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Operation Shakespeare: The True Story of an Elite International Sting
A secret war. A daring sting operation. The great untold national security story of our “An impressive and important work…The book has the glamour of a spy novel and the gravity of a meticulously researched exposé” ( Christian Science Monitor ).On today’s high-tech battlefields, the most lethal weapons are not the big ones, but rather the ones that are small enough to be smuggled inside a pack of chewing gum. Developed and manufactured in the United States at extraordinary cost, these tiny weapons of war—which can guide missiles, see through walls, and trigger anything from a wireless IED to a nuclear weapon—are what currently give the US its military advantage. Unfortunately, they are increasingly being discovered in the hands of our enemies.In Operation Shakespeare , Pulitzer Prize finalist John Shiffman tells the true story of an elaborate sting operation launched by an elite Homeland Security team that was created to stop Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea from stealing US military technology. The sting, codenamed Operation Shakespeare, targets an Iranian arms broker who works on behalf of Tehran. Over the course of three years, the American agents go undercover to outwit not only the Iranian, but US defense contractors and bankers willing to put profit over national security. The chase moves around the world, and as the United States tries to bring the Iranian to justice, his own government plots to assassinate him, fearful of what he might reveal.Tenacious, richly detailed, and boasting unprecedented access to both the Iranian broker and the US agents who caught him, “ Operation Shakespeare reads like a spy thriller—but Shiffman’s meticulous reporting leaves no doubt that he is telling nothing less than scary truth” ( Daily News , New York).
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 8, 2014
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661 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
March 26, 2015
The title and cover art scream 2 stars but there’s much to like here as much for what the book does (clear, objective writing; seemingly accurate details; a solid story) as for what it doesn’t do (no cheesy or annoying adjectives that bog down lesser books; no bloating filler; the Americans aren’t over-glorified and the arms smugglers aren’t cast as one-dimensional villains).
I don’t think I highlighted any sections (I read the kindle version) but it was a quick and enjoyable read nonetheless. I may be overrating this a bit. I borrowed it from the library while waiting for a book I had on hold (Ghettoside) and my expectations were very low (especially after just finishing Red Notice by Bill Browder - really bad) but while my head tells me to rate this 4 stars my instincts insist this is a 5 star book. Either way I really liked it.
I don’t think I highlighted any sections (I read the kindle version) but it was a quick and enjoyable read nonetheless. I may be overrating this a bit. I borrowed it from the library while waiting for a book I had on hold (Ghettoside) and my expectations were very low (especially after just finishing Red Notice by Bill Browder - really bad) but while my head tells me to rate this 4 stars my instincts insist this is a 5 star book. Either way I really liked it.
April 6, 2017
It shouldn’t be surprising that agencies such as the CIA and the Department of Homeland Security would go out of their way to trumpet their prowess by opening the files on their greatest successes to writers hungry for meaty subjects. One recent example is The Billion-Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman. Another is John Shiffman’s Operation Shakespeare. I find it highly unlikely that either of these books would have been written without special dispensation from the CIA in Hoffman’s case and DHS in Shiffman’s. Both of them gained access to files that would have remained classified for many years.
Operation Shakespeare relates the story of a successful, years-long investigation led by one of the more obscure Homeland Security agencies and the regional Justice Department offices in Wilmington, Delaware, and Philadelphia. It’s truly a remarkable tale. With great skill and astonishing patience, an inter-agency team of investigators and prosecutors captured and persuaded an Iranian arms dealer to confess to his work procuring American military hardware for the Iranian armed forces. In the process, the man’s cellphone and laptop proved to be a treasure-chest of information about Iran’s military and the many other arms dealers who were similarly getting their hands on embargoed U.S. goods. The dealer’s arrest also closed off one major source of the essential hardware used in building IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) by Iranian-backed insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. IEDs there killed at least 2,500 U.S. soldiers.
The coordination that this project required on the American side alone is staggering, involving several rival government agencies including the FBI as well as Justice and two agencies within DHS — not to mention the essential cooperation of the government of Georgia (the country, not the state), where the arms dealer was arrested before being spirited off to the United States.
The story of Operation Shakespeare, PR effort though it may be, is well worth telling. As Shiffman writes, “Arms and military technology proliferation poses the most destabilizing factor in geopolitics, a greater danger to U.S. national security than terrorism.”
Shiffman gives a clear sense of just how unusual was this success story: “Following 9/11, the CIA created eleven overseas counter-proliferation sting operations similar to Operation Shakespeare. Only one succeeded.” In fact, such efforts were similar to King Canute’s attempt to hold back the sea. Trade restrictions are often adopted in vain: arms dealers and the U.S. and European companies that produce weapons and spare parts are often hungry enough for profits that they’re willing to deal under the table. Many of the biggest American arms manufacturers have been among them and have paid stiff fines as a result.
