“That’s where you’re wrong. It’s not a cover. I am a bookseller. I buy and sell books. I live off the proceeds of my bookshop not off State funds that are needed for other things. If ever I stop thinking and believing that I’m a bookseller I shall cease to be a useful asset in New York.”
Two or three of them spoke at once and Aarons nodded towards a man with a moustache who said, “I’m Ustinov.” He paused. “When you were working for the Comintern way back you gave explanations of Soviet actions that some American Party members disagreed with. Who, in Moscow, supplied your information and arguments?”
Aarons smiled. “I gave the explanations that I considered a correct interpretation of Moscow’s actions and motives. There was very little communication back to here in those days. And there was seldom any need for consultation. It was best that I was not prein-formed. I got the news like any other Party member—from newspapers and the radio.”
“Did you ever disagree with Moscow’s actions even if you didn’t say so?”
“No. The actions that some people disagreed with always had a rational explanation to my mind. I gave them that explanation.”
“And they always agreed?”
Aarons laughed. “Not always. There are always people who see themselves as strong supporters—but who want to criticise. They think it’s leadership, but others see it as self-importance. The odd ones don’t matter. It’s useful sometimes to let them be the devil’s advocate.”
A man who gave his name as Gitlov said, “If you were needed to do other work have you anyone in your network who could take over?”
Aarons shook his head. “No. For two reasons. First of all my kind of network should be run by a Russian national, a Soviet. And secondly nobody else in the network knows any of the others. It would be too time consuming and elaborate to use a traditional system of cut-outs. If any one person was caught by the FBI the only other person he or she could expose would be me.” He smiled. “And like I said it would be hard to prove that I was anything other than a bookseller—because I am just that.”
“What do you see as the most likely cause of you being uncovered?”
“I think my weakest link is communication both ways. Most of what I get comes here by radio. That means more schedules to cut down transmission times or someone to come up with a speedier kind of Morse. Some day the FBI will have more radio-detection facilities than they have at present.”
As time went by it became more like chatting than questions and answers, and with a break for lunch the talk had gone on for nearly four hours before Lensky closed the session.
Back in Lensky’s apartment Lensky was obviously pleased with Aarons’ performance. Gone was the rather passive man who Lensky usually saw and here was a man confident in his decisions who had obviously impressed most of the men at the meeting. And none of them were men who were easily impressed. The KGB promotion had been a gesture, a recognition of Aarons’ loyalty and work. But at the meeting Aarons had looked and sounded like a colonel, an expert talking about his speciality.
There had been several meetings the next day with individuals and the word seemed to have gone around about the man in New York. A loyal Soviet but who could think like Americans thought. There had been ten minute interviews with Malenkov, Beria, Khrushchev and Marshal Zhukov and he had been taken to a reception in the Kremlin for the French Ambassador where he had not only seen Stalin but had been taken over to have his hand shaken by the great man himself.
On the last day of his visit Lensky told him that he was to be given unlimited funds and was to extend his network to cover more contacts with politicians and advanced technology. They wanted information on technical advances that would save them the billions of roubles that would be involved in research. So far as the politicians were concerned they wanted him as a reference point on American intentions. The feeling of Congress and the attitude of the public to current events. Lensky made clear that the Washington embassy’s views would be the official source but from time to time Moscow would want his thinking and analysis.
He was flying back via Helsinki and Toronto and as they waited at the airfield Lensky said, “You’ve done well for us, Andrei, but what pleases me most is that you’ve impressed people while you’ve been here. They’ll take a lot of notice of what you think in future. You’re not part of the internal fighting. I’ve made sure that you’ve met all the rivals so that whoever comes out on top in the end they’ll see you as a valuable aid to their thinking. You’re on nobody’s side, you’re neutral. And you’re in New York not Moscow, thank God.” He smiled. “I was going to say take care of yourself but I think you’re one of those people who just go on their own sweet way and somebody above looks after them.”
CHAPTER 24
As they ate their evening meal together Aarons realised that to the other three he was an outsider. Someone outside their easy-going circle. Ivan obviously knew Sam Fisher well. He must have known about Anna and Sam for years. They were like old friends the three of them, relieved now that the introductions were over and that there was no longer any need for any subterfuge.
He had never seen Anna looking like that before. Not just beautiful but smiling, relaxed and confident. And he realised that it was her relationship with Sam Fisher that gave her that confidence.
He liked Sam Fisher, he was a smiling man and gentle and showed no sign of resentment that Andrei had been the unwitting cause of them not being
