Permission to Kill

Alexander Diakim is the leader of the socialist National Freedom Party, ambitious to return to power in his homeland. He is charismatic and confident, yet his political ideals mask a willingness to use ruthless means to achieve his goals. Throughout the plot he is pulled between personal loyalties and strategic demands from WIL and Kostas, making him a focal point of manipulation. His resolve to return to his country triggers a web of covert moves and deadly consequences.

Alan Curtis runs the operation for Western Intelligence Liaison with cold efficiency. He is a calculated schemer who uses bribery, blackmail, and subterfuge to press Diakim toward a specific outcome. His plan depends on deceiving multiple players, increasing the risk of exposure. Ultimately his machinations spark a violent confrontation at the airport.

Scott Allison is an American journalist and former close friend of Diakim. He becomes a useful contact that WIL leverages to threaten Diakim's return. He navigates a tightening web of loyalties while trying to persuade Diakim to delay his plans. His involvement reveals the moral complexity of espionage work.

Katina Petersen is Diakim's ex-lover and the mother of his son, a fact Diakim had not known. She becomes a key informant, exposing truths to Diakim and warning him about Curtis. Her loyalties are tested by personal history and political danger. She embodies the tension between private attachment and public risk.

Kostas is Diakim's aide-de-camp, loyal and protective but wary of Curtis' schemes. He watches for signs of betrayal and helps keep Diakim safe amid covert moves. His role adds a human safeguard within a plan built on manipulation and risk.

Charles Lord is a British civil servant who had previously aided Diakim with a government loan. In the plot he collaborates with Lascade to foil Curtis' plan, using deception as a tool of political maneuvering. He embodies the calculating, double-edged nature of Cold War diplomacy and espionage.

Melissa Lascade is a French assassin employed as the 'final insurance' against Diakim. She is portrayed as precise, cold-blooded, and capable of carrying out a murder under the cover of a larger plan. Her actions culminate in a staged assassination and, after the bomb detonates, she is killed by Curtis' henchmen.