“We have nothing comparable to offer so we haven’t made any approach, either unofficial or official.”
Macleod said quietly, “What made you come to us at this particular moment?”
Shapiro shrugged. “Two reasons only. Firstly because you’ve got Abel, and secondly we only heard two days ago that our man was alive and in the Kolyma Gulag.”
“Did you know that Abel and Gary Powers’s parents are trying to persuade Moscow to do an exchange for Gary Powers, the U-2 pilot?”
“Yes I knew that from your weekly sitrep.”
Da Costa chipped in. “You’re asking us to leave one of our own citizens in a Soviet prison for the sake of your own man.”
“He was hardly our own man. He was virtually working for you as well. He was under our control but you got almost everything that we got.”
Macleod turned to look at da Costa. “We contributed funds to this operation, Ray. And it wasn’t just a hand-out. It was on the Director’s instructions.”
Nowak said, “There are already rumours in the press about an exchange for Powers. There’d be hell to pay if we ended up leaving Powers to rot in the Lubyanka and brought back a Brit instead.”
Macleod looked at Shapiro. “What do you say to that?”
“It’s undoubtedly a problem.” For a moment he looked uncomfortable. “I don’t like saying this but isn’t our man more important than Gary Powers?”
Da Costa half-smiled. “D’you mean more important or more deserving?”
Shapiro shrugged. “I wouldn’t dream of passing any comment about what your guy deserves. I just claim that our man is worth exchanging for anybody we’ve got. Either of us.”
“Why don’t you offer them Lonsdale?”
“We’re quite prepared to do that but we don’t think that they set as much value on him as they do on Abel. And they’d certainly want the Krogers as well. The couple who worked for Abel in New York—the Cohens.”
Da Costa said quietly, “So why don’t you try them first and maybe have Abel as a fall-back position. If our people agreed.”
“We’ve had indications that there’s a batting order of people who Moscow want and Lonsdale is at best about third on the list. Maybe not even that high.”
“And Abel is number one in your opinion?”
“No. Abel is number two on their list.”
“So who’s their number one?”
“The defector. Hayhanen.”
There was a chorus of protest but Macleod held up a silencing hand as he looked at his colleagues. “Nobody’s suggesting that we trade Hayhanen, but Joe Shapiro’s right in his assessment.” He turned to look at Shapiro. “What is it you want us to go with?”
“A flat refusal on Hayhanen. Try offering Lonsdale—with the Krogers thrown in if necessary. And if that doesn’t work I’d like to be able to offer Abel, as a last resort.”
There was a long silence and then Macleod said, “How about we break for half an hour and I’ll walk around the block with Joe while you guys think about it?”
Nobody dissented and as they walked slowly round the block Shapiro said, “Are your people in a mood to help, Robert?”
“Well, they’re on your side, that’s for sure. It’s the problem of leaving Powers to rot that worries them. The public won’t like that. They won’t understand. And none of us—FBI and CIA—is anybody’s favourite son at the moment.”
“I think there is a solution that could avoid any problem about Gary Powers.”
“You’re a cunning old fox, Joe Shapiro. You’d better tell them what you’ve got in mind.”
When they got back to the house the others settled back round the table and Macleod said, “Joe’s got some thoughts on this situation.” He paused and looked at Shapiro. “Tell us what you’ve got in mind, Joe.”
Joe looked around the table at each of them. “Let me tell you first how I think those guys in Dzerzhinski Square will be thinking.
“Their guy Abel is a sick man according to what I’ve heard. A disappointed man too. Disappointed that Moscow haven’t raised a finger so far to get him released. He was their top guy in New York—maybe in the States for that matter. And he’ll have expected that they’d at least try for a deal. But they ain’t tried—have they?
“So when they’re forced to consider a deal about him they’ll know that we’ll have tipped him off that we’re offering Moscow a deal. If they refuse they’ll know that he’ll be a very bitter man. He’s kept silent so far—and they’ll know that too. But if they refuse a deal then maybe his attitude would change. He’s had some years in prison but he won’t ever have contemplated actually spending the last years of his life in jail. Dying in jail. The KGB will assume that if he was left to rot by them he could well feel that he’s done his bit and with a nice offer from you guys he might jump at the chance of co-operating. If Moscow don’t care about him why should he tough it out?
“Now we come to our guy—code-name Phoenix. He won’t ever talk—no matter what they do to him—no matter what they offer him. I’ve had word that he’s a very sick man. Physically and mentally. They’ve put him through the mincing machine, that’s for sure.” He shrugged. “He’s of no use to them and they will know it.”
As he paused da Costa interrupted. “That sounds like a stand-off, Joe.”
Shapiro shook his head. “No. It’s not. There’s two things to bear in mind. Firstly, Abel will know he’s going to spend the rest of his life in jail. Abel has hopes, our man has none.” He paused. “There’s one other plus factor on our side. The Russians have never publicised the capture of our man—no show-trial for the world’s press—the usual scenario. Why?”
Macleod said softly, “They don’t want to lose face. They don’t want the world to know they were fooled by your man. That a top KGB liaison man with the Poles was a mole for the West.”
Shapiro nodded. “And they wouldn’t dare
