into Libya to establish clandestine contact with Jamal. What begins with a carefully orchestrated meeting in Tripoli soon reveals something far more alarming than Washington expected: Libya’s chemical weapons program has advanced dangerously close to capabilities that could threaten thousands of lives.
As intelligence moves secretly from Tripoli to Washington, Jamal finds himself at the center of an operation he cannot fully understand. The CIA must decide how far it is willing to go to stop the program — and how much it is willing to ask of the man who has placed his life, and the lives of his wife and daughter, at risk.
When Libya’s security service begins asking questions, the operation becomes a race against time.
Drawing on author Eric L. Qualkenbush’s more than thirty-five years of experience in the Central Intelligence Agency, The Quiet Betrayal is a work of fiction that takes readers inside the world of clandestine operations, agent handling, covert action, and the difficult choices faced by those who live double lives.
It is a story of espionage, loyalty, conscience, and the price one man must pay when betraying his country may be the only way to save others.
Some betrayals are acts of treachery. Others are acts of courage.
