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From Reporter To Undercover Operative
- Amaryllis Fox transitioned from journalism to the CIA after her mentor was kidnapped and killed, abandoning transparency to fight terror from the shadows.
- She describes the emotional cost of lying to friends and family and the loneliness of undercover work.
When Transparency Feels Insufficient
- The Daniel Pearl killing crystallized for Fox that transparency alone might not prevent terror, prompting a rethink of journalistic faith in daylight as the only remedy.
- She concluded that sometimes secrecy and deception can serve a greater protective truth.
First Target: The Arms Dealer Jakob
- Fox's first operational target was Jakob, an arms dealer with access to black-market nuclear precursors, and she posed as a buyer to get close to him.
- An initial awkward meeting in Lyon nearly failed, but persistence and follow-up contact kept the operation alive.