Expulsion planning required stealth operations disguised as routine fortification inspections

Evidence

But secrecy was essential, and that was difficult to achieve since the Moriscos were fully alive to the dangers that threatened to overwhelm them. It was perceived by Lerma that it might betray the fact that something was afoot even to have the selected military commanders reconnoiter the terrain. The officers appointed were Agust´ın Mex´ıa, in command of the land operation, and Pedro de Toledo, marqu´es de Villafranca, who had special responsibility for the naval implications (which were, of course, considerable). For Lerma and the king to see the two commanders on July 24 in Segovia posed no special problems, but unusual precautions were necessary to get Mex´ıa down to his command in Valencia without arousing suspicion. The king’s orders to the two local dignitaries who had to be informed-to the viceroy of Valencia, Caracena, and to the archbishop, Ribera-were carried by Mex´ıa himself and not by dispatch riders or special agents. Ribera was told, “Because in this matter secrecy is so important, so that until it has been carried out no one should know about it or even be able to imagine what our intentions are, I have arranged that Don Agust´ın’s journey to the city and Kingdom [of Valencia] should be under cover of inspecting the present condition of its forti- fications and reporting what is needed to bring them up to the highest standard” (Boronat 2004, 2: 159 and n. — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1427

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the security-obsessed but leak-prone state operations in Milgrom’s law-merchant material and in the diamond bourse secrecy norms — institutional secrets managed by trusted intermediaries. — connects to: The Boston bombardment was a feint masking a fortification operation