I have trouble with that phrasing, but I also have trouble with the phrasing that you suggest, too.<p>I have trouble with the word &quot;authorize&quot; because if he <i>authorized</i> the assassination, then (to me at least) that implies that the operator could choose to act or not.  Was the operator able to choose? If not, then it&#x27;s more than an authorization.<p>Maybe &quot;ordered&quot; is more correct, but I have my suspicions that  word goes too far in the other direction.