21st century. He wishes to make the espionage agency more opera-
tional. Soon after assuming his post, he called a meeting of department
heads and declared that he intended to convert the hedonistic, over-
weight organization he inherited from Efraim Halevyinto a lean fight-
ing body. From his subordinates he demanded self-sacrifice, absolute
obedience, blind and unquestioning execution of orders, and uncom-
promising adherence to values. Gradually, though, Mossad personnel
realized that Dagan did not practice what he preached, and about 200
case officers, including seven station heads, resigned in protest.
Dagan constantly speaks of the almost-completed Iranian uranium
enrichment plant in the central Kashan area, which could eventually
serve to manufacture about a dozen nuclear bombs. He has described
this scenario as the greatest threat Israel has ever faced. He did not
say how Israel would counter this threat.DAMOCLES OPERATION.After the 1956 Sinai Campaign, Egypt-
ian president Gamal Abdel Nasser wanted West Germany to build a
surface-to-surface missile capability for Egypt that could be used in
a future war against Israel. In 1962 Isser Harellearned that work on
the project had begun and requested that Israeli prime minister David
Ben-Gurion formally seek the intervention of West German Chancel-
lor Konrad Adenauer to halt it. However, Ben-Gurion was deter-
mined not to clash with the West German government. At his own
initiative, Harel thereupon set in motion subversive actions, with the
overall title Damocles Operation, against German scientists working
on the project in Egypt and their families. This campaign involved
abductions and letter bombs, causing the deaths of at least five peo-
ple in 1962 and 1963. Some of the letters were mailed by an Israeli
spy in Egypt, Wolfgang Lotz. Aharon Moshel, another Israeli spy
in Egypt, also engaged in hunting German scientists in that country.
Measures against Germans involved in the missile project were
also carried out in Europe by Mossad agents, commanded in Europe
by case officer Joseph (Joe) Ra’anan. He had joined the Mossad af-
ter serving as an intelligence officer in the Israel Air Force. Another
key figure was Yitzhak Shamir. He and Harel traveled frequently to
Europe to oversee Damocles Operation from their Paris hotel room.
One success was the disappearance of Dr. Heinz Krug, probably mur-
dered in September 1962. In February 1963 Dr. Hans Kleinwachter,DAMOCLES OPERATION•7306-102 (02) A-G.qxd 3/24/06 7:23 AM Page 73