Red Cell Seven is a highly secret American intelligence organization.
It was founded in 1973 by then President Nixon and his cohorts because they felt that the existing alphabet departments in the intelligence community needed a much more powerful covert group to combat the dangers of the Soviet Union. This new department would operate out of the CIA budget as an obscure line item but would function outside its control. In fact, it was decided that it would function far outside any legal restraints at all. Coming from the minds of aides Ehrlichman and Haldeman, that hardly seems surprising.
The origin of its name was interesting. 'Red' was picked since its primary (at the time) opponent was the Soviet apparatus. 'Cell' was in the name because it was intended that when the Soviets learned of it, and nothing stays totally secret forever in the security business, it was hoped they would believe this was just one part of a larger picture. 'Seven' was added because if the Soviets did think this was one of many, Nixon and crew wanted the opposition to have to expend tremendous amounts of energy trying to learn more about Cells One through Six. According to comments made later, this subterfuge was more than a little successful.
A Marine Captain named Roger Carlson, extremely vetted and studied and found of the proper intelligence and aggressiveness needed to lead such a new and powerful group, was chosen and given the directive to organize and create Red Cell Seven. RCS, as it invariably became known as, was technically part of the CIA but reported only to the President but more telling in his instructions was that he would report to the Chief "only when you decide a report to the Executive Branch is necessary". The degree of autonomy was frightening.
That self-reliance became even greater just over a decade later when a meeting in the Oval Office took place and a young and up-and-coming banker named William 'Bill' Jensen was ordered to visit President Reagan and chief-of-staff Jim Baker. Fearing that word of the actions of RCS were becoming more certain to become known and the backlash bound to strike the White House because of the CIA connection, they devised a plan to give RCS total financial freedom. With the acumen of Jensen and the influence of the Administration's friends in the world of commerce, RCS was going private. A Board of Directors was established to advise and consent the RCS as it increased its role in protecting American interests both abroad and at home but there was no doubt in anyone's mind that the RCS was now a law unto itself.
As British historian Lord Acton remarked, 'power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely'. Such is the way with the RCS. As it begins to stray too far from its original goal and as a new liberal President begins to want to shackle if not complete eliminate it, bad things start to happen.
The events detailed in this three-book series revolve around two half-brothers of the banker Jensen family, Troy, a long-standing agent in the RCS, and his older brother Jack, a Wall Street trader who learns a whole lot more about RCS than he ever would have wanted to.