John Shiffman is an investigative reporter for Reuters and a former staff writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Previously, he coauthored Priceless, about the FBI’s success in recovering stolen works of art.
Operation Shakespeare relates the story of a successful, years-long investigation led by one of the more obscure Homeland Security agencies and the regional Justice Department offices in Wilmington, Delaware, and Philadelphia. It’s truly a remarkable tale. With great skill and astonishing patience, an inter-agency team of investigators and prosecutors captured and persuaded an Iranian arms dealer to confess to his work procuring American military hardware for the Iranian armed forces. In the process, the man’s cellphone and laptop proved to be a treasure-chest of information about Iran’s military and the many other arms dealers who were similarly getting their hands on embargoed U.S. goods. The dealer’s arrest also closed off one major source of the essential hardware used in building IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) by Iranian-backed insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. IEDs there killed at least 2,500 U.S. soldiers.
The coordination that this project required on the American side alone is staggering, involving several rival government agencies including the FBI as well as Justice and two agencies within DHS — not to mention the essential cooperation of the government of Georgia (the country, not the state), where the arms dealer was arrested before being spirited off to the United States.
The story of Operation Shakespeare, PR effort though it may be, is well worth telling. As Shiffman writes, “Arms and military technology proliferation poses the most destabilizing factor in geopolitics, a greater danger to U.S. national security than terrorism.”
Shiffman gives a clear sense of just how unusual was this success story: “Following 9/11, the CIA created eleven overseas counter-proliferation sting operations similar to Operation Shakespeare. Only one succeeded.” In fact, such efforts were similar to King Canute’s attempt to hold back the sea. Trade restrictions are often adopted in vain: arms dealers and the U.S. and European companies that produce weapons and spare parts are often hungry enough for profits that they’re willing to deal under the table. Many of the biggest American arms manufacturers have been among them and have paid stiff fines as a result.
John Shiffman is an investigative reporter for Reuters and a former staff writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Previously, he coauthored Priceless, about the FBI’s success in recovering stolen works of art.
August 19, 2014
This story reads like a great spy novel...tension, espionage, the danger of being caught...and its true! This is a very well written book talking about the individuals involved in a major sting on and capture of an Iranian arms dealer. John Stiffman has done a great job of gathering background information about the the U.S. agents involved in the operation and the young Iranian arms dealer whom they arrested. He does an outstanding job of documenting the years long careful and subtle work leading up to a face to face meeting with the dealer in (formerly Soviet) Georgia, and then the careful role playing excited by three of the agents as they subtly lead the dealer into taped confessions of his crimes...these confessions needed to nail down the case when the Iranian dealer was extradited to the United States. Shiffman also did a wonderful job describing some of the technology that (sometimes unwittingly?) is exported by US manufacturers and eventually ends up in Chinese, Iranian, Pakistani, or North Korean hands. Engineers in these countries can back engineer much of this material and then produce it on their own, and what they cannot reverse engineer they cleverly dupe US firms to export to a seemingly harmless location. Sadly, these goods end up in terrorist hands and are used against our own soldiers overseas. Overall a captivating story and one that will open your eyes to the dangers born from our own weapons and technology manufacturers.
September 24, 2015
John also co-authored another book I enjoyed, "Priceless.....etc." about the theft of the world's precious art and the ring of thieves who seem to transfer it back and forth!
I truly enjoyed (and not enjoyed) learning about Military proliferation and the countless American Corporations that have sold weapons of mass destruction, parts including gyroscopes, oscilloscopes, infrared, microchips, Stealth technology, Hum-Vees, Helicopters and actual bomber planes to our enemies for billions of dollars of yearly profit but the most devastating thing about all of this is how our men come home without legs, arms and brains from this unbelievable greedy industry!This book covers only a small part of the clandestine operations and brave agents who try and track, prosecute and jail these monsters and the dealers all over the world that work each day to earn a lot of money without regard for human life, let alone our American military! These include Americans! Part of what one must know to vote for those who will commit to caring about American human beings! Good book, pretty deep but written for the technical and non-technical to at least gain an understanding of what kinds of items are sought after and actually shipped to people who value destroying America and it seems like we are loosing the battle to curtail this horrid activity! Money wins out again!
