title: The Retriever
author: Vitale, Joseph
description: Because of life threatening circumstances and a Presidential Directive an American businessman, and former Army Officer, is asked to initiate plans for a hostage rescue. But the hostages, American Consulate personnel in a Far East country, become secondary to an unexpected and inter-related problem - a possible shutdown of the entire offensive missile deployment within the United States. We learn more of this central character through boyhood memories, his successes in various research and rescue missions and a brief stay in a Near East country where he falls in love with Yasmin, a French-Arabian princess. Because of the relationship he's assigned to the American Consulate in London as Military Attache. While there he meets Reggie, an attractive artist and the start of a brief affair. Recalled to the United States he's ordered to organize a unit for the retrieval of American prisoners of war in North Vietnam. During the successful operation he's wounded in body and mind. He heals, leaves the hospital and resigns his commission. A consulting venture brings him once again to London and the start of an international organization. Then, at the request of his former mentor, General Eisen, now a Chief of Staff, he accepts responsibility for the mission and, hopefully, locate information to determine of the free world had lost it's only defense against a Soviet missile attack.