“No. Nothing like that, Andrei. Nothing contrived at all. Just give your views on what Moscow are thinking. Just what you yourself feel they’re thinking.”
“And for Moscow?”
“You can ask the President about US policy and attitudes. Even discuss them with him. Just their general attitude to world conditions, especially the Soviets. Whether you pass it on to the Kremlin is up to you. Nobody will check on you.”
“I can’t believe this, Igor. It’s just not credible. Politicians don’t do such things.” He frowned. “What would happen if I went to a newspaper with this?”
“They wouldn’t believe you. You don’t believe it despite the fact that you know me and you know Malloy. If you don’t believe it why should a journalist?”
“And all this has actually been discussed with the President?”
“Yes. And he’s agreed.”
“How do they expect me to have access to the Kremlin if I have to fold up my network?”
“You don’t have to, Andrei. It’s accepted that that would be part of the deal. They’re not offering immunity if you get caught by the FBI but what you do for Moscow is a separate issue.” He looked at Aarons, “I think if this works they would give you protection anyway. They don’t want to say so right now in case you were tempted to go over the top on your intelligence work because you relied on them providing immunity.”
“I’ll need time to think about it, Igor. It’s a bit of a bombshell.”
“I know. But there was no other way I could think of to tell you about it. I can arrange for you to talk to Malloy or Hancox or both if that would help.”
“Just let me get it straight. I just tell the President what people in the Kremlin are thinking and in turn he’ll put me in the picture about his thinking.”
“And he’ll ask you to comment on both lots of information. Maybe even ask your recommendations of how to keep things under control.”
“And the only reason for doing this is to prevent unnecessary tension and aggression.”
“Yeah.” Serov shrugged. “And of course nobody knows whether either side will heed what you tell them. Other people on both sides will have conflicting views.”
“How long can I think about it?”
Serov shrugged. “They’ve got to wait as long as you choose to make them wait.”
“It would be a terrible responsibility, my friend. I could misread situations.”
“It will be other people who decide what their attitudes will be. But both sides will be better informed because of you.”
“Let me think about it.”
“And we keep it strictly between ourselves.”
“At this stage, yes. But I should want Tania to know. Not the details but the essence of what I’d be trying to do.”
“It’s better if she’s not involved, Andrei.”
“She’s involved already, my friend. She’s my wife.”
When Serov had left Aarons stood at the windows that looked over 41st Street. He stood looking down at the people on the far side of the street, hurrying about their business, indifferent and ignorant of what was going on in the world outside the United States. Heading for home or the movies or even a last chance to see Oklahoma. And some would want nothing more than an evening listening to the radio, the March of Time, Charlie Chan, Dick Tracy or one of the soap operas that were supposed to show what family life was really like. And in those crowds there were people from every country in Europe. These were the huddled masses from those lines on the Statue of Liberty. And no matter what the critics might say they were undoubtedly living better here than ever before. But despite all those immigrants America still seemed totally ignorant about Europe and the rest of the world. America didn’t need the rest of the world, so why should they care. Old allies had turned on them. The French under de Gaulle had been encouraged to despise everything American, the Russians were now America’s open enemies. And the English still laboured under the delusion that they’d won the war alone and were looking for handouts. And who was he that people thought he could help to put right the ignorance and misunderstanding that might lead to another war? That was what ambassadors were for. But he knew that the reports of the Soviet ambassador in Washington would be ignored by the Kremlin and if the ambassador didn’t say what Moscow wanted then he’d be replaced.
He thought about Malloy who was obviously just as much a victim as he was. From a working-class background but no way a sympathiser with Communism. Not an international idealist either. He obviously detested the French. Saw them as effete and hypocritical. And Moscow thought much the same. But only an American could have dreamed up a scenario like Serov had described. It was crazy but maybe it could work. If either Moscow or Washington actually wanted war then they’d go ahead when they thought the time was ripe. But maybe if they understood each other better it could change the atmosphere of constant suspicion. Who knows? He could remember something that Serov had said many years ago, or was it the Spanish girl who had said it? Whoever it was, had said that he was a Jew without a religion and a Russian without a country. He smiled to himself. Maybe those were as good a set of qualifications for this crazy set-up that you could get.
He told Tania about Serov’s proposition while they were eating. When he’d finished he looked at her and said, “What d’you think?”
She shrugged and smiled. “Sounds crazy to me so it’s probably worth trying. More important is what you think.”
“I just wonder if they think I’m more important than I really am.”
“Grandad Lensky told me way back that they set great store by you and what you do.”
“But they took me off politics and kept me on intelligence work.”
“Honey, the good Lord himself couldn’t keep you off politics.
