tc.redstormrising-第37章

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al　maskirovka？　Aren't　we　saying　that　our　quarrel　is　with　the　West　German　government？　How　might　it　look　then　if　on　the　first　day　of　the　war　we　coldly　exterminate　many　thousands　of　civilians？〃　How　many　more　innocents　shall　we　slaughter？　he　thought。
〃And　there　is　another　question；〃　said　Bromkovskiy。　Old　and　frail　though　he　was；　he　was　still　an　experienced　man　from　the　last　war　against　the　Germans；　and　his　views　on　defense　affairs　still　manded　respect。　〃If　we　use　these　weapons　against　all　the　NATO　armies…and　how　can　we　restrict　them　to　German　formations？…America　and　France　have　made　it　clear　that　they　consider　gas　as　a　weapon　of　mass　destruction；　to　which　they　would　respond　in　kind。〃
〃The　American　chemical　arsenal　is　a　joke；〃　replied　Defense。
〃I　have　seen　studies　from　your　ministry　that　suggest　otherwise；〃　Bromkovskiy　shot　back。　〃And　perhaps　you　will　laugh　at　their　nuclear　weapons！　If　we　kill　many　thousands　of　German　civilians；　their　government　will　demand　the　use　of　atomic　weapons　against　targets　in　our　territory。　If　our　gas　weapons　kill　some　thousands　of　American　soldiers；　do　you　think　the　American　President　will　refrain　from　using　his　own　weapons　of　mass　destruction？　rades；　we　have　discussed　this　before。　This　war　against　NATO　is　a　political　operation；　no？　Do　we　cast　away　our　political　camouflage　by　using　a　weapon　like　this？　We　have　the　assurance　now　that　at　least　one　NATO　country　will　not　join　in　a　Russian…German　war。　This　is　a　great　victory　for　our　political　policy。　The　use　of　chemical　weapons　will　cast　away　that　advantage　and　open　political　dangers　from　more　than　one　direction。
〃I　feel　that　we　should　retain　control　of　these　weapons　in　the　Politburo。　rade　Defense　Minister；　are　you　telling　us　that　we　can　win　only　if　weapons　of　mass　destruction　are　used？〃　The　old　man　leaned　forward　and　spoke　with　harsh　determination。　〃Has　the　situation　changed？　You　will　remember　telling　us　that　if　strategic　surprise　were　lost；　our　armies　could　be　recalled。　Has　surprise　been　lost？〃
The　Defense　Minister's　face　went　rigid　for　a　moment。　〃The　Soviet　Army　is　ready　and　able　to　carry　out　its　mission。　It　is　now　too　late　to　retreat。　This　is　also　a　political　question；　Petya。〃
〃NATO　is　mobilizing；〃　Sergetov　said。
〃Too　late；　and　too　halfheartedly；〃　replied　the　Director　of　the　KGB。　〃We　have　split　one　country　from　the　NATO　alliance。　We　are　working　on　others；　and　are　hard　at　work　throughout　Europe　and　America　spreading　disinformation　about　the　bomb　attack。　The　will　of　the　people　in　the　NATO　countries　is　low。　They　will　not　want　to　fight　a　war　for　German　murderers；　and　their　political　leaders　will　find　a　way　to　disassociate　themselves　from　the　conflict。〃
〃But　not　if　we　slaughter　civilians　with　gas。〃　The　Foreign　Minister　nodded。　〃Petya　and　young　Sergetov　are　correct：　the　political　cost　of　these　weapons　is　simply　too　high。〃

WASHINGTON；　D。C。
〃But　why？　Why　are　they　doing　this？〃　the　President　demanded。
〃We　simply　do　not　know；　sir。〃　The　Director　of　Central　Intelligence　was　clearly　unfortable　with　the　question。　〃We　know　that　this　Kremlin　Bomb　Plot　was　a　plete　fabrication…〃
〃Did　you　see　what　the　Post　said　this　morning？　The　press　says　that　this　guy　Falken　has　'agency'　or　its　German　equivalent　written　all　over　him。〃
〃Mr。　President；　the　truth　of　the　matter　is　that　Herr　Falken　was　almost　certainly　a　Soviet　sleeper　agent　under　KGB　control。　The　Germans　have　been　unable　to　uncover　very　much　about　him。　It's　as　though　he　just　sprang　into　being　thirteen　years　ago；　and　he's　been　quietly　running　his　import…export　business　for　the　last　twelve　years。　Sir；　every　indication　we　have　is　that　the　Soviets　are　prepared　for　an　attack　against　NATO。　There　is　no　indication；　for　example；　that　they　are　demobilizing　their　conscripts　who　are　at　the　end　of　their　enlistment　periods；　nor　any　evidence　of　preparations　for　the　new　'class'　of　conscripts　that　should　have　begun　to　arrive　several　days　ago。　Finally；　there's　the　case　of　this　Spetznaz　major　the　Germans　picked　up。　He　was　infiltrated　into　the　Federal　Republic　before　the　bomb　plot；　with　orders　to　attack　a　NATO　munications　base。　As　to　why…Mr。　President；　we　simply　do　not　know。　We　can　describe　what　the　Russians　are　doing　but　not　the　reason　for　it。〃
〃I　told　the　country　last　night　that　we　would　be　able　to　control　this　situation　through　diplomatic　means　。　。　。〃
〃We　still　might。　We　need　to　municate　directly　with　the　Soviets；〃　the　President's　national　security　adviser　said。　〃Until　they　respond　positively；　however；　we　have　to　show　that　we　mean　business；　too。　Mr。　President；　a　further　call…up　of　reservists　is　necessary。〃

