Casson

Casson is one of the three OAS chiefs in Rome who learns that circumstances have turned against The Jackal’s operation. His brief appearance gives the crisis a practical voice: he seeks to understand the warning, tests the mission’s prospects, and finally insists that Rodin try to stop the assassin, only to hear that the opportunity has passed.

Position and Introduction

Casson appears in the drawing room of the OAS chiefs’ suite in Rome with Rodin and Montclair. When a legionnaire reports that he has been unable to reach the London number Rodin gave him, Casson asks what is wrong. Rodin takes a piece of paper from his inside pocket and hands it to him. Casson reads it, then passes it to Montclair. The two men look to Rodin for an answer, but he remains silent, staring out over the rooftops.

The passage does not disclose the paper’s contents. Instead, its significance emerges through the discussion that follows: the men face the prospect that French authorities may be looking for The Jackal, though they have little identifying information. Casson’s place in the exchange is that of a senior participant who must assess the threat without possessing an immediate remedy.

Assessing the Mission

Casson asks when the warning arrived. Rodin says it came that morning. Montclair argues that The Jackal must be stopped because half of France will soon be watching for him. Rodin counters that the search will initially be hampered by the absence of a name, face, or passport, and that The Jackal may be warned if he contacts Valmy. The conversation frames the danger as a race between the authorities’ search and the assassin’s ability to learn that his operation has been exposed.

Casson then asks whether The Jackal still has a chance now that the situation has changed. Rodin answers frankly that he does not think so, while adding that a professional may resist standing down an operation he planned personally. Casson’s question shifts the discussion from what the authorities might discover to whether the mission can still succeed.

The Failed Attempt to Recall The Jackal

Casson presses Rodin to recall the assassin. Rodin says he cannot: The Jackal has already gone, is on his way, and is acting alone. Nor can Rodin safely use Valmy to pass on an order to abandon the operation, because doing so could expose Valmy. His conclusion is that nobody can stop The Jackal now; it is too late.

Casson’s role is small but consequential. He recognizes the danger and voices the most direct response available—cancel the mission—while Rodin explains why even that order cannot be delivered without creating another risk. The exchange marks the loss of control at the centre of the OAS plan: its leaders can understand that events have turned against them, yet they can no longer reach the agent whose actions will determine what happens next.