Robert Eringer next met Prince Albert on June 14th (2004) at eleven a.m. in M-Base to facilitate separate SIS and CIA briefings, and to brief the Prince himself on FLOATER's progress with Operation Hound Dog, which riveted Albert's oft-deficient attention span.
FLOATER had visited Paris and met with Romain Clergeat, of Paris Match, from whom he gleaned that publication's perspective of the Prince, along with Clergeat's main sources of information on the principality.
FLOATER had next traveled to Rome and met with Michaela Aurti, who covered the Royal Beat for Oggi, and who had been writing about the Grimaldi family for fifteen years.
Now FLOATER was in the midst of following up the various sources provided him.
The Prince expressed amazement by what Operation Hound Dog had reaped so quickly. He requested that his spymaster not only aggressively continue this ruse, but also include some of his close personal friends, who had been divulged as sources.
Next on Eringer's agenda: the brothers from New Zealand and Operation Spook. As part of this operation, the Prince, at Eringer's request, had asked a Monaco police inspector to look into their properties. Whether or not this inspector's gumshoe tactics tipped them off, or whether he had leaked his mission, or word reached the brothers through their own police sources, Eringer could not be certain.
But by now Eringer had placed a spy in their midst and so he knew the brothers had indeed been spooked. Moreover, Eringer's spy provided a list of everyone working inside the brothers' offices, along with job descriptions and telephone extension numbers, including commodity traders.
Eringer also learned that the brothers planned to move their un-registered commodities business to Dubai. Their new dictum: Dubai for work, Sardinia for play. This was excellent news, which Eringer chalked up as another success. The spymaster's brief was to secure Monaco, let the brothers and those of their ilk become some other country's headache.
Finally, Eringer and the Prince discussed logistics for their upcoming trip to Washington DC for a private dinner with U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, U.S. Representative Jim Gibbons, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Porter Goss, who, any day, would be nominated Director of Central Intelligence.
There was also the possibility, Eringer told the Prince, of meeting briefly with Secretary of State Colin Powell.
"Do you think it's important?" asked Albert. "I'd rather go back to my friend's strip club in Baltimore."
Eringer thought the Prince was joking, but soon realized he was not.
This was the first moment Eringer questioned, to himself, the Prince's ability to rule Monaco.
Eringer felt a need, at this two-year-juncture, to remind himself of the successes thus far, and noted them in leather journal Number Four:
Prevented a corrupt Russian from buying into football team.
Spawned FBI investigation of MING.
Identified brothers from New Zealand doing unregistered, unlawful business in Monaco, leading to Operation Spook.
Created liaison partnerships with CIA and SIS. Additionally, created relationships with U.S. political leaders on intelligence oversight committees.
Staved off approaches from Patric Maugein.
Cold-shouldered Philip Zepter.
Initiated Operation Hound Dog to plug leaks.
Probed Masonic membership in Monaco and provided the Prince with definitive results.
Uncovered the deep roots of Italian organized crime in the principality.
Outfoxed Russian intelligence in their effort to penetrate the Prince's social orbit.
The Prince's intelligence apparatus was, as Piers put it, "going from strength to strength," even if the Prince himself continued to display immaturity and weakness.
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