NORTH　ATLANTIC
The　JULIUS　FUCIK　was　rolling　ten　degrees　with　a　beam　sea。　It　made　life　hard　on　the　soldiers；　Captain　Kherov　noted；　but　they　were　doing　well　for　landsmen。　His　own　crewmen　were　dangling　over　the　sides　with　sprayguns；　painting　over　the　ship's　Interlighter　markings；　preparatory　to　replacing　them　with　the　Lykes　Lines　emblem。　The　soldiers　were　cutting　away　parts　of　the　superstructure　to　conform　with　the　silhouette　of　the　Doctor　Lykes；　a　U。S。…flag　Seabee　carrier　remarkably　similar　to　the　Fucik。　The　Soviet　ship　had　been　built　years　before　in　Finland's　Valmet　yard　from　plans　purchased　in　America。　Already　the　elevator　winch　area　aft　had　been　painted　pletely　black　to　match　the　American　line's　house　colors；　and　a　black　diamond　had　been　painted　on　both　sides　of　the　superstructure。　Gangs　of　men　were　changing　the　shape　and　colors　of　the　two　funnels　with　prefabricated　parts。　The　hardest　job　remaining　was　the　paintwork　on　the　hull。　The　Interlighter　markings　were　made　of　twentyfoot　letters。　Replacing　them　called　for　the　use　of　canvas　templates；　and　the　lettering　had　to　be　neat　and　exact。　Worst　of　all；　there　was　no　way　to　check　the　workmanship　short　of　launching　a　ship's　boat；　something　he　had　neither　the　time　nor　the　inclination　to　do。
〃How　long；　rade　Captain？〃
〃Four　hours　at　least。　The　work　goes　well。〃　Kherov　couldn't　hide　his　concern。　Here　they　were；　mid…Atlantic；　far　from　the　usual　sea　lanes；　but　there　was　no　telling…
〃And　if　we　are　spotted　by　an　American　aircraft　or　ship？〃　General　Andreyev　asked。
〃Then　we　will　find　out　how　effective　our　damage…control　drills　have　been…and　our　mission　will　be　a　failure。〃　Kherov　ran　his　hand　along　the　polished　teak　rail。　He'd　manded　this　ship　for　six　years；　taken　her　into　nearly　every　port　on　the　North　and　South　Atlantic。　〃We'll　get　some　way　on。　The　ship　will　ride　more　easily　on　a　bow　sea。〃

MOSCOW；　R。S。F。S。R。
〃When　are　you　planning　to　leave？〃　Flynn　asked　Calloway。
〃Soon；　Patrick。　I　hope　you'll　be　ing　with　me？〃　The　unmarried　children　of　both　men　were　in　college；　and　both　had　sent　their　wives　west　the　day　before。
〃I　don't　know。　I've　never　run　away　before。〃　Flynn　scowled　at　the　empty　stage　at　the　end　of　the　room。　He　had　the　scars　to　prove　it。　〃They　pay　me　to　report　the　news。〃
〃You'll　be　reporting　no　bloody　news　from　inside　Lefortovo　Prison；　my　friend；〃　Calloway　observed。　〃Isn't　one　Pulitzer　Prize　enough？〃
Flynn　laughed。　〃I　thought　nobody　but　me　remembered。　What　do　you　know　that　I　don't；　Willie？〃
〃I　know　I　wouldn't　be　leaving　without　a　damned　good　reason。　And　if　it's　good　enough　for　me　to　leave；　Patrick；　it's　bloody　good　enough　for　you。〃　He'd　been　told　only　the　night　before　that　a　peaceful　resolution　of　this　crisis　was　now　less　than　a　50…percent　probability。　For　the　hundredth　time；　the　Reuters　correspondent　blessed　his　decision　to　cooperate　with　the　SIS。
〃Here　we　go。〃　Flynn　took　out　his　notepad。
The　Foreign　Minister　entered　from　the　usual　door　and　moved　to　the　lectern。　He　looked　uncharacteristically　frazzled；　his　suit　rumpled；　his　shirt　collar　dingy；　as　though　he'd　been　up　all　the　previous　night　laboring　to　resolve　the　German　crisis　through　diplomatic　means。　When　he　looked　up；　his　eyes　squinted　through　his　reading　glasses。
〃Ladies　and　gentlemen；　a　year　that　has　gone　so　well　for　East…West　relations　has　turned　to　ashes　in　the　mouths　of　us　all。　The　United　States；　the　Soviet　Union；　and　the　other　nations　that　accepted　our　invitation　to　Vienna　are　within　weeks　of　a　prehensive　agreement　on　the　control　of　strategic　nuclear　arms。　America　and　the　Soviet　Union　have　agreed　upon　and　implemented　a　grain　sales　agreement　with　unprecedented　speed　and　cooperation；　and　even　as　we　speak；　deliveries　are　bei