I truly enjoyed (and not enjoyed) learning about Military proliferation and the countless American Corporations that have sold weapons of mass destruction, parts including gyroscopes, oscilloscopes, infrared, microchips, Stealth technology, Hum-Vees, Helicopters and actual bomber planes to our enemies for billions of dollars of yearly profit but the most devastating thing about all of this is how our men come home without legs, arms and brains from this unbelievable greedy industry!This book covers only a small part of the clandestine operations and brave agents who try and track, prosecute and jail these monsters and the dealers all over the world that work each day to earn a lot of money without regard for human life, let alone our American military! These include Americans! Part of what one must know to vote for those who will commit to caring about American human beings! Good book, pretty deep but written for the technical and non-technical to at least gain an understanding of what kinds of items are sought after and actually shipped to people who value destroying America and it seems like we are loosing the battle to curtail this horrid activity! Money wins out again!
October 29, 2021
A story surrounding Homeland Security's efforts to bring down an international arms dealer. As much as I appreciate our government going after people like this, I would also love to see them go after the unnamed U.S. munition and arms manufacturers mentioned in this book that are selling to these guys in the first place.
February 17, 2023
Read for book club. I have trouble rating this book because it is clearly very well researched and clearly presented. Unfortunately, I found that the actual events of Operation Shakespeare, as they were presented, did not seem all that intriguing to me. The Iranian they went after didn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed by a long shot and SPOILERS
absolutely nothing came of the mission other than capturing this one Iranian middle man, of which he is surely to be replaced. No US companies were charged with any crimes, and no one in the US at all was charged.
END SPOILERS Shiffman presented this book as justice served. To me, it was not at all. It would have been much more interesting if he had presented it as a miscarriage of justice, as what happens when powerful capitalists and businesses avoid any charges or retaliation, even though what they were doing will certainly result in people's deaths. Even though government agents may try their hardest to get information and extradite foreign exporters or middle men, ultimately, money and power are supreme and many US companies receive no repercussions or a very very small slap on the wrist. US banks and arms and technology companies that facilitated illegal exportations are the real villain of the story, a villain that is only briefly touched on. I think with some minor tweaks, Shiffman could have presented a more intriguing and powerful story that still had all his important research on full display.
absolutely nothing came of the mission other than capturing this one Iranian middle man, of which he is surely to be replaced. No US companies were charged with any crimes, and no one in the US at all was charged.
END SPOILERS Shiffman presented this book as justice served. To me, it was not at all. It would have been much more interesting if he had presented it as a miscarriage of justice, as what happens when powerful capitalists and businesses avoid any charges or retaliation, even though what they were doing will certainly result in people's deaths. Even though government agents may try their hardest to get information and extradite foreign exporters or middle men, ultimately, money and power are supreme and many US companies receive no repercussions or a very very small slap on the wrist. US banks and arms and technology companies that facilitated illegal exportations are the real villain of the story, a villain that is only briefly touched on. I think with some minor tweaks, Shiffman could have presented a more intriguing and powerful story that still had all his important research on full display.
December 12, 2024
This book is really hard to rate for me. My uncle was the case agent of this case and I remember learning the details of it in high school. There felt to be a lot of unnecessary and inane details. It was cool to get a look into my uncle’s professional life and learn more about the process and his history. That being said, this book didn’t enrich the five to ten minute explanation my uncle gave me at the time. Listened in audiobook so maybe reading the physical copy would’ve led to a better understanding of the details.
October 20, 2017
this reads like a spy novel but is based on actual occurrences. scary to think that people would put their love of money over the safety of our troopsor even the General public. Excellent read only drawback of this read was profane language used by some of the people when upset.
Read
February 9, 2023Read this one for a book club. Definitely not my typical genre but very interesting. I love military related films and documentaries so I think I would have absorbed more if this had been a documentary. Overall pretty interesting and informative.
January 23, 2018
An easy and fun read. I will be reading his other book about FBI art crimes. However as I was reading this book it is hard to distinguish fact from fiction.
January 17, 2018
More of a Brian book than a me book.
February 2, 2021
A brisk story that sheds light on the business of illegal military technology, law enforcement efforts to stop it, and the challenges of undercover investigations.
October 10, 2024
A very well researched and interesting book. From his evenhanded approach to the characters it was clear Shiffman made good use of his extensive interviews from all sides of this operation.
March 30, 2017
Well balanced. Explaining a complex operation in a comprehensible way.
August 11, 2014
Officially, this book is sub-titled "The True Story of an Elite International Sting". Though calling it "Elite" might be pushing it a little far (Simon and Schuster's marketing department apparently thought they were not pushing it), Operation Shakespeare, by John Shiffman, nevertheless tells a fascinating tale of modern-day weapons and technology smuggling and the long, often bureaucratic game U.S. law enforcement plays in their efforts to stop it.
