tc.redrabbit-第7章

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　steak　dinner　that　he　gets　more　things　out　of　the　Brits　than　they　get　out　of　him。〃
　　　〃Sucker　bet；〃　the　Deputy　Director　（Operations）　snorted。
　　　〃At　Snyder's；〃　the　Deputy　Director　（Intelligence）　goaded　further。　It　was　the　favorite　steak　house　for　both　executives；　located　just　across　the　Key　Bridge　in　Georgetown。
　　　Judge　Arthur　Moore；　the　Director　of　Central　Intelligence；　or　DCI；　watched　the　exchange　with　amusement。　Greer　knew　how　to　twist　Ritter's　tail；　and　somehow　Bob　never　quite　figured　out　how　to　defend　against　it。　Maybe　it　was　Greer's　down…east　accent。　Texans　like　Bob　Ritter　（and　Arthur　Moore　himself）　deemed　themselves　superior　to　anyone　who　talked　through　his　nose；　certainly　over　a　deck　of　playing　cards　or　around　a　bottle　of　bourbon　whiskey。　The　Judge　figured　he　was　above　such　things；　though　they　were　fun　to　watch。
　　　〃Okay；　dinner　at　Snyder's。〃　Ritter　extended　his　hand。　And　it　was　time　for　the　DCI　to　resume　control　of　the　meeting。
　　　〃Now　that　we've　settled　that　one；　gentlemen；　the　President　wants　me　to　tell　him　what's　going　to　happen　in　Poland。〃
　　　Ritter　didn't　leap　at　that。　He　had　a　good　Station　Chief　in　Warsaw；　but　the　guy　only　had　three　proper　field　officers　in　his　department；　and　one　of　them　was　a　rookie。　They　did；　however；　have　one　very　good　source　agent…in…place　inside　the　Warsaw　government's　political　hierarchy；　and　several　good　ones　in　their　military。
　　　〃Arthur；　they　don't　know。　They're　dancing　around　this　Solidarity　thing　on　a　day…to…day　basis；〃　the　DDO　told　the　others。　〃And　the　music　keeps　changing　on　them。〃
　　　〃It's　going　to　e　down　to　what　Moscow　tells　them　to　do；　Arthur；〃　Greer　agreed。　〃And　Moscow　doesn't　know　either。〃
　　　Moore　took　off　his　reading　glasses　and　rubbed　his　eyes。　〃Yeah。　They　don't　know　what　to　do　when　someone　openly　defies　them。　Joe　Stalin　would　have　shot　everyone　in　sight；　but　the　current　bunch　doesn't　have　the　gumption　to　do　that；　thank　the　Good　Lord　for　that。〃
　　　〃Collegial　rule　brings　out　the　coward　in　everyone；　and　Brezhnev　just　doesn't　have　the　ability　to　lead。　From　what　I　hear；　they　have　to　walk　him　to　the　men's　room。〃　It　was　a　slight　exaggeration；　but　it　appealed　to　Ritter　that　Soviet　leadership　was　softening。
　　　〃What's　CARDINAL　telling　us？〃　Moore　referred　to　the　Agency's　premiere　agent…in…place　in　the　Kremlin；　the　personal　assistant　to　Defense　Minister　Dmitriy　Fedorovich　Ustinov。　His　name　was　Mikhail　Semyonovich　Filitov；　but　to　all　but　a　bare　handful　of　active　CIA　personnel；　he　was　simply　CARDINAL。
　　　〃He　says　that　Ustinov　despairs　of　anything　useful　ing　out　of　the　Politburo　until　they　do　have　a　leader　who　can　actually　lead。　Leonid　is　slowing　down。　Everybody　knows　it；　even　the　man　on　the　street。　You　can't　camouflage　a　TV　picture；　can　you？〃
　　　〃How　long　do　you　suppose　he　has　left？〃
　　　A　collection　of　shrugs；　then　Greer　took　the　question：　〃The　doctors　I've　talked　to　say　he　could　drop　over　tomorrow；　or　he　could　dote　along　for　another　couple　of　years。　They　say　they　see　mild　Alzheimer's；　but　only　mild。　His　general　condition　is　progressive　cardiovascular　myopathy；　they　think；　probably　exacerbated　by　incipient　alcoholism。〃
　　　〃They　all　have　that　problem；〃　Ritter　observed。　〃CARDINAL　confirms　the　heart　problem；　by　the　way；　along　with　the　vodka。〃
　　　〃And　the　liver　is　important；　and　his　is　probably　suboptimum；〃　Greer　went　on；　with　a　gross　understatement。　Then　Moore　finished　the　thought。
　　　〃But　you　can't　tell　a　Russian　to　stop　drinking　any　more　than　you　can　tell　a　grizzly　bear　not　to　shit　in　the　woods。　You　know；　if　anything　ever　brings　these　guys　down；　it　will　be　their　inability　to　handle　the　orderly　transition　of　power。〃
　　　〃Well；　gee；　Your　Honor。〃　Bob　Ritter　looked　up　with　a　wicked　grin。　〃I　guess　they　just　don't　have　enough　lawyers。　Maybe　we　could　ship　them　a　hundred　thousand　of　ours。〃
　　　〃They're　not　that　stupid。　Better　we　shoot　a　few　Poseidon　missiles　at　them。　Less　net　damage　to　their　society；〃　the　DDI　said。
　　　〃Why　do　people　disparage　my　honorable　profession？〃　Moore　asked　the　ceiling。　〃If　anybody　saves　their　system；　it　will　have　to　be　a　lawyer；　gentlemen。〃
　　　〃You　think　so；　Arthur？〃　Greer　asked。
