An Iraqi Jew in the Mossad

the long version

This is the story of Joshua Horesh and his career in military intelligence. Set among three continents and spanning four perilous decades, it is a story of unflinching loyalty and supreme patriotism, of covert actions and identities, underground alliances, unjust imprisonment, and breaking "unbreakable" codes. Born in Baghdad to Jewish parents in 1920, Horesh left Iraq in 1938 when Nazism spread across the country. His unique background allowed him to work with British Intelligence during World War II, where he served with distinction until jailed in Cairo. Sentenced to deportation from Egypt to Beirut, the author escaped to what was then called simply Palestine and rejoined the British forces. But, this time he secretly served the Palestinian Jewish underground, providing information on British policies toward the Jews. Horesh then served as an intelligence officer in Israel's 1948 War of Independence, and he was successful in breaking Egypt's military codes. After the war he joined the new Israeli government's intelligence service, the Mossad, working primarily in Turkey and Austria under an assumed Arab identity.