Specifically, the book tells the story of a mysterious Iranian arms broker only known as Alex Dave and the efforts by Homeland Security agents to lure him out of Iran to take him down for smuggling U.S. military products and money laundering. More broadly, however, the author uses the events in the book to illustrate the overall state of affairs when it comes to reigning in such illegal activity. From complicated international law, such as running an operation in a foreign country and negotiating extradition, to the range of specific evidence needed to build an effective case, to the political ramifications of an actual arrest. Operations often take years to put together, only to dissolve suddenly at the stroke of a diplomat's pen.
Such operations are also dangerous when it comes to meetings and arrests, as it is almost impossible to know what the other side is thinking. U.S. agents don't know if they've been made and what the consequences are if their cover is blown, or if the arms broker is simply a violent person. There are many risks, physical and financial, just to take down one target.
Early in the book the author takes the time to introduce readers to each major player in the sting, giving backgrounds and motivations for their career choices. There are agents in the U.S., a former arms broker in England, and a storefront cover in Eastern Europe run by an aging veteran agent. The details of these people and places brought up at the beginning bring a lot more interest to the operation itself when it finally picks up and moves into the end game. It's a well structured narrative that builds up nicely as it moves along, taking the reader through the setup and execution of the sting. Even though it's a non-fiction book, it moves with the pace of a contemporary spy thriller. That's both good and bad. Good in that there isn't a dull moment. The bad part I'll get to in a moment (it's not that bad).
Along the way the author gets into recent history of U.S. companies found guilty of violating export laws, moving sensitive information overseas, and money laundering. It's a surprisingly extensive list that includes major government defense contractors. Of course, what was the punishment for these companies? Fines and new defense contracts. For the banks laundering money, well ... you probably already know how many were arrested for that.
This brings me to the downside of John Shiffman's narrative.
WARNING: A FEW SPOILERS
I got the feeling that the author wanted to draw some conclusions regarding how the U.S. justice system treats individuals vs. companies, how politics can play a role, and if the reward is worth the risk. But he never quite did. For example, he offers a lengthy section regarding ITT NV (International Telephone & Telegraph – Night Vision, a subsidiary of ITT). For over 30 years, starting in the late 1970s, ITT NV had contracts with the U.S. government to make night vision technology. During the same period they routinely broke export laws and sent technical data and other classified/sensitive information to several countries overseas, including to China. Criminal charges were brought. What was the punishment? A fine, part of which the company had to use to develop NEW NIGHT VISION TECHNOLOGY. Huh? Oh, and no one was arrested. Yet when the Iranian in this book was taken down, they threw the weight of the law at him and put him in prison. There's more to it than that, but I don't want to spoil everything.
Stopping the smuggling of U.S. military tech is important. Many of us have relatives in the military and we'd like to keep them safe. But in the end, are low-level foreign brokers worth the time and risk put forth by these U.S. agents? Are they actually tackling the real problem? If all you do is fine American companies for their wrongdoing and then let them get on with business, does that really keep them from breaking U.S. laws when it comes to exporting, smuggling, and money laundering? What's their incentive to stop? Morals?
I thought the author would take the information he delivered in the book and give the reader his perspective on it. But he pulled back and I wish he wouldn't have. I would like to know what he thought about it all. Instead he kept the feel of a thriller going right through the end.
A minor complaint, though, for this excellent read.
Specifically, the book tells the story of a mysterious Iranian arms broker only known as Alex Dave and the efforts by Homeland Security agents to lure him out of Iran to take him down for smuggling U.S. military products and money laundering. More broadly, however, the author uses the events in the book to illustrate the overall state of affairs when it comes to reigning in such illegal activity. From complicated international law, such as running an operation in a foreign country and negotiating extradition, to the range of specific evidence needed to build an effective case, to the political ramifications of an actual arrest. Operations often take years to put together, only to dissolve suddenly at the stroke of a diplomat's pen.
Such operations are also dangerous when it comes to meetings and arrests, as it is almost impossible to know what the other side is thinking. U.S. agents don't know if they've been made and what the consequences are if their cover is blown, or if the arms broker is simply a violent person. There are many risks, physical and financial, just to take down one target.
