Sarthak Shankar
Three Days in May – Sex, Surveillance, and DSK, Edward Jay Epstein, e-book, Melville House Publishing, Pp 70, $4.99
Sex, scandal and politics have always been corner stones of news and debate. But few pieces have ever received quiet the coverage that was garnered by Dominique Strauss Kahn following the sexual assault allegation he faced in New York. Edward Jay Epstein in his work Three Days in May gives the most comprehensive narration of the events that unfolded and led to the detention of the then Managing Director of the IMF in prison for four days.
Epstein mentions right off the bay how easy espionage is now by explaining some of the most sophisticated yet easily accessible technology today, capable of sending and receiving information, without letting the user know. Many world class intelligence agencies have even perfected technology througies that allow signals to be transmitted even when the user believes the cell phone is off, even with the battery removed.
This surveillance found relevance in the DSK debacle because of the suspicious circumstances surrounding the DSK scandal. Epstein makes special mention of the fact that the staff at the hotel Sofitel where DSK stayed seemed to have anticipated his arrival. He also mentions that the recently surfaced evidence in the form of text message exchanges suggests that DSK feared that his cell phone’s integrity had been compromised. Lastly CCTV footage from the hotel’s security shows some discrepancy in the behaviour of the hotel staff following the victim’s – Diallo’s- outcry after getting assaulted.
Thus Epstein gives a minute by minute narration of the events that occurred in May which caused the Managing Director of IMF to lose face in public. He also very candidly discusses some of the mysteries surround the three days that still haven’t been solved. And he does it all while keeping the report as thrilling as a work of Robert Ludlum. As a bonus he has mentioned all of sources and given access to the various files and footage he used to build his work in the appendix via internet links. Sharp as a tack, Epstein’s work is a must read.
(Melville House Publishing, 145, Plymouth Street, Brooklyn, New York)
