Irving Lambert

Irving Lambert
Irving Lambert, Third Echelon's initial Director
Full Name	Irving Lambert
Born	1961, Batcave, N.C.
Family	Classified
Nationality	American
Position	Director / Operations Coordinator
Rank	Colonel, USA (Ret.)
Hair	Black (traces of grey)
Eyes	Brown
Height	6' 2" (189 cm)
Weight	270 lbs. (122 kg)
Affiliations	National Security Agency (Third Echelon)
Status	Killed In Action (2008, New York City, N.Y.)
Cause of Death	Executed
Voiced By	Don Jordan, Dennis Haysbert (in PT)
Appearances	All Splinter Cell games, expect Conviction (voice recording and flashbacks)

Colonel Irving Lambert, USA (Ret.), was the initial Director of Third Echelon and Sam Fisher's handler during his time at the NSA. While in the position, his role was to guide Fisher through each mission over the cochlear implant radio, providing him with information such as critical updates, objective changes and enemy status. He was also one of Sam's closest friends. Lambert is voiced by Don Jordan in all the games in the series, except for Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow in which he was voiced by Dennis Haysbert, the star of 24 and The Unit.

"We're done with politics, this is war"
— Irving Lambert in the "Chinese Embassy (2nd visit)" level of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell.

Background

Irving Lambert was born in 1961 in Batcave, North Carolina. He served in the U.S. Army, where he rose to the rank of Colonel. He became involved in the intelligence community as a young man, rising quickly in rank and responsibility. Lambert was in the Persian Gulf for the months leading up to Desert Storm, coordinating SIGINT and running double agents. A former administrator of the NSA, Lambert was assigned to run Third Echelon, where he was given the role of Director in charge of all of the agency's field operations, answering only to one individual. He also spearheaded the ambitious "Splinter Cell" program, which under his command resulted in several impressive successes, due in large part to the involvement of Lambert’s subordinate and friend Sam Fisher (who Lambert personally recurited). Lambert was a popular and well-connected man in Washington, D.C. though minimally trusted and never publicly acknowledged.

As Operations Coordinator, Director Lambert was the link between 'on the job' field agents and Third Echelon's support team of researchers, hackers, strategists and field runners. While an agent was in the field, he was constantly in contact with them via subdermal microchips and a cochlear implant. Lambert had been Sam’s handler on several tough assignments, from his very first mission during the Georgian Information Crisis to his latest mission as an undercover agent during the JBA Crisis in 2008. The two had formed a deep bond over the years. After Sam lost his daughter, Sarah, Lambert attempted to refocus Sam's attention by assigning him to "the most dangerous mission of his career". During the course of the mission, Lambert put himself dangerously at risk by entering the field to support Fisher on-site as his unofficial "field runner".

Operations

1999: NATO bombings of Yugoslavia

Note: Information from Essentials contains retcons/anachronisms to other games in the series (see Notes).

In February of 1999, during NATO bombing campaign in Yugoslavia, Director Lambert assists Sam Fisher in destroying SAM missiles which had been supplied to the Serbs. As well as leading Sam to the serb's hideout, to destroy the missile laucher there and find evidence showing how the Russians were supplying the weapons.

2004: Crisis with Georgia in 2004

File:Lambert.jpg

Irving Lambert in 2004

Director Lambert activates Sam Fisher for his first mission for Third Echelon's Splinter Cell program. He assists Sam through various missions in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, United States, Myanmar and Russia during Third Echelon's inaugural operation. Both Sam and Lambert have grown a better friendship during the crisis due to the nature of the incident.

Crisis with Indonesia/Biological Warfare

Director Lambert again aids Sam during the events in Indonesia as Third Echelon tries to stop a renegade terrorist Suhadi Sadono. All the while trying to prevent a catastrophe from being unleashed in America with the use of smallpox.

2007: Cyber Attacks/Crisis in East Asia

Director Lambert aids Fisher during the Cyber Attacks and East Asian Crisis in 2007. All the while, Lambert tries to persuade the U.S. government from attacking North Korea. Lambert uses diplomacy to advert a nuclear war as Sam was able to neutralize the threat.

2008: JBA Crisis/Red Murcury Incident

Lambert awaits his fate.