Early in the book the author takes the time to introduce readers to each major player in the sting, giving backgrounds and motivations for their career choices. There are agents in the U.S., a former arms broker in England, and a storefront cover in Eastern Europe run by an aging veteran agent. The details of these people and places brought up at the beginning bring a lot more interest to the operation itself when it finally picks up and moves into the end game. It's a well structured narrative that builds up nicely as it moves along, taking the reader through the setup and execution of the sting. Even though it's a non-fiction book, it moves with the pace of a contemporary spy thriller. That's both good and bad. Good in that there isn't a dull moment. The bad part I'll get to in a moment (it's not that bad).
Along the way the author gets into recent history of U.S. companies found guilty of violating export laws, moving sensitive information overseas, and money laundering. It's a surprisingly extensive list that includes major government defense contractors. Of course, what was the punishment for these companies? Fines and new defense contracts. For the banks laundering money, well ... you probably already know how many were arrested for that.
This brings me to the downside of John Shiffman's narrative.
WARNING: A FEW SPOILERS
I got the feeling that the author wanted to draw some conclusions regarding how the U.S. justice system treats individuals vs. companies, how politics can play a role, and if the reward is worth the risk. But he never quite did. For example, he offers a lengthy section regarding ITT NV (International Telephone & Telegraph – Night Vision, a subsidiary of ITT). For over 30 years, starting in the late 1970s, ITT NV had contracts with the U.S. government to make night vision technology. During the same period they routinely broke export laws and sent technical data and other classified/sensitive information to several countries overseas, including to China. Criminal charges were brought. What was the punishment? A fine, part of which the company had to use to develop NEW NIGHT VISION TECHNOLOGY. Huh? Oh, and no one was arrested. Yet when the Iranian in this book was taken down, they threw the weight of the law at him and put him in prison. There's more to it than that, but I don't want to spoil everything.
Stopping the smuggling of U.S. military tech is important. Many of us have relatives in the military and we'd like to keep them safe. But in the end, are low-level foreign brokers worth the time and risk put forth by these U.S. agents? Are they actually tackling the real problem? If all you do is fine American companies for their wrongdoing and then let them get on with business, does that really keep them from breaking U.S. laws when it comes to exporting, smuggling, and money laundering? What's their incentive to stop? Morals?
I thought the author would take the information he delivered in the book and give the reader his perspective on it. But he pulled back and I wish he wouldn't have. I would like to know what he thought about it all. Instead he kept the feel of a thriller going right through the end.
A minor complaint, though, for this excellent read.
September 13, 2016
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.25/5
Author John Shiffman has written an exciting espionage thriller ... no, wait a minute ... this isn't a work of fiction! This is a well-researched, thoroughly documented expose of a true international sting that reads like an espionage thriller!
First off, the title.... I'll admit that I was, in part, interested in this based on the title as I have a passing interest in Shakespeare. But the 'Shakespeare' moniker is very misleading. It comes up maybe twice in the book, and while I got a real kick out of how the name for the operation came about, it has nothing to do with Shakespeare. No big deal...it's still a great read...but be wary all you Shakespeare geeks.
I'm the sort of person who likes watching Cops because I like seeing the criminals get what's coming to them. I like seeing that good will triumph over evil. And for that reason, I also enjoy reading this sort of book ... where the criminal is caught, justice prevails, and the American way of life is preserved for another day. Author John Shiffman gives us that good-over-evil with the conclusion of a successful mission (I don't think that's a spoiler), but at the same time, reading through this, I couldn't help but get a strong sense of frustration.
It becomes clear that this mission would never have gotten off the ground, never been followed through, and never would have reached a successful conclusion if it weren't for the dedication of a few individuals who often had to fight against their own support groups to get what they needed. I also read in to this that it's generally by great strokes of luck that our government is able to find and catch those who are stealing American military technology. If it weren't for the hubris and general stupidity of the victim here, it's likely that he never would have been caught, much less with his laptop computer containing a great deal of information.
What is also clear is that it is the greed of American corporations leads to much of this technology 'theft' (it isn't theft if our companies sell it or give it away). The victim in this sting was successful for the Iranians partly because American companies are often willing to make a $ale to a questionable buyer. By convincing themselves (and the American government) that the item sold is for non-military purposes, they will gladly profit at the expense of American' soldier's lives. For instance... the book reports on the sale of triggered spark gap switches, ostensibly for medical purposes, sold to an Israeli in South African. Hospitals tend to only order a "handful" of the switches because, for medical purposes, they can be reused many times for the purposes of crushing kidney stones. However, those same switches are also used for making bombs, in which case they can be only used once and are ordered by the hundreds. (This same 'buyer' also helped to arrange for the sale of $1.3 million worth of oscilloscopes, again ostensibly for medical purposes, though the scopes have value to the nuclear weapons industry and the sale ultimately went through to a U.S. prohibited company in Pakistan.)
