Robert Gelbard had no trouble getting in to see CIA chief George Tenet. As United States ambassador to Indonesia, Gelbard was concerned about emerging terrorist threats in South-East Asia. It was November 2000; nearly a year before terror attacks would kill thousands in New York and Washington. Few people shared Gelbard’s sense of alarm. So he put his job on the line.

The government in Jakarta had already angrily dismissed his pleas. Now back in Washington DC, Gelbard was also shouted down by his bosses in the State Department who were unhappy with his outspoken diplomacy in Indonesia. He was given a “stern reprimand”.