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Thien Van Tran

Mark Mansfield
POL 354
March 21, 2013
American Assassin
Mitch Rapp is a changed man. Gone are the days of doing homework and playing
lacrosse. The motivation to study and compete for the sake of his alma mater has been
supplanted with the drive to hunt and kill for the security of his country. Vince Flynns American
Assassin documents the early career of Mitch Rapp, a college graduate who stumbles into the
world of clandestine operations. While the story is remarkably riveting and detailed, there are
numerous areas where the novel detaches from the true nature of the Central Intelligence
Agency. This departure from reality is most present in the novels portrayal of recruitment,
training, and deployment of assets, where the author chooses instead to dive into the realm of
myth and misconception.
The recruitment of CIA officers into the National Clandestine Service is a very selective
and involved task, but the process is initiated by the applicant. This is not the case for Mitch
Rapp. The Agency pursues him, delves into his history, and deems him a suitable, perhaps even
exceptional, candidate for an available job. Admittedly, the notion that a secret government
agency seeks out exceptional individuals for mysterious purposes is glamorous, but truth be told,
the application process is much more transparent, especially in recent years. The requirements
are numerous, and while there is no set mold that case officers must fit into, there is one
fundamental condition: ones patriotism and allegiance to the United States of America must be
steadfast. As Mark Lowenthal indicates in his book, Intelligence: From Secrets to Policy, some
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of these necessary skills that make an exceptional case officer are inborn, much like the talents of
a musician or star athlete. This may refer to the ability to adopt languages with ease, or having a
knack for manipulating and predicting human behavior. Mitch possesses none of these, but that
does not matter; the CIA is interested in his vengeful mindset and his hatred for terrorists. This is
simply an extreme and radical view that is not shared by the Agency of today.
It is no huge secret that the training and preparation of CIA officers takes place at a
location known as the Farm. American Assassin does indeed stay true to the facts in this aspect,
but that is where the parallels end. The training includes only a handful of males who are
depicted as stereotypical knuckle-draggers, chosen to do the dirty work of the CIA. The man in
charge is an old officer from the days of the Office of Strategic Services, and the entire affair is
very much treated as the old boys club, where females were out of place. This is starkly in
contrast with what we know to be true; not only do women play a substantial role as case
officers, but many critics will argue that some of qualities that women possess may allow them
to be more perceptive in the role.
Nonetheless, one may assume that Vince Flynns depiction only included males by
chance, that females could be chosen but there just didnt happen to be any candidates this time
around. Even if this is true, another clear objection is present in the novel. The candidates are
positioned against each other, to prove themselves worthy and to compete for the job. Only one
or two will come out on top, and the rest will go home. These lucky (or unlucky) few will then
be used for virtually all of the operations in the novel as well as subsequent novels in the series.
As two CIA case officers, Jenna and Allan, have clarified, officers may rotate among various
locations internationally, but it takes time. More language capabilities may need to be learned or
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additional training is required for hostile areas. It is very rare to have a single man (or woman)
who is exceptional at almost everything. Mitch Rapp appears to be the answer to every situation.
Now lets suppose that such an individual does exist in the employment of the CIA. Since
Mitch Rapps rsum consists almost entirely of covert action, Vince Flynns accounts of his
exploits may be true and no one would ever know since theyre kept secret, right? This is very
incorrect in many respects. First, as Mark Lowenthal explains, a presidential finding is required
for every covert action. Essentially, the President of the United States must approve the activity.
With the exception of one or two instances, none of Mitch Rapps doings are reported to the
president. In fact, his entire existence is vehemently denied when any authorities inquire about
such an individual. Even when the President becomes aware of his presence, his role is that of a
bystander. Secondly, Congress must be notified and records must be kept. This entire concept is
thrown out the window, and the idea of Congressional oversight is painted as the bane of the
CIAs existence.
With a title like American Assassin, there is no avoiding the exciting (as former CIA
Director Michael Hayden put it), or sexy side of the CIA, which is primarily attributed to the
National Clandestine Service. This operational side is where the Vince Flynns CIA and the real
CIA become two completely different entities.
