indoctrination. If one could get into touch with the Russians — I really think a personal visit at top level –'
'You stick where you are, Prime Minister,' said Admiral Blunt. 'Don't you start messing around with the Russkies again. All they want at present is to keep out of all this mess. They haven't had as much trouble there with their students as most of us have. All they mind about is keeping an eye on the Chinese to see what they'll be up to next.'
'I do think that personal influence –'
'You stay here and look after your own country,' said Admiral Blunt. True to his name, and as was his wont, be said it bluntly:
'Hadn't we better hear — have a proper report of what's actually been happening?' Gordon Chetwynd looked towards Colonel Munro.
'Want facts? Quite right. They're all pretty unpalatable. I presume you want, not particulars of what's been happening here so much, as the general world situation?'
'Quite so.'
'Well, in France the Marshal's in hospital still. Two bullets in his arm. Hell's going on in political circles. Large tracts of the country are held by what they call the youth power troops.'
'You mean they've got arms?' said Gordon Chetwynd in a horrified voice.
'They've got a hell of a lot,' said the Colonel. 'I don't know really where they've got them from. There are certain ideas as to that. A large consignment was sent from Sweden to West Africa .'
'What's that got to do with it?' said Mr Lazenby. 'Who cares? Let them have all the arms they want in West Africa . They can go on shooting each other.'
'Well, there's something a little curious about it as far as our Intelligence reports go. Here is a list of the armaments that were sent to West Africa . The interesting thing is they were sent there, but they were sent out again. They were accepted, delivery was acknowledged, payment may or may not have been made, but they were sent out of the country again before five days had passed. They were sent out, re-routed elsewhere.'
'But what's the idea of that?'
'The idea seems to be,' said Munro, 'that they were never really intended for West Africa . Payments were made and they were sent on somewhere else. It seems possible that they went on from Africa to the Near East . To the Persian Gulf, to Greece and to Turkey . Also, a consignment of planes was sent to Egypt . From Egypt they were sent to India , from India they were sent to Russia .'
'I thought they were sent from Russia .'
'— And from Russia they went to Prague . The whole thing's mad.'
'I don't understand,' said Sir George, 'one wonders –'
'Somewhere there seems to be some central organization which is directing the supplies of various things. Planes, armaments, bombs, both explosive and those that are used in germ warfare. All these consignments are moving in unexpected directions. They are delivered by various cross-country routes to trouble-spots, and used by leaders and regiments — if you like to call them that — of the youth power. They mostly go to the leaders of young guerrilla movements, professed anarchists who preach anarchy, and accept — though one doubts if they ever pay for — some of the latest most up-to-date models.'
'So you mean to say we're facing something like war on world scale?' Cedric Lazenby was shocked.
The mild man with the Asiatic face who sat lower at the table, and had not yet spoken, lifted up his face with the Mongolian smile, and said:
'That is what one is now forced to believe. Our observations tell us –'
Lazenby interrupted.
'You'll have to stop observing. UNO will have to take arms itself and put all this down.'
The quiet face remained unmoved.
'That would be against our principles,' he said.
Colonel Munro raised his voice and went on with his summing up.
'There's fighting in some parts of every country. South-East Asia claimed Independence long ago and there are four, five different divisions of power in South America , Cuba , Peru , Guatemala and so on. As for the United States , you know Washington was practically burnt out — the West is overrun with youth power armed forces — Chicago is under Martial Law. You know about Sam Cortman? Shot last night on the steps of the American Embassy here.'
'He was to attend here today,' said Lazenby. 'He was going to have given us his views of the situation.'
'I don't suppose that would have helped much,' said Colonel Munro. 'Quite a nice chap — but hardly a live wire.'
'But who's behind all this?' Lazenby's voice rose fretfully. 'It could be the Russians, of course –' He looked hopeful. He envisaged himself flying to Moscow .
Colonel Munro shook his head. 'Doubt it,' he said.
'A personal appeal,' said Lazenby. His face brightened with hope. 'An entirely new sphere of influence. The Chinese…?'
'Nor the Chinese,' said Colonel Munro. 'But you know there's been a big revival in Neo-Fascism in Germany .'
'You don't really think the Germans could possibly…'
'I don't think they're behind all this necessarily, but when you say possibly — yes, I think possibly they easily could. They've done it before, you know. Prepared things years before, planned them, everything ready, waiting for the word GO. Good planners, very good planners. Staff work excellent. I admire them, you know. Can't help it.'
'But Germany seemed to be so peaceful and well –'
'Yes, of course it is up to a point. But do you know, South America is practically alive with Germans, with Neo-Fascists, and they've got a big Youth Federation. Call themselves the Super-Aryans, or something of that kind. You know, a bit of the old stuff still, swastikas and salutes, and someone who's running it, called the Young Wotan or the Young Siegfried or something like that. Lot of Aryan nonsense.'
There was a knock on the door and the secretary entered.
'Professor Eckstein is here, sir.'
'We'd better have him in,' said Cedric Lazenby. 'After all, if anyone can tell us what our latest research weapons are, he's the man. We may have something up our sleeve that can soon put an end to all this nonsense.' Besides being a professional traveller to foreign parts in the, rфle of peacemaker, Mr Lazenby had an incurable fund of optimism seldom justified by results.
'We could do with a good secret weapon,' said the Air Marshal hopefully.
Professor Eckstein, considered by many to be Britain 's top scientist, when you first looked at him seemed supremely unimportant. He was a small man with old-fashioned mutton-chop whiskers and an asthmatic cough. He had the manner of one anxious to apologize for his existence. He made noises like 'ah', tirrumph', 'mrrh', blew his nose, coughed asthmatically again and shook hands in a shy manner, as he was introduced to those present. A good many of them he already knew and these he greeted with nervous nods of the head. He sat down on the chair indicated and looked round him vaguely. He raised a hand to his mouth and began to bite his nails.
'The heads of the Services are here,' said Sir George Packham. 'We are very anxious to have your opinion as to what can be done.'
'Oh,' said Professor Eckstein, 'done? Yes, yes, done?'
There was a silence.
'The world is fast passing into a state of anarchy,' said Sir George.
'Seems so, doesn't it? At least, from what I read in the paper. Not that I trust to that. Really, the things journalists think up. Never any accuracy in their statements.'
'I understand you've made some most important discoveries lately. Professor,' said Cedric Lazenby encouragingly.
'Yes, so we have. So we have.' Professor Eckstein cheered up a little. 'Got a lot of very nasty chemical warfare fixed up. If we ever wanted it. Germ warfare, you know, biological stuff, gas laid on through normal gas outlets, air pollution, poisoning of water supplies. Yes, if you wanted it, I suppose we could kill half the population of England given about three days to do it in.' He rubbed his hands. 'What you want?'
'No, no indeed. Oh dear, of course not.' Mr Lazenby looked horrified.
'Well, that's what I mean, you know. It's'not a question of not having enough lethal weapons. We've got too