Shiffman sets up the book with the introduction of the major characters, and just like a good espionage novel, he slowly reveals how the players manage to come together in the sting. Unlike a typical espionage thriller, however, in which there would probably be a wake of bodies and a good foot-chase and shoot-out at the end, this book ends with a bit of a whimper (although the denouement is thrilling as it does look like it won't come off due to bureaucratic in-action).
It's great to see that sometimes our (American) action to stop the sale/theft of military technology actually works, but this book should also be a wake-up call to Americans (and our allies) everywhere that we need to be more diligent about calling for the safety of our citizens and soldiers. Greed should not cost lives. Making a sale of equipment that has military potential should not be the end of the story for any corporation. If items are sold over-seas, there needs to be follow-up, on the part of the companies involved, to ensure that the equipment is being used for non-military intents.
Looking for a good book? Operation Shakespeare is a great non-fiction espionage thriller.
Author John Shiffman has written an exciting espionage thriller ... no, wait a minute ... this isn't a work of fiction! This is a well-researched, thoroughly documented expose of a true international sting that reads like an espionage thriller!
First off, the title.... I'll admit that I was, in part, interested in this based on the title as I have a passing interest in Shakespeare. But the 'Shakespeare' moniker is very misleading. It comes up maybe twice in the book, and while I got a real kick out of how the name for the operation came about, it has nothing to do with Shakespeare. No big deal...it's still a great read...but be wary all you Shakespeare geeks.
I'm the sort of person who likes watching Cops because I like seeing the criminals get what's coming to them. I like seeing that good will triumph over evil. And for that reason, I also enjoy reading this sort of book ... where the criminal is caught, justice prevails, and the American way of life is preserved for another day. Author John Shiffman gives us that good-over-evil with the conclusion of a successful mission (I don't think that's a spoiler), but at the same time, reading through this, I couldn't help but get a strong sense of frustration.
It becomes clear that this mission would never have gotten off the ground, never been followed through, and never would have reached a successful conclusion if it weren't for the dedication of a few individuals who often had to fight against their own support groups to get what they needed. I also read in to this that it's generally by great strokes of luck that our government is able to find and catch those who are stealing American military technology. If it weren't for the hubris and general stupidity of the victim here, it's likely that he never would have been caught, much less with his laptop computer containing a great deal of information.
What is also clear is that it is the greed of American corporations leads to much of this technology 'theft' (it isn't theft if our companies sell it or give it away). The victim in this sting was successful for the Iranians partly because American companies are often willing to make a $ale to a questionable buyer. By convincing themselves (and the American government) that the item sold is for non-military purposes, they will gladly profit at the expense of American' soldier's lives. For instance... the book reports on the sale of triggered spark gap switches, ostensibly for medical purposes, sold to an Israeli in South African. Hospitals tend to only order a "handful" of the switches because, for medical purposes, they can be reused many times for the purposes of crushing kidney stones. However, those same switches are also used for making bombs, in which case they can be only used once and are ordered by the hundreds. (This same 'buyer' also helped to arrange for the sale of $1.3 million worth of oscilloscopes, again ostensibly for medical purposes, though the scopes have value to the nuclear weapons industry and the sale ultimately went through to a U.S. prohibited company in Pakistan.)
Shiffman sets up the book with the introduction of the major characters, and just like a good espionage novel, he slowly reveals how the players manage to come together in the sting. Unlike a typical espionage thriller, however, in which there would probably be a wake of bodies and a good foot-chase and shoot-out at the end, this book ends with a bit of a whimper (although the denouement is thrilling as it does look like it won't come off due to bureaucratic in-action).
It's great to see that sometimes our (American) action to stop the sale/theft of military technology actually works, but this book should also be a wake-up call to Americans (and our allies) everywhere that we need to be more diligent about calling for the safety of our citizens and soldiers. Greed should not cost lives. Making a sale of equipment that has military potential should not be the end of the story for any corporation. If items are sold over-seas, there needs to be follow-up, on the part of the companies involved, to ensure that the equipment is being used for non-military intents.
Looking for a good book? Operation Shakespeare is a great non-fiction espionage thriller.
September 3, 2025
A real-life thriller with lots of juicy spy stuff.
