Sounds like the title of a movie Humphrey Bogart would have starred in, doesn’t it?  Feels like the shadowy, titillating stuff that spy novels are made of, doesn’t it?  Looks like someone Tom Clancy would have opened one of his novels with–in order to set up the plot and deception that triggers the rest of his story–doesn’t it?

Unfortunately, this one is for real.   Joseph Mifsud, a Maltese professor with questionable ties to almost everyone, has disappeared.   In fact he has been missing since Nov. 6, 2017 when he vanished in Rome.   AG William Barr, and Prosecutor John Durham were–or maybe still are–in Rome piecing together the puzzle of what started the whole Russia Collusion investigation.  And, they want to talk with the mysterious, missing Mr. Mifsud.

I wish them luck, as Mr. Mifsud is likely either dead, or he has been “brought in out of the cold.” By whom?   Russia?   Italy?   the UK?  Australia?   The US?   He came onto my radar screen more than 18 months ago when I believe it was some kind of Congressional Committee wanted to talk with him, relevant to George Papadopoulos and alleged connections between the Trump Campaign and Russia.

The TV journalist covering that story just happened to mention this Professor, and that he was missing.   If you don’t know already, I write Spy, Intelligence, Information Warfare novels, inspired by actual events, and written about current events.   If you have followed my earlier Blogs, you may remember when I pointed out the power of “omitted information” and the effect it has on investigations.

To me, and of course I could be wrong, Mr. Mifsud is pivotal, and someone rewarded him for playing his part by bringing him into another identity to live out his life hiding in plain site.   Or they killed him to keep him from ever telling what he knew, and what he did.   My money is on the latter, since it appears he was nervous enough about his interview with our FBI that he was suddenly writing emails to them, to “clarify” what he had said or meant.   He was apparently rushed, worried, and feared someone was coming for him.

I believe someone was, and Mifsud had figured it out.   The News Media–which has been almost entirely wrong in their investigations–believes he is a Russian Intelligence Asset.  Others believe that was a false lead, and that he is not a Russian spy, but rather a Western Intelligence Asset.   Wake up folks!   How murky is that, and how nebulous?!   A “Western” asset!    That encompasses a lot of countries, and a lot of intelligence agencies.   Whose asset?

Is the mysterious, missing Mr. Mifsud a Russian spy, or is he a US spy working in counter-intelligence?   Is he a British spy, since he has so much history with London?  Or is he a Double Agent, working for Russia and  the other “Western” country or countries?   Since the Press believes he is a Russian spy and since they are trying to knock down any possible connection to Western countries, they at least describe him as a purported “Western” asset.   If true, which one or ones?   If more than one, you, my friends are looking at a conspiracy.

And guess where Barr and Durham have gone in recent weeks in the pursuit of the origins of the Russia Hoax?   Australia–whose government is cooperating.  The UK–whose government is cooperating.   They may have gone to the Ukraine as well.   But for sure, they are in Italy–whose government is cooperating.  Who is left?   The UNITED STATES.

Director John Brennan went on TV a week or so ago, and said he had been notified that when they return, he will be “interviewed.”   Can you feel him breathing on you now, Director Brennan, this “Bloodhound?”

And where does the Media want us to put our attention while the final weeks of this riveting investigation occur–where we may finally find out who started this long national nightmare?  Ukraine.  Now we have the Ukraine version of the Russia Collusion scandal.  Don’t fall for this twice.   The old adage applies here.   Fool me once, shame on you.   Fool me twice, shame on me!

Quite a movie plot, isn’t it?  Or a spy novel plot?   Sadly, like so much of what I wrote about, this one is not fiction.   It is real.

And as for the mysterious, missing Mr. Mifsud, my guess is he is either dead, OR–hopefully– hiding in plain sight in Rome.   TIme will tell.