This is for Eleanor Wright—the pre-Raphaelite beauty of Turnbridge Wells—with love from us all.
Copyright
Copyright © 1992 the Estate of Ted Allbeury
All rights reserved.
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
The author has asserted his moral right in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act, 1988 [UK].
Bibliographical Note
This Dover edition, first published in 2017, is an unabridged republication of the work originally published by New English Library, Great Britain, in 1992.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Allbeury, Ted, author.
Title: Show me a hero / Ted Allbeury.
Description: Mineola, NY : Dover Publications, 2017.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017020303| ISBN 9780486820361 (paperback) | ISBN 048682036X (paperback)
Subjects: LCSH: Spy stories. | Suspense fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Espionage. | FICTION / Political.
Classification: LCC PR6051.L52 S55 2017 | DDC 823/.914—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017020303
Manufactured in the United States by LSC Communications
82036X01 2017
www.doverpublications.com
Most espionage novels concentrate on the actions of an agent in some particular operation, usually involving guns and general mayhem. But in real life the operation of an espionage network is very different. In this novel I have tried to give an impression of the life of a man who runs a KGB network in the United States. With more emphasis on his life than the work that he did. The novel covers a long period and for clarity I have kept to the same name for the central character and ignored his obvious need for aliases.
Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy.
F. Scott Fitzgerald—The Crack-Up, 1945
Vain hope, to make people happy by politics!
Thomas Carlyle, 1831
Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones.
Bertrand Russell, “An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish,”
Unpopular Essays, 1950
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
About the Author
CHAPTER 1
Mary Taylor wondered why they had banned the TV crews and limited the press conference to journalists and radio. Even still-photographers had been excluded. Most press conferences at Camp David had three or four network crews. It couldn’t be a security problem. Maybe he just wanted to limit the time he gave them. The TV people always used their weight and dragged things out.
They were still testing the microphones and recorder when he walked over to the dais. Blue shirt, no tie, grey slacks and Reebok trainers that looked as though they actually did some work. The wispy hair was lifting in the slight breeze and already that rather attractive lop-sided smile, as somebody moved the main mike. She’d always liked him even in the old days before he was Vice-President. He was really nothing like Reagan but in some ways they seemed much the same. Likeable All-American boys. But Bush was different because he had his hands on the levers and he not only did his homework but he understood it. His stint as boss of the CIA had seen to that. And he wasn’t likely to confuse Bolivia with Brazil. Not that Ronald Reagan lost votes because of gaffes like that. Most Americans couldn’t put their finger on Czechoslovakia on a map of the world. Reagan made voters feel that they really could be President of the USA if they wanted to.
There were all the usual questions about arms reduction and Star Wars, as SDI had been christened by the press. The features girl from the Post tried to hassle him about abortion but he gave her the smile and pointed to the man from The Times of London.
“Yes, Mr. Long.”
“Mr. President, there are some in Europe, and I understand in the USA too, who wonder if the White House isn’t dragging its feet now that glasnost and perestroika have changed the international climate. Are they right, Mr. President?”
“Well now—we’ve made considerable progress in our negotiations with the Soviets on arms reduction, the outlawing of chemical warfare weapons and troop reductions. I wouldn’t call that dragging our feet.”
“Mr. President, I was thinking more of the psychological aspects of glasnost. The world sees the Soviets stretching out the hand of peace and the US government taking a rather aloof attitude. Not ready to accept the end of the Cold War.”
The President smiled. “I’m delighted that the press are giving so much space to good news for a change. But let me make clear that this administration is responsible, as all administrations are, for the security of the United States and its people. We have had nearly forty years of Cold War—not, I hasten to add, of our making. We welcome wholeheartedly the changes in the countries of the Soviet bloc and in the Soviet Union itself—and we shall be only too ready to assist that progress to democracy. But in those countries you cannot go overnight from overbearing dictatorships to democracies—there are no organised political parties that are capable of ensuring that democracy prevails—it takes time and we must give them time—not rush in in a state of euphoria at the risk of being considered a destabilising influence. Yes …” The President nodded towards a man in the back row. “… Yes, Ted.”
“Mr. President. With the new climate between the two superpowers is the administration aware that many Americans feel that it is time to end our commitment of troops and weapons to NATO?”
He got the old smile as the President said, “When we have made progress on the main issues, the question of NATO and Warsaw Pact forces will undoubtedly be discussed. We have to find out what the other side have in mind.”
One of the old China hands from PA-Reuters stood up.
“Mr. President, doesn’t your