August 11, 2021
Operation Shakespeare explores the dark world of illicit technology transfer which has implications on the war on terror and nuclear proliferation. The book clearly describes the American efforts to curb smuggling of sensitive technology to preserve its technological advantage with adversaries like China and Russia closing the gap. The hunt for cutting edge technology was always there but improvements in digital technology has only made it easier. Law enforcement will have to catch up if it is to be relevant in the dangerous game of technology proliferation. Though the author has described an effort to bust an Iranian attempt, the fact that even an individual Iranian with little or no state support could get within touching distance of access of sensitive technology clearly demonstrates the dangers and advancements in illegal technology proliferation. It also demonstrates the huge number of cases missed by the agencies because those participants may have been more technologically advanced and may even have had state support. The book is very enlightening but may be because of security restrictions details of technology involved in surveillance of the prospective buyer hasn't been shared. Overall a good read for those who want to understand the dangers of illegal technology transfer.
April 8, 2019
"Operation Shakespeare", by John Shiffman, tells an unsettling story of how many foreign nations conspire to illegally obtain sophisticated technology, parts, and even complete weapon systems from United States manufacturers, suppliers or users. Export controls and severe sharing restrictions on this high-tech equipment have proven to be surprisingly ineffective. This may be due, in some part, to overly complex rules and regulations and suppliers misunderstandings, but a willingness to look past the regulations for greed and profit may play the larger role. The net result of this illegal trade is that the years of research and development and millions of dollars spent to develop this technology can be lost overnight. Technology and systems designed to advance and protect American interests are being obtained by others, especially competitors and unfriendly countries, making any technological advantage disappear.
Losses can occur in any of a variety of industries, but the author goes into some detail of how this can impact the military. Homeland Security personnel became aware of Middle East buyers seeking complex military parts, which if obtained, could be used against American forces fighting in that region. They had discovered, for example, many of the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) used in Iraq to cause so many American casualties were as effective as they were because of American sensors and timers illegally obtained and used in the IEDs.
Determining how these devices were obtained can be difficult, and prosecuting those involved much more difficult, especially if the culprits remain on foreign soil. Government managers often won't spend the time and trouble to prosecute cases such as these since the likelihood of success is low, and the cost is high. Instead, many prosecutors stick to the easy cases involving drug busts at the border, or easy smuggling cases which fall in their lap. The rare exception to this attitude was an operation designated Operation Shakespeare. Agents set up a sting operation to meet, befriend, and trap an active Iranian arms buyer. The Iranian broker had links with American companies, European banks, and clients in Iranian and Chinese governments, and was attempting to obtain missile guidance equipment, a variety of military hardware, radar jamming devices, etc. Eventually, the agents were successful in luring the arms broker to Georgia where he was arrested and jailed. His arrest produced a treasure trove of intelligence, allowing intelligence agents to open numerous other investigations. Unfortunately, few if any successful follow-up operations occurred, other than to warn U.S. manufacturers and suppliers of the sophisticated equipment to be more careful in following export restrictions.
Losses can occur in any of a variety of industries, but the author goes into some detail of how this can impact the military. Homeland Security personnel became aware of Middle East buyers seeking complex military parts, which if obtained, could be used against American forces fighting in that region. They had discovered, for example, many of the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) used in Iraq to cause so many American casualties were as effective as they were because of American sensors and timers illegally obtained and used in the IEDs.
Determining how these devices were obtained can be difficult, and prosecuting those involved much more difficult, especially if the culprits remain on foreign soil. Government managers often won't spend the time and trouble to prosecute cases such as these since the likelihood of success is low, and the cost is high. Instead, many prosecutors stick to the easy cases involving drug busts at the border, or easy smuggling cases which fall in their lap. The rare exception to this attitude was an operation designated Operation Shakespeare. Agents set up a sting operation to meet, befriend, and trap an active Iranian arms buyer. The Iranian broker had links with American companies, European banks, and clients in Iranian and Chinese governments, and was attempting to obtain missile guidance equipment, a variety of military hardware, radar jamming devices, etc. Eventually, the agents were successful in luring the arms broker to Georgia where he was arrested and jailed. His arrest produced a treasure trove of intelligence, allowing intelligence agents to open numerous other investigations. Unfortunately, few if any successful follow-up operations occurred, other than to warn U.S. manufacturers and suppliers of the sophisticated equipment to be more careful in following export restrictions.
January 7, 2016
This was a very interesting book. It was a bit like reading an international spy-type novel, but was more fascinating to me because it was a real, true story. I was impressed by the overwhelming complexity involved with protecting American security in an international environment. This sting of an undercover Iranian broker of military technology items was rare indeed. It tells me that there are constantly many such shadowy agents operating for personal profit circumventing laws of many nations that are getting away with it because of the difficulty of catching them and prosecuting them under law that is foreign to them. It must be very frustrating working as an agent to apprehend those characters for years and at great risk, only to have it go up in smoke because of not meeting one legal requirement of the countries involved or running afoul of someone in power's political agenda. Considering the complexity of the subject, the book was not a difficult read and was very much an eye-opener and worth reading.
