Author’s Notes

Project MINDGAZE is a fictitious government program loosely based on the Stargate Project, the official code name for a very real clandestine U.S. Army unit begun in 1978, under the auspices of the Defense Intelligence Agency and SRI International. While no known useful research came from the hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars spent to investigate “remote viewing” and other “extrasensory phenomena,” it was the basis for the book and film titled The Men Who Stare At Goats.

Rōnin Phythian is a fictional character developed to illustrate the potential magnitude and deadliness of Project Stargate, had it ever produced actionable results. As noted in the book, the name comes from the Japanese term for drifter or wanderer—essentially, a samurai without a master—as similarly referenced in the John Frankenheimer film of the same name. A classic, which I highly recommend.

Assassination conspiracies abound throughout history and literature. The Greenwich Global Group is a combination of several of these, both proven and alleged, including:

• The Hashishin, a cult of Isma’ili Muslims led by Hassan-is-Sabbah in the 11th and 12th centuries. The word “assassin” derives from the name of the group of killers that formed an ad hoc guild of killers, which was responsible for the deaths of numerous political and military leaders for a century and a half, until they were wiped out by Mongols in 1256.

• Murder, Inc., an organized crime ring and a branch of the so-called National Crime Syndicate, allegedly responsible for up to one thousand assassinations in the 1930s and 1940s. The loosely based gang was mostly composed of Italian-American and Jewish mobsters that reportedly operated out of headquarters in the Midnight Rose Candy Store, located under the elevated portion of the 3 subway train in Brooklyn.

• The Nokmim (Hebrew for “avengers”), a cadre of Jewish assassins who hunted down unpunished Nazi war criminals in Europe after World War II.

• The Werewolves, a band of thousands of German volunteers selected largely from the ranks of the Hitler Youth and the Waffen SS. Trained in sabotage and silent killing techniques, they engaged in only a few, sporadic assassinations toward the end of the war, before the German military machine ground to a halt.

J.H. Black Headwear LLC is a fictitious pseudonym for the Greenwich Global Group (aka the G3), and was named for an innocuous office for a global apparel company I’d once seen on an upper floor of the Graybar Building in New York. Made me wonder what actually went on behind those closed doors.

Beechcraft does make a long-haul aircraft known as the King Air 350 ER, which stands for extended range. I took the liberty of modifying it for a longer flight by adding the letter “X” and the word “extra” to its description, in Chapters 1 and 2. Also, much appreciation to Steve Saslow, who advised me on the mechanics and flying of this particular aircraft. Anything I got right is because of him; any mistakes are on me alone.

Several characters in this book are prone to quoting authors, playwrights, politicians, and philosophers. In some cases I worked the source of said quote into the manuscript, but sometimes that was impractical without making the prose sound clunky. To give credit where it is certainly due, here are the origins of quotes or aphorisms I incorporated into the pages of this book but did not cite therein:

• Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. –Arthur Roche, English archbishop of the Catholic Church.

• The search for a scapegoat is the easiest of all hunting expeditions. –President Dwight D. Eisenhower

• The devices of the wicked lead only to treachery and perfidy. –Cobbled together from numerous Bible quotes, especially those found in Job and Exodus

• Conscience is the window of our spirit, evil is the curtain. –Douglas Horton, American Protestant clergyman

• Golden lads and girls all must, as chimney-sweepers, come to dust. –William Shakespeare, in Cymbeline

• When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser. –Widely attributed to Socrates, who actually wrote nothing. Thus, the origin of this phrase remains unknown.

• What’s past is prologue. –William Shakespeare, in The Tempest

• Hate the sin, love the sinner. –A twist on St. Augustine’s Letter 211

• The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. –Robert Burns, from his poem “To A Mouse”

• As she has planted, so does she harvest. Such is the furrowed field of karma. –Sri Guru Granth Sahib

• A man who lives a full life is prepared to die, but the coward trembles as time grows near. –Paraphrased from a quote by Mark Twain

Fans of the marvelous Scottish film Local Hero will find several “Easter eggs” hidden toward the end of the book, including the names Ceilidh, Urquhart, and Gordon. If you’ve never seen the film, please find time to watch it.

As always, I would like to thank my magnificent editor and friend, Kimberley Cameron, for her continued encouragement and diligent efforts in getting my books in print. Also, continued appreciation to my parents for instilling in me the love of the printed word. Additionally, I would particularly like to offer a shout-out to all the folks at Epicenter Press/Coffeetown Press in Seattle, particularly Phil Garrett and Jennifer McCord for all their support along the way.

Last, but by no means least, I offer hugs and kisses to my wonderful wife Diana, whose unyielding confidence and optimism have kept me plugging away all these years. It’s your fault. Love actually, and always.