be one of Mossad's most successful agents. The recruit was an American from a southern Illinois town near St. Louis, Missouri. He met Amit after transferring from Kansas University to Columbia University in New York. His code name was Ranan, and under Amit's mentoring the nineteen-year-old American became the youngest team leader of its most prolific Kidon unit, Israel's elite espionage and assassination outfit. Following his retirement from the Mossad, he continued to be an active voice in the intelligence community and did work for the Israeli government. Following the lead of other former generals, Amit joined the Democratic Movement for Change party, and was elected to the Knesset in the 1977 elections. He was appointed Minister of Transportation and Minister of Communications in Menachem Begin's government, but resigned both posts on 15 September 1978 after the Democratic Movement for Change broke up. Amit subsequently joined Shinui, before defecting to the Alignment (The Israeli labor party) in 1980. He lost his seat in the 1981 elections. He was later the chairman of Israel's Center for Special Studies, and in 2003, was awarded the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the State. Upon news of his death in July 2009, Israeli President Shimon Peres stated: "Entire Generations owe Meir Amit Slutsky a debt of gratitude for his immense contribution to Mossad and the defense community, a large part which remains secret now in building the strength and deterrence of Israel. He was a natural leader, whom people trusted, and at the same time he was a visionary for the state. We are proud to have a personality of his stature born in our country " References Oren, Michael B. Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. , 145-6 p. Thomas Gordon. Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. , 58-60 p. External links 1921 births 2009 deaths People from Tiberias Jews in Mandatory Palestine Haganah members Columbia Business School alumni Directors of the Mossad Israeli generals Israel Prize for lifetime achievement & special contribution to society recipients Democratic Movement for Change politicians Shinui politicians Alignment (Israel) politicians Members of the 9th Knesset (1977–1981) Directors of the Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel) Ministers of Communications of Israel Ministers of Transport of Israel Jewish Israeli politicians