After giving news of Sarah's death to Sam, Director Lambert relieved him from active duty so he can deal with his depression. He then gave Sam a new mission to go deep undercover and infiltrate a domestic terrorist organization known as John Brown's Army (JBA) led by leader Emile Dufraisne, who also founded the group. But toward the end of the operation, Lambert was captured by the JBA. Sam was forced to choose to shoot Lambert to keep his cover. He reluctantly replied and shot Lambert, who died from his gunshot wound.

2009: The Fisher Investigation

Sam is captured by the NSA, and interrogated over the death of Irving Lambert. Sam is forced to explain what really happened.

2010: Third Echelon Conspiracy/Lambert's Plan

While infiltrating Third Echelon's headquarters, Fisher interrogated Andriy Kobin in Tom Reed's office. He told Sam to ask Grim about Sarah's death as she knew the whole story. Sam contacted Grim via video communication and asked her to tell him the truth. Grim then played an audio recording Lambert made in his office before his death in New York three years ago.

The following text is from a voice recording of Lambert revealing a mole inside Third Echelon and staging Sarah's death:
"Sarah Fisher; I'd received reliable intelligence of a credible threat against her, one coming from a mole inside Third Echelon. The threat against Sarah would be used in an attempt to leverage Sam; Sam would then be compromised and I couldn't allow that. So I made the hard choice: I faked Sarah's death, taking her off the playing board. Without her, Sam would be free to act as he needed to. He'd suffer but she'd be safe. The rest was details; preparing a new identity for Sarah, securing her, excellent work there Anna, and then keeping her hidden, then use that despicable creature Kobin to provide a body that can stand in for the girl. And then I lied to my best friend, told him his daughter was dead, took advantage of his grief and used it for Third Echelon's purposes. And the saddest part of this, I never uncovered the mole. The danger to her and to Sam is still out there which means this has to stay hidden, you and I know that's all, perhaps someday..."

Trivia

• In a conversation between Grimsdottir and Sam regrading Lambert's personality during the "Hokkaido" mission in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Sam revealed to Grim that Lambert was married and divorced numerous times ("How many of his ex-wives have you spoken to?").

• During the start of the "Ship" bonus mission in Xbox/PS2/Wii version of Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Sam revealed that Lambert has a son when Sarah is taken hostage by saying: "If it was your son Lambert what would you do?" in which Lambert responds by saying "I'll call you."

• Although the game manuals stated that Lambert was 6'2", Lambert is as tall as Sam (one of Lambert's knee is slightly bent) in the "Training" level of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, and he is smaller than Sam (an error on the developers' part) in Double Agent.

• According to the manual for Essentials, Lambert recruited both Sam Fisher and Anna Grimsdottir into Third Echelon in the 1990's. He appears during the 1999 NATO bombings of Yugoslavia Third Echelon mission issuing orders.

• His death was not explicitly verified as canon until the release of Splinter Cell: Conviction.

• Sam is given the option of killing Lambert in all three versions of Double Agent's story. In Essentials, it is his only option. In last-gen version of Double Agent, Sam has the option of exposing Lambert, it shows Carson Moss shooting Lambert and Sam disposing of his body in a dumpster during a cinematic, next-gen offers Sam an interactive choice to kill Lambert.

• Essentials shows two versions of Irving Lambert's death within a level and a cutscene.

• Conviction shows two versions of Irving Lambert's death shown during the games various cinematics. He is shown being killed with an M1911 Colt .45 or a Lugar (as in Double Agent) depending on the cinematic. In a cinematic at the begining of the game, Lambert is killed with a M1911 Colt .45. Another cutscene in the elevator shows Sam being handed the Lugar and shooting Irving Lambert (taken from the Xbox 360/PS3/PC version of Double Agent). Lambert's death is also portrayed with him either dying in his chair, or the chair falling over. Irving Lambert is shown wearing a white shirt at the time he was shot. Victor Coste confirmed that Sam killed Lambert by stating "his agency killed him, set him up, turned him loose, and told him to pull the trigger on his best friend in a dirty New York City basement". The rooms appear a bit different as well.

• Despite looking older than Sam, Lambert is four years younger than Sam.

• Lambert is not bald in Double Agent but he was in the previous games. This could be a retcon.

• All of Lambert's appearances in Essentials and Conviction are flashbacks.

Notes

• Essentials is part of the series. However, the game contradicts the events of Double Agent. Conviction confirmed that Sam killed Lambert in New York yet in Essentials, he kills him in New Orleans.

See Also

• Third Echelon
• Sam Fisher
• Splinter Cell Program