advantageous to counterfeiters. On the other hand,” Capezzi said wryly, “Treasury feels that the consistent appearance of the currency symbolizes its stability. In the 1980’s Secret Service became concerned about the threat posed by color copying machines and laser printers. But by 1986, all we could get Treasury to agree to was the addition of a polymer thread in the paper and microprinting around the portrait of the hundred-dollar bill. It took Crane & Company until 1990 to master the polymer thread. By then the Supernote also contained the polymer thread and microprinting.”
The implication blew Murdock away. Someone was better at counterfeiting U.S. currency than the U.S. Government was at producing it.
“I’m sure you’re all aware of the recent decision to redesign the hundred-dollar bill,” said Capezzi. “I can tell you that this was in direct response to the Supernote. Secret Service wanted holograms, chemical markers, and multiple colors. Australia has a note made of flexible plastic, which is both durable and counterfeit resistant. What we’re getting is a larger portrait moved off from the center of the bill, a section of ink that changes color from green to black as the bill is moved, and a watermark. The colors will still be green and black. Our perspective is that this may buy us a little time. However, Treasury refuses to recall the old hundreds, feeling that market preference will cause rapid exchange of the old bills. We estimate that replacement will take years. During that time production of the Supernote will continue, and they will continue to be passed.”
Capezzi sat down, and Don Stroh of the CIA replaced him at the podium.
“According to our information,” said Stroh, “this counterfeiting operation began in Lebanon in the 1970’s, during the civil war. The Christian Phalangists hired professional engravers to make hundred-dollar-bill plates. They printed them onbleached one-dollar bills. The notes weren’t very good, but were successfully used to buy small arms in the Warsaw Pact countries. When Syria occupied Lebanon, which they continue to do to this day, they took over the counterfeiting operation. The Supernote plates have been continually refined and updated, year after year, until they have reached their present level of excellence. We have reports that expert engravers formerly employed by the East German Stasi were brought in to perform the work.
“After Syria allied itself with Iran during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980’s, we believe they invited the Iranians into the counterfeiting operation. With this the scale and sophistication increased, since Iran’s oil money was able to buy a great deal more expertise.
“According to our information, Iranian industry has been responsible for reverse-engineering an almost exact duplicate of our currency paper.
“We believe that at one time the printing component of the operation was located within a secure building at the Iranian national mint complex in Teheran. They utilized two intaglio presses, functionally identical to the ones our own mint uses, purchased from a Swiss company.
“When this information came to light, the U.S. government approached the Iranian government through back channels and demanded that the counterfeiting operation cease. We informed the Iranians that we regarded it as an act of war.
“The Iranians publicly called the allegation, quote, wild hallucinations of the American extreme right, unquote. Our information now is that the entire counterfeiting operation has been consolidated within Lebanon. This allows both Iran and Syria to deny all responsibility for it.
“Our Secretary of State has brought the problem of the Supernote to the Syrian President directly.” Stroh smirked. “As we might have expected, he knows nothing about it. We weren’t too surprised, since the President’s brother and SyrianAir Force intelligence also run opium, heroin, and hashish production in the Bekaa Valley
The implication blew Murdock away. Someone was better at counterfeiting U.S. currency than the U.S. Government was at producing it.
“I’m sure you’re all aware of the recent decision to redesign the hundred-dollar bill,” said Capezzi. “I can tell you that this was in direct response to the Supernote. Secret Service wanted holograms, chemical markers, and multiple colors. Australia has a note made of flexible plastic, which is both durable and counterfeit resistant. What we’re getting is a larger portrait moved off from the center of the bill, a section of ink that changes color from green to black as the bill is moved, and a watermark. The colors will still be green and black. Our perspective is that this may buy us a little time. However, Treasury refuses to recall the old hundreds, feeling that market preference will cause rapid exchange of the old bills. We estimate that replacement will take years. During that time production of the Supernote will continue, and they will continue to be passed.”
Capezzi sat down, and Don Stroh of the CIA replaced him at the podium.
“According to our information,” said Stroh, “this counterfeiting operation began in Lebanon in the 1970’s, during the civil war. The Christian Phalangists hired professional engravers to make hundred-dollar-bill plates. They printed them onbleached one-dollar bills. The notes weren’t very good, but were successfully used to buy small arms in the Warsaw Pact countries. When Syria occupied Lebanon, which they continue to do to this day, they took over the counterfeiting operation. The Supernote plates have been continually refined and updated, year after year, until they have reached their present level of excellence. We have reports that expert engravers formerly employed by the East German Stasi were brought in to perform the work.
“After Syria allied itself with Iran during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980’s, we believe they invited the Iranians into the counterfeiting operation. With this the scale and sophistication increased, since Iran’s oil money was able to buy a great deal more expertise.
“According to our information, Iranian industry has been responsible for reverse-engineering an almost exact duplicate of our currency paper.
“We believe that at one time the printing component of the operation was located within a secure building at the Iranian national mint complex in Teheran. They utilized two intaglio presses, functionally identical to the ones our own mint uses, purchased from a Swiss company.
“When this information came to light, the U.S. government approached the Iranian government through back channels and demanded that the counterfeiting operation cease. We informed the Iranians that we regarded it as an act of war.
“The Iranians publicly called the allegation, quote, wild hallucinations of the American extreme right, unquote. Our information now is that the entire counterfeiting operation has been consolidated within Lebanon. This allows both Iran and Syria to deny all responsibility for it.
“Our Secretary of State has brought the problem of the Supernote to the Syrian President directly.” Stroh smirked. “As we might have expected, he knows nothing about it. We weren’t too surprised, since the President’s brother and SyrianAir Force intelligence also run opium, heroin, and hashish production in the Bekaa Valley
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