1974 Meeting the Ghost

"Daniel was flying into Berlin for the first time in 35 years. He was now in his late-60's and a successful businessman and developer working around the world. He had been thinking of this trip for quite some time as he was going to visit areas from his younger days as an operative for the CIA and the Army. Most important would be his visit to Krakow and the new building under construction by his company. His success was amazing after his last operations in the former East Germany and Poland in the 70's." He fell asleep as the plane left the US, dreaming about Poland in the 70's. Daniel is a mid-career US Army Officer who is often assigned to the CIA for special projects. He and his partner (Jonah) are sent to Poland to extract a senior Polish official who is Jewish during a time of considerable pressure on the Jewish communities throughout Eastern Europe. The two men begin their trip through the divided city of Berlin where they are first tested by the Stasi (East German secret police). Changing identity often, the two men face a series of unique opportunities in life and love as an Angel follows them across Poland. The biggest risk is to keep from drawing attention by avoiding the need to kill anybody within Poland. Keeping their unique identities developed by the CIA for this mission is critical as they operate within the East for over a year as Mid-level businessmen and occasionally as Polish military personnel. The two men move through Poland in 1974 as spies on a specific mission to extract the son of the Ghost and his family. In the build up to the extraction, the spies pose as mid-level businessmen from Krakow assigned to develop a new automobile factory to produce cars for Eastern Europe. Daniel's love of his life returns from near death during their previous joint mission in Moscow. Ruth a MOSSAD agent is sent to Poland when the Israeli government gets wind of the potential extraction of a Jewish member of the Polish leadership. They determine that participation in this operation will be beneficial. The Ghost has a unique history and is a leader of the Jewish community in Krakow. The unique abilities of the two Americans including their special skills as members of the Special Forces, are displayed extensively as they move through Poland over a one year period during which the Jewish community is continually blamed for the shortage of food and other consumer items being experienced throughout Eastern Europe. The team is asked to impersonate members of the Polish military to disrupt Warsaw Pact exercises and they are asked to discredit the Polish secret police. Subject to continuous surveillance because of their car manufacturing assignment, they experience periods of high risk and great reward. "Handing Jonah his bags, he casually walked towards the six as they moved to surround the two of them. With one quick step, Daniel grabbed the arm of the leader and snapped it in two as he kicked the knee of the nearest of the other five breaking the knee cap. As the other four moved in, he threw the one with the broken arm into the two on his left. Seeing the flash of another knife in the hand of one of the other two, he threw the knife he had taken from the first attacker into the hand/arm of the knife carrier, as the arm split, he heard the 2d knife hit the ground with a clatter. The sixth one began running before his friends could react. They too took off, staggering and running as best they could. Jonah just smiled and handed Daniel his two bags. They continued walking to their hotel." This is Warsaw in 1974. The two men knew that risks to their person and mission could come from anywhere.