“Did he tell the PM?”
“He didn’t tell us. My belief is that he did.”
“And there was no come-back from him?”
“Not that we knew of.”
“Go on …” Sir Peter nodded towards Shapiro as he looked at Morton, “… let Joe speak for himself, Hughie. It’s only between the three of us even now.”
“The Americans have made a big gesture, Sir Peter.” Shapiro shrugged. “In appreciation of the past information that has come from Phoenix. They have authorised me to negotiate an exchange—Colonel Abel for Phoenix. But that exchange will be top-secret. So far as the public are concerned Abel will be exchanged for the U-2 pilot, Gary Powers. I’d like your authority to go ahead with this.”
Sir Peter looked towards the village cricket field, then at Morton, and finally at Shapiro.
“You’ve been almost obsessed about this problem of Phoenix, ever since the news first came through. Why, Joe?”
“Because I’m responsible for what has happened to him. I recruited him. I planned his training and his whole set-up. I owe it to him to do anything—anything—I can to get him back.”
“You explained to him the risks honestly and fairly?”
“Yes.”
“And you told him what we always tell undercover people, that we should not be able to help them if they were caught. That we should deny their existence and any knowledge of them?”
“Yes.”
“And this kind of situation has happened before. A dozen times even in my time as D-G, yes?”
“Yes.”
“And in half those cases we played it by the book and in time we got them back.”
“It took years in every case. The information we have is that Phoenix is seriously ill in Kolyma Camp. One of the worst of the Gulag camps. He’ll just die there if we don’t do something positive.”
“Do you feel even the smallest suspicion of guilt that you may not have really laid it on the line with Phoenix?”
“No. But I feel a hell of a lot of guilt that I recruited him in the first place.”
“You’ve recruited scores of men in your time, Joe. You always took it in your stride. Why this sudden concern for one man?”
Shapiro looked exasperated. “I can’t understand why this offer by the Americans isn’t being grabbed with both hands.”
“Oh, but it is. You have my authority right now to go ahead in an attempt to negotiate an exchange. All that concerns me is that you seem to be rushing things. You’re always so careful, so professional. I don’t want you to risk making things worse than they already are.” He paused. “And I’m concerned about you too.”
“In what way, Sir Peter?”
“We’ll have a talk when this is over. Meantime—use any resources or help that you need. And the best of luck.”
When Shapiro had left, Morton said quietly, “What’s worrying you, Peter?”
Sir Peter shrugged. “I don’t know, Hughie. Just things that don’t hang together properly.”
“Like what?”
“With hindsight it seems to me that when we decided to hand over the Lonsdale business to Five that Shapiro didn’t mind. Normally he’d have fought like a tiger to keep it. I think that was because this Phoenix business was on his mind.” He looked at Morton for a moment. “He went off to New York without mentioning what he had in mind—about the exchange I mean. Just gave the impression that it was a routine liaison meeting. That’s not like Shapiro. I didn’t say anything just now, but I didn’t like it.”
“Anything else?”
“There’s something that’s changed Shapiro in the last few months. It reminds me of a report I saw on him when he was in Germany after the war. Said he was a loner and not suitable for high-level direction.”
“But that’s exactly what he’s been doing for the last ten years—co-ordinating our activities against the KGB. And he’s done it very well.”
“Remind me—how old is he?”
“This is his last year. He retires at the end of December.”
Sir Peter stood up, stretching his arms. “I’ll put him up for something in the New Year’s list. Forget what I’ve been waffling about. It’s probably me, not him, that’s out of step.”
31
Max Lutz was the Berlin lawyer who always negotiated exchanges on behalf of the Soviet Union. He was in his early sixties. Wealthy, successful and sophisticated, he had acted for the Russians for twenty years. Apart from being a very successful lawyer he was a shrewd negotiator and had been a colonel in the Wehrmacht who had served in the Afrika Korps under Rommel, and later, in Europe, on the staff of Army Group “B” under Field Marshal Modl.
One of the advantages of indirect negotiations had been that Lutz had established himself as an intermediary rather than a negotiator. This meant that bluffing and haggling were totally unacceptable. If either party turned down an original proposal then both parties were given one more opportunity to make a fresh proposal. If either party declined the second proposal the negotiations were over. There was no third chance. And Lutz would never participate in the future in any negotiation concerning any of the prisoners named in a rejected proposal. He maintained that men’s freedom and lives were at stake and he would not be party to anything that could be construed as raising the hopes of a man or woman and their families and deliberately dashing these hopes. He was not a member of the Communist Party nor any other political party or group. He genuinely had no interest in politics. SIS had negotiated with Lutz half a dozen times over the years and respected the German’s honesty and impartiality. Lutz was seldom told by either side the importance or otherwise, or
