It took him three weeks to make all the contacts and explain that Moscow had appealed to the British and the French for an alliance but they had sent junior officials with no powers to negotiate let alone sign an agreement.
There was bitterness everywhere and disillusion, and at his meeting in New York which he had left to the last there was open rejection of his explanation. A man named Herz had been the dissidents’ spokesman.
“If it is true that those people were only juniors what was to stop Moscow sending a senior member of the Politburo to London?”
“It was a question of time, comrade. The whole matter was desperately urgent.”
“But they found time for Molotov to negotiate with Ribbentrop.”
“By then we had no choice. All other attempts had failed.”
“So we have guaranteed not to attack the Nazis when they invade Poland. What do we get in return?”
“A guarantee that Germany will not attack the Soviet Union.”
There was a clamour of voices dissenting and Herz shouted, “So all those speeches by Stalin about the infamous Nazis were wrong, yes? The great leader was wrong. And now they are our allies and we share their guilt. And all over the world, those of us who have worked so hard for the Party are given the choice of looking like fools or criminals.” He was jabbing his finger at Andrei. “You tell your friends in Moscow that we no longer believe them. They are traitors to the Party. Traitors to the working man all over Europe.”
“On what grounds do you say that, Comrade Herz?”
Saliva was erupting from the man’s mouth as his anger took over. “Because what Moscow has done is to tell the Nazis that they can take over Europe without fear of retaliation from the Soviet Union. We are not so naive as to not be aware of what this so-called non-aggression pact means. It means the workers of Europe have been handed over to the Nazi thugs.”
There was a clamour of agreement from most of the people assembled in the small hall. Most of them were seated but Herz was still standing, his face flushed with anger.
Andrei said quietly, “Do you play chess, Comrade Herz?”
“Yes.”
There was a sudden silence in the room.
“Have you ever sacrificed a piece for the sake of a tactical move?”
“Of course.”
“I’d be most grateful if you would let me offer you an explanation of what happened in Moscow. I’m not saying that my reasoning is their reasoning but I believe that if I can analyse the situation then they can too. And with more information than I have. Will you give me a few moments of your time?”
Herz sat down and Andrei knew that at least the people were listening now.
“Hitler has said in public speeches many times that Moscow is his real enemy. The Bolsheviks. The Reds. The day would come when he would settle the matter once and for all. We all know what that means. It means war. The invasion of the Soviet Union.
“But so far Herr Hitler has not invaded any country. But if he does, or when he does then non-aggression pacts don’t necessarily apply. A pact made to persuade a potential aggressor to find a peaceful solution to some problem is not a pact made to stand aside and allow your ally to invade your neighbours.
“What if Moscow are only sacrificing their pride in the hope that it could contribute to peace?”
Herz stood up and Andrei nodded to him, giving way. “Carry on, Comrade Herz.”
“And what if instead of ensuring peace it makes war more certain. Do we trust the Nazis to have changed their spots?”
Andrei nodded. “Forgive me for not saying more in even this private meeting but I have faith enough in our cause and our leaders to be sure that when all this tension in Europe comes to an end the Soviet Union will not have ended up fighting with the Nazis to conquer Europe.” He half-smiled and said, “We want to conquer the world with our hopes and our philosophy not with guns.”
There was a smattering of applause and a woman stood up.
“So when, comrade, do we fight on the side of our real friends?”
Andrei said quietly, “We were doing that in Spain until Madrid surrendered to Franco, comrade.”
Then the applause was substantial and Andrei was relieved. Two senior Party members walked with him to the subway and he was back with the family just before midnight.
It was a warm night and after a bowl of chicken soup he took Chantal for a walk to the beach. A number of people smiled or nodded to them as they made their way round the small square with its trees and flowers.
Sitting in the quiet of the beach they could just hear the faint waves of music from Coney Island, above the roll and swirl of the Atlantic waves.
He put his arm around her shoulder. “How’ve you been, honey?”
“I was lonely without you. I hate it when you’re away.”
“So do I. But most of the time I was on trains and buses. Trying to sleep.”
“Did they give you a rough time?”
“I did my best. How about you and Anna and Ivan?”
“Anna’s always a great help. Always calm and full of common sense.” She paused. “I had a letter from my parents. They seem worried that there’s going to be a war with the Germans. Do you think there will be?”
“It’s possible. How about Ivan? I’ve got a feeling you’ve left him to last for a good reason.”
She laughed. “You’re right. Two small problems. First of all a visit from a Mr. Henschel who just walked in and said that if ’van doesn’t keep away from his daughter he’ll either go to the police or crack Ivan’s head open.”
“Why should he do that? Is she pregnant or something?”
“No. But she’s under age.”
“Like what?”
“Like only just fifteen. But she looks older.”
“What did you do with ’van?”
“I told him