August 8, 2014
Reading international intrigue is always fun, but when you know a book protrays an actual event it raises the level of excitment. Shiffman recounts a compelling counter-intelligence operation. The book jumped around a bit in order to bring the back stories together, but the story is meticulously told. What lingers with me the most after finishing the book is that Shiffman has made me aware of just how often and regularly the security of the United States is breached and that we find our own military equipment being used against our military. This good read has given me something to think about for a long time.
This review is provided after reading a copy supplied free from the publisher through Goodread First Reads.
This review is provided after reading a copy supplied free from the publisher through Goodread First Reads.
February 20, 2016
The subject was interesting. The writing was very clear and the plot was laid out very well. What I didn't like was that right up through the sting the language was relatively clean, then in the very next chapter there were several used of an extremely vile word. Up until that point I was enjoying a book about law enforcement and crooks that was clean. It's hard to find a book like that. Then he included that little scene that really wasn't even necessary to the flow of the story and spoiled the whole thing.
That's really all I have to say about this book. I can't recommend it to anyone because of that.
That's really all I have to say about this book. I can't recommend it to anyone because of that.
December 6, 2016
I learned how foreign countries (in this case Iran) get around import/export laws of prohibited technology and money laundering and how messed up the US bureaucracy is and how hard it is to create a sting operation in a foreign country where the US has no jurisdiction.
I did like how the bad guy was just trying to make a living. How the good guys were trying to save lives in the best case and in the worse case, kept foreign countries from acquiring our technology.
Interesting that all the good guys got promoted and wound up in high level jobs and the story makes it seem that what they did was an exception and the government mainly does nothing.
I did like how the bad guy was just trying to make a living. How the good guys were trying to save lives in the best case and in the worse case, kept foreign countries from acquiring our technology.
Interesting that all the good guys got promoted and wound up in high level jobs and the story makes it seem that what they did was an exception and the government mainly does nothing.
November 29, 2014
A little too detail orientated for me. I'm not sure I want to know all the details of what the government is doing and how. I can appreciate all the work and danger that the agents are going through, but I think the average Joe wants their secret agents to be more James Bond-ish rather than the realism that this book is showing. I do like the fact that the actions of the supposed bad guys seemed to be based on criteria that we could all relate to.....making money, supporting families, etc. instead of just portraying them as lunatics.
April 21, 2015
I won an ARC of this book in a goodreads giveaway. Ok so I liked this book but I didn't love it and I think it's because it starts off interesting and reading almost like a spy novel but then it kind of went away from that and then went back to it at the end. I felt like it didn't flow all the way through. The beginning and the end flowed nicely but it seemed like that middle section didn't. I think that's why I had a hard time reading it. I think I'll reread it at a different time and see if I feel differently about it. It was an interesting read just really hard to get into.
August 2, 2014
Another fabulous non-fiction account by Shiffman of an international sting that reads like fast paced fiction. Importantly calls out the infuriating reality of US companies (including ones with huge government contracts) violating the law in ways that result in US soldier deaths and harm to US interests with impunity and US government agencies bungling, turf fighting and stultifying bureaucracy.
September 8, 2014
Reads like a spy novel, except it's true! Pretty disturbing the number of American companies who have sold parts and equipment to Iran and other nations that then use them against our troops in such weapons as IEDs. Well written and documented. Reading it made me angry...profit before safety of our soldiers!
July 24, 2015
It is amazing to me that the government does not do more to prevent American companies from selling equipment that can then be used to kill our troops. I get that no one wants to limit businesses from operating freely these days, but I just don't understand how it's okay that these companies are strengthening the military capabilities of countries who wish us ill.
July 10, 2016
There is a wonderful 12 page New Yorker article somewhere hidden In this book 256 page book. But I can't go on reading it.
Really? An entire page describing Hall's love of fly fishing? What does this have to to with the story? Just because a journalist learns a fact doesn't mean he or she needs to write it up. Too many digressions that are both boring and fail to further the narrative.
Really? An entire page describing Hall's love of fly fishing? What does this have to to with the story? Just because a journalist learns a fact doesn't mean he or she needs to write it up. Too many digressions that are both boring and fail to further the narrative.
October 11, 2014
Fascinating Book
The details about this particular incident make for a page turning read. The big picture regarding the black market and the geo political interactions, was to me even more intriguing.
The details about this particular incident make for a page turning read. The big picture regarding the black market and the geo political interactions, was to me even more intriguing.
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