The first matter of distinction is the questionable nature of assassination itself. It is a
known fact that assassinations are not permitted by United States law, unless the target is an
enemy combatant in a state of war. Picture the following. There exists a terrorist who is known
to have been highly involved in the plot to execute the September 11, 2001 attacks, and is
actively planning to carry out more operations at the cost of many more innocent lives. The idea
of killing this individual is probably not too difficult to swallow for the majority of the country.
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Mitch Rapp would agree. But what if, the terrorist was an American citizen, and his ties to the
attacks were not so obvious? Even the most firm supporter may falter in light of this new
information. Mitch Rapp? This revelation would deter him about as much as tossing a water
balloon at a grizzly bear. For him, assassination is the preferred (and usually the coolest) answer
for the toughest questions.
The second operational distinction that Vince Flynn blatantly disregards is the issue of
jurisdiction. Recall the earlier image of the American terrorist. Now picture this American living
in a suburban home in southern Virginia. Suppose that he (or she) even has ties to dirty
politicians in Washington, D.C. who fund his operations. Its a scary thought, one of homegrown
terrorists living among us. But worry not. Mitch Rapp will promptly visit them in the cover of
night to end their lives with a single bullet between the eyes, as he does frequently in his novels.
While there may be some who welcome this thought of justice being served, the situation is
absurd. As newly-confirmed CIA Director John Brennan and President Barack Obama have
clearly demonstrated, the notion of targeted killings in America is a sensitive subject.
Furthermore, the realm of domestic security falls into the lap of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. This fictional CIA appears to have precedence in every region of the globe.
Now this Mitch Rapp fellow appears to be quite the loose-cannon, and you may worry
about what would happen if he decided to act against the United States. You wouldnt be the
only one. In fact, American Assassin contains numerous points where those who are involved
express the same concerns. This leads into the next contrast between Vince Flynns CIA and the
real CIA. His character was able to develop into this vigilante-esque role because he has no
oversight, congressional or otherwise.
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He works almost exclusively alone, without any support from any analysts or other CIA
employees. Lowenthal refers to the CIAs plumbing, which is the framework or infrastructure
that is in place that allows various covert operations to be conducted. This plumbing may not be
available at every desired location, and therefore long lead times are required to develop the
necessary resources. No such framework is required in the novel. The Rapp is inserted and
extracted from various locations on very short notice with nothing more than a handgun he
somehow managed to smuggle into the country. At any particular time, approximately one
person at the entire Central Intelligence Agency knows of his status. Any operation of this nature
in real life would almost certainly fail. This leads into the final discrepancy between the true CIA
and the represented equivalent.
Among the criteria used to evaluate the appropriateness of covert action, is the indication
that there is a reasonable chance of success. If the risk of exposure and failure are too great, the
entire enterprise may be scrapped before it leaves the conceptual phase. However, the novel
thrives on these impossible missions, with Rapps ever-present attitude of I dont want the
easy jobs. Undeniably, this allows for a more compelling story filled with danger and
uncertainty. This may also appear to align with some recent events in history, such as the Bay of
Pigs and Iran-Contra failures. The probability of success may have been minimal, but the
operations proceeded nonetheless. But, there is a key difference: these attempts are viewed today
as failures, while Rapps arrogance is continually seen as an asset and a possible solution to
increasingly difficult problems. This fictional CIA is much less risk-averse than it is in reality,
which renders it even more vulnerable to controversy, which many may believe to be impossible.
While the concept of a mysterious, lone assassin conducting life-risking covert operations
both domestically and abroad to ensure the safety of the nation is exhilarating, Vince Flynns
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depictions have allowed the publics view of the Central Intelligence Agency to become wildly
inaccurate. Recruitment in itself is a covert task, training is a cutthroat, competition amongst
physically-fit men, and assassination is just a weekend job. The protagonist operates outside of
the laws of the United States, and is seen as the answer any job too hazardous for traditional
methods. In reality, the CIA is much more transparent, and much less extreme. There is an
application process. Training may or may not include any weapons. A covert action may simply
refer to a propaganda effort. But some Americans may be more content with Flynns glorified
CIA. Some may actually like the idea of an American Assassin.