AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Well, the investigation into the heist at the Louvre Museum continues on for a third day now. The thieves swiped jewelry that was made of thousands of diamonds, sapphires and other precious gems - pieces that are among the French crown jewels. Anthony Amore knows all too well the pressure that comes with an investigation like this. He's director of security at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. And 35 years ago, two thieves stole 13 precious artworks from that museum. Anthony Amore is still working on solving that decades-old heist. And in the meantime, he has spent a lot of time getting to know real-life art thieves. When we talked, he told me that even though the movies make it look like they're in it for the glory, the challenge...
ANTHONY AMORE: In reality, the motive is always money, with the very, very few exceptions, and I mean a handful of exceptions. But the goal is to get into the museum, get out as quickly as possible with something that they can fence pretty quickly. And...
CHANG: Oh. So this is just a job. I thought you were going to...
AMORE: Yes.
CHANG: ...Say something about it's the fascination, the challenge of getting into the Louvre. But apparently, it wasn't that much of a challenge at all.
AMORE: Well, No. 1, thieves don't like a challenge, right?
CHANG: (Laughter).
AMORE: So they - that's why, you know, the ADT sign in the front lawn does work, right?
CHANG: Right.
AMORE: So...
CHANG: Right.
AMORE: ...It was a challenge, though, you know? Because even though they got in and it was successful, they must - I think they must have had some sort of familiarity with the inside, whether they gained it themselves or through inside cooperation because this is the busiest museum in the world...
CHANG: Yeah.
AMORE: ...And they correctly - they went in while it was open, rather than, say, an hour earlier.
CHANG: Yeah. It's bold.
AMORE: Very bold, but they must have known that that Apollo Gallery would be empty at that time. I would have assumed that it would be packed with people, but no...
CHANG: Same.
AMORE: ...It was empty. So the timing was good. You know, breaking in after opening, perhaps they knew that some defenses would be down once the museum opened for business. So I'm intrigued by the fact that they went in at 9:30 in the morning.
CHANG: So am I. OK, so you're saying this is probably about money. So you expect this jewelry to be melted down and sold in pieces.
AMORE: Ooh, I cringe even hearing that. You're right. I mean, that...
CHANG: I know.
AMORE: ...That's a likely scenario just because...
CHANG: 'Cause otherwise, how do you sell crown jewels? You're going to get caught immediately. You have to disguise what you have in your hands, right? You have to melt...
AMORE: Exactly.
CHANG: ...That stuff down.
AMORE: You can't - there's no buyer. There's no Dr. No out there who wants to buy these things.
CHANG: (Laughter).
AMORE: But, you know, that's - I would rather there be a Dr. No because the prospect of these things being destroyed and sold as pieces of a whole is...
CHANG: It's...
AMORE: ...Horrifying.
CHANG: ...Heartbreaking.
AMORE: Yes. These are so important. You know, they go beyond beauty. They go beyond dollar value. These are cultural patrimony and...
CHANG: History.
AMORE: Yes. Yep. In its greatest sense, you know, this is so important to the French people in the world. I - this is why the authorities have to act quickly.
CHANG: Yes.
AMORE: And I suspect that the thieves are waiting to hear if there's going to be a reward. Hopefully, that's true, and hopefully they haven't destroyed these pieces yet.
CHANG: Ah. OK. But if these missing jewels are not found and weeks, maybe even years go by, as in your case, what steps should investigators take at that point?
AMORE: Well, they have to - you know, it all comes down to hard work and never giving up. That's it. But, you know, the most important steps have happened over these last three days. They have to start questioning employees at the museum. Remember, last summer there was a strike. It was pretty acrimonious at the Louvre, so there could be disgruntled employees who may have...
CHANG: Ooh.
AMORE: ...Given information. No. 2, the detectives have to have their sources on the street feeding them intel because all the criminals are buzzing about this in Paris and beyond.
CHANG: Sure.
AMORE: And No. 3, they have to get to work on the forensics. This vehicle that was left behind, that they failed to set on fire, must have some sort of evidence. Even just where did it come from is important.
CHANG: Yeah.
AMORE: So they're working really hard on those three fronts right now.
CHANG: Well, with respect to you, I noticed that on the website for your museum, the Gardner, there was a personal plea from you for information about the stolen artworks, promising this reward money that you're suggesting the Louvre or that the government should offer. And I wonder, Anthony, what does it feel like to have searched for these lost artworks for so long? Is there a part of you that's just given up hope?
AMORE: No. I've been doing it for 20 years now, almost exactly. And...
CHANG: That's a while.
AMORE: ...Hope is the realm in which I operate. I mean, these are so important. And I am obsessed, frankly.
CHANG: (Laughter).
AMORE: But they're so important. You know, the only seascape by Rembrandt, I mean, that is a really, really important thing to return to the world. One of only 36 Vermeers and the rest of Mrs. Gardner's pieces, they're critical. They're critical to our own understanding of the past and appreciation of beauty and Mrs. Gardner's legacy. So I can never give up.
CHANG: Stay obsessed, Anthony.
AMORE: (Laughter).
CHANG: That is Anthony Amore, the director of security for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. He has also written several books about art thieves and has one coming out in November called, "The Rembrandt Heist." Thank you so much.
AMORE: Thank you.
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