The Set Up, 1984

This story is based on real events that took place in 1984. When an inexperienced crew set off to bring a yacht full of cannabis resin from Lebanon to London, they had no idea they were not simply drug trafficking but participating in what the British government would call "Operation Bishop."

The crew found themselves part of an international drama linked to the foreign policies of the British and U.S. governments, trapped at the nexus of the Cold War and the war against terrorism. This celebrated case was silenced by the British government, the records still classified and not to be publicly available for 80 years--until 2064. This fictionalized story imagines the crew members, their journey, their prison time, and their trials, and why the British government took such an unusual step to hide details of Operation Bishop.

Actual historical figures in this book include President Reagan, CIA Director William Casey, National Security Council staff Oliver North, and Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi as well as Casey's friends in international business. Scenes with these historical people are imagined, but their involvement in the Iran Contra affair is well documented. See Discussion of Sources. The participants in Operation Bishop presented in this novel are imagined and any resemblance to the actual participants is coincidental and unintended.

A study guide and an appendix are included.