Bookshelf: Mission Impossible

Mission: Impossible
By John Tiger
First Published 1967
Published by Popular Library
142 Pages

Popular Library published four novels based on NBC’s Mission: Impossible between 1967 and 1969. Two — the first and fourth — were written by John Tiger. I reviewed the fourth novel, Code Name: Little Ivan, in June of 2009. The first novel, simply titled Mission: Impossible, was the only one to feature the character of Dan Briggs (played by actor Steven Hill during the 1966-1967 season) as the leader of the Impossible Missions Force. In the novel, the IMF is charged with destroying a chemical weapons facility in Santilla (an imaginary dictatorship in South of America) and capturing two former Nazis: Dr. Kurt Dersh and Fritz Messelman. Briggs recruits Barney Collier, Cinnamon Carter, Rollin Hand and Willy Armitage for the mission. The group prepares two plans and are soon on their way to Santilla.

All five take on fake identities. Briggs is an American oilman, Cinnamon a beautiful model, Rollin a Trans-Arabian prince, Barney his aide and Willy his bodyguard. They all have their parts to play and everything has to go just right. The chemical weapons facility is located on a heavily guarded island, surrounded by mines and piranha. Plan A involves Willy swimming through the minefield and sneaking into the facility to destroy it. Unfortunately, when he cut a barbed wire fence it set off an alarm and Plan A was quickly abandoned. Luckily, Plan B was already underway.

Mission: Impossible #1 Front Cover

Mission: Impossible #1, Mission: Impossible Front Cover – Copyright Popular Library

In order for Plan B to succeed, Fritz Messelman had to be convinced that Shin Bet, the Israeli intelligence service, was attempting to kidnap or kill him. So, even before Willy attempted to destroy the facility, Barney and Briggs had ransacked Messelman’s office, leaving evidence that would implicate the Shin Bet. It worked. Messelman believed he was in danger. To keep the pressure on, the team placed an advertisement in a local newspaper for the Auschwitz Alumni Association, with the address of Messelman’s company listed. They also destroyed a car Messelman had been driving in only moments after he got out.

The team also set their sights on Santilla’s chief of security, making him believe he was the target of an assassination plot. Messelman, who was infatuated with Cinnamon, was finally won over after he found her naked in his bathtub, bound and gag with a swastika written on her stomach in lipstick. This convinced him to approach Rollin’s fake Arab prince for help. Rollin and Willy were able to convince him to return with them to Trans-Arabia, along with Dersh, and to destroy the chemical facility.

Mission: Impossible #1 Back Cover

Mission: Impossible #1, Mission: Impossible Back Cover – Copyright Popular Library

The last phase of the plan has Rollin impersonating the chief of security in order to get into the facility and plant explosives. Disaster nearly strikes when the real chief of security is found unconscious in Messelman’s hotel room. Luckily, everyone is able to board the fake prince’s plane and make their escape. Only then does Briggs reveal the deception to Messelman: he’s on his way to Puerto Rico where West German authorities will take him into custody. Plan B worked.

Mission: Impossible makes for a fine Mission: Impossible tale. There’s tension, danger and even a little sexual intrigue. It certainly kept me turning the pages.


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3 Replies to “Bookshelf: Mission Impossible”

  1. No, I don’t believe the eventual “disappearance” of Dan Briggs was ever explained on the show. Once Peter Graves took over as “Jim Phelps” in the fall of 1967, the series really took off, in popularity AND creativity…and “Dan Briggs” was never referred to again.

  2. I have this very paperback… and I’ve probably read it a thousand times!

    It really IS very good (allowing for mid-60’s technology,) and I never understood what happened to Dan Briggs until I read an article about Law & Order that mentioned Steven Hill as the original leader of the IM Force…

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