　　　〃You　can't　have　a　rational　society　without　the　rule　of　law；　and　you　can't　have　the　rule　of　law　without　lawyers　to　administer　it。〃　Moore　was　the　former　Chief　Judge　of　the　Texas　State　Court　of　Appeals。　〃They　don't　have　those　rules　yet；　not　when　the　Politburo　can　reach　out　and　execute　anyone　they　don't　like　without　a　semblance　of　an　appeals　process。　It　must　be　like　living　in　hell。　You　can't　depend　on　anything。　It's　like　Rome　under　Caligula…if　he　got　a　notion；　that　notion　had　the　force　of　law。　Hell；　though；　even　Rome　had　some　laws　the　emperors　had　to　abide　by。　Not　our　Russian　friends。〃　The　others　couldn't　really　appreciate　how　horrid　a　concept　that　was　to　their　Director。　He'd　once　been　the　finest　trial　lawyer　in　a　state　noted　for　the　quality　of　its　legal　munity；　and　then　a　learned　judge　on　a　bench　replete　with　thoughtful；　fair　men。　Most　Americans　were　as　accustomed　to　the　rule　of　law　as　to　the　ninety　feet　between　bases　on　a　baseball　diamond。　For　Ritter　and　Greer；　it　was　more　important　that；　before　his　legal　career；　Arthur　Moore　had　been　a　superior　field　spook。　〃So；　what　the　hell　do　I　tell　the　President？〃
　　　〃The　truth；　Arthur；〃　Greer　suggested。　〃We　don't　know　because　they　don't　know。〃
　　　That　was　the　only　truthful　and　rational　thing　he　could　say；　of　course；　but：　〃Damn　it；　Jim；　they　pay　us　to　know！〃
　　　〃It　es　down　to　how　threatened　the　Russians　feel。　Poland　is　just　a　cat's　paw　for　them；　a　vassal　state　that　jumps　when　they　say　'jump；'　〃　Greer　said。　〃The　Russians　can　control　what　their　own　people　see　on　TV　and　in　Pravda…〃
　　　〃But　they　can't　control　the　rumors　that　e　across　the　border；〃　said　Ritter。　〃And　the　stories　their　soldiers　tell　when　they　e　home　from　service　there…and　in　Germany；　and　in　Czechoslovakia；　and　in　Hungary；　and　what　they　hear　on　Voice　of　America　and　Radio　Free　Europe。〃　CIA　controlled　the　first　of　those　outlets　directly；　and；　while　the　other　was　theoretically　almost　independent；　that　was　a　fiction　nobody　believed。　Ritter　himself　had　a　great　deal　of　input　on　both　propaganda　arms　of　the　American　government。　The　Russians　understood　and　respected　good　agitprop。
　　　〃How　squeezed　do　you　suppose　they　feel？〃　Moore　wondered　aloud。
　　　〃Just　two　or　three　years　ago；　they　thought　they　were　on　the　crest　of　the　wave；〃　Greer　announced。　〃Our　economy　was　in　the　toilet　with　inflation　and　we　had　gas　lines；　the　Iran　mess。　They'd　just　got　Nicaragua　to　drop　into　their　lap。　Our　national　morale　was　bad；　and。。。〃
　　　〃Well；　that's　changing；　thank　God；〃　Moore　went　on　for　him。　〃Full　reversal？〃　he　asked。　It　was　too　much　to　hope　for；　but　at　heart　Arthur　Moore　was　an　optimist…otherwise；　how　could　he　be　DCI？
　　　〃We're　heading　that　way；　Arthur；〃　Ritter　said。　〃They're　slow　to　catch　on。　They　are　not　the　most　agile　of　thinkers。　That's　their　greatest　weakness。　The　top　dogs　are　wedded　to　their　ideology　to　the　point　that　they　can't　see　around　it。　You　know；　we　can　hurt　these　bastards…hurt　'em　bad…if　we　can　analyze　their　weaknesses　thoroughly　and　e　up　with　a　way　to　exploit　them。〃
　　　〃You　really　think　so；　Bob？〃　the　DDI　asked。
　　　〃I　don't　think　it…I　damned　well　know　it！〃　the　DDO　shot　back。　〃They　are　vulnerable；　and　best　of　all；　they　don't　yet　know　that　they　are　vulnerable。　It's　time　to　do　something。　We've　got　a　President　now　who'll　back　our　play　if　we　can　e　up　with　something　good　enough　for　him　to　invest　his　political　capital。　Congress　is　so　afraid　of　him；　they　won't　stand　in　the　way。〃
　　　〃Robert；〃　the　DCI　said；　〃it　sounds　to　me　like　you've　got　something　rattling　up　your　sleeve。〃
　　　Ritter　thought　for　a　few　seconds　before　going　on。　〃Yes；　Arthur；　I　do。　I've　been　thinking　about　this　since　they　brought　me　in　from　the　field　eleven　years　ago。　I　haven't　written　a　single　word　of　it　down。〃　He　didn't　have　to　explain　why。　Congress　could　subpoena　any　piece　of　paper　in　the　building…well；　almost　any　piece…but　not　something　carried　only　in　a　man's　mind。　But　perhaps　this　was　the　time　to　set　it　down。　〃What　is　the　Soviets'　fondest　wish？〃
　　　〃To　bring　us　down；〃　Moore　answered。　That　didn't　exactly　require　a　Nobel…class　intellect。
　　　〃Okay；　what　is　our　fondest　wish？〃
　　　Greer　took　that　one。　〃We　aren't　allowed　to　think　i