Santorini

by Santorini(Lit)

  were no criminal charges that we could have laid against him for that -- not that we would, even if we could have.

  'Bradshaw provided our agent with the names and addresses of the banks concerned. We checked those against two lists regarding Andropulos's banking activities that we had just received from the Ariadne and Greek Intelligence -a third, if you count Interpol. Skepertzis had made enquiries about banks in five cities and, lo and behold and to nobody's surprise, all five also appeared on the lists concerning Andropulos.

  'We instituted immediate enquiries. Bankers -- especially senior banking officials - have profound objections to being woken in the middle of the night but among our eight thousand FBI agents in those United States we have some very tough and persistent individuals who are also very good at putting the fear of God into even the most law-abiding citizens. And we have some very good friends in Mexico. It turns out that friend Skepertzis has bank accounts in all five cities. All under his own name.'

  'You're ahead of me here,' the President said. 'This is news to me. When did you find this out?'

  'Just over half an hour ago. I'm sorry, Mr President, but there just hasn't been the time to confirm everything and tell you until now. In two of those banks -- in Mexico City and San Diego - we struck gold. In each of those banks close on three-quarters of a million dollars have been transferred to the accounts of a certain Thomas Thompson and a certain Kyriakos Katzanevakis. It's a measure of those two gentlemen's belief in their immunity to investigation that they hadn't even bothered to change their names. Not that that would have mattered in the long run -- not after we had got around to circulating photographs. One final point of interest. Two weeks ago the bank in Mexico City received a draft of two million dollars in favour of George Skepertzis from a reputable or supposedly reputable, bank in Damascus, Syria.'

  A week later exactly the same amount was transferred to a certain Philip Trypanis in Greece. We have the name of the Athens bank and have asked Greek Intelligence to find out who or what Trypanis is or for whom he is fronting. A cent gets a hundred dollars that it is a pal of Andropulos.'

  A silence ensued, a silence that was long and profound and more than a little gloomy. It was the President himself who finally broke it.

  'A stirring tale, is it not, Sir John?'

  'Stirring, indeed. Richard had the right term for it- shattering.'

  'But - well, have you no questions?'

  'No.'

  The President looked at him in near disbelief. 'Not even one little question?'

  'Not even one, Mr President.'

  'But surely you must want to know the identities of Thompson and Katzanevakis?'

  'I don't want to know. If we must refer to them at all I'd rather just refer to them as the general and the admiral.' He looked at Hollison. 'That would be about right, Richard?'

  'I'm afraid so. A general and an admiral. Your Admiral Hawkins, Sir John, is smarter than your average bear.'

  'I would agree. But you have to be fair to yourselves. He had access to information that you hadn't had until now. I, too, have an advantage that you people lack. You're deep in the middle of the wood. I'm on the outside looking in.

  'Two things, gentlemen. As ,a representative of Her Majesty's Government I am bound to report any developments of significance to the Foreign Office and Cabinet. But if I specifically lack certain information, such as specific names, then I can't very well report them, can I? We ambassadors have the power to exercise a very wide range of discretion. In this particular instance, I choose to exercise that discretion.

  'The second point is that you all seem convinced -- there appears to be a certain doom-laden certainty about this -- that this affair, this top-level treason, if you will, is bound to become public knowledge. I have one simple question. Why?'

  'Why? Why?' The President shook his head as if bemused or stunned by the naiveté of the question. 'God damn it, Sir John, it's bound to come out. It's inevitable. How else are we going to explain things away? If we are at fault, if we are the guilty party, we must in all honesty openly confess to that guilt. We must stand up and be counted.'

  'We have been friends for some years now, Mr President. Friends are allowed to speak openly?'

  'Of course, of course.'

  'Your sentiments, Mr President, do you the greatest possible credit but hardly reflect what, fortunately or unfortunately, goes on in the more rarefied strata of international diplomacy. I am not speaking of deception and deviousness, I am referring to what is practical and politic. It's bound to come out, you say. Certainly it will -- but only if the President of the United States decides that it must. How, you ask, are we going to explain things away? Simple. We don't. You give me one valid reason why we should move this matter into me realm of the public domain or, as you appear to suggest, make a clean breast of things, and I'll give you half a dozen reasons - reasons equally valid if not more so - why we shouldn't.' Sir John paused as if to marshal his facts but was, in fact, merely waiting for one of the four intent listeners to voice an objection: he had already marshalled his facts.

  'I think, Mr President, that it might do us no harm to hear what Sir John as to say.' Hollison smiled. 'Who knows, we might even learn something. As the senior ambassador of a vastly experienced Foreign Office, it seems likely that Sir John must have gained some little expertise along the way.'

  'Thank you, Richard. Bluntly and undiplomatically, Mr President, you have a duty not to speak out. There is nothing

  whatsoever to be gained, and a very great deal to be lost. At best you will be hanging out a great deal of dirty washing in public and all to no avail, to no purpose: at worst, you will be providing invaluable ammunition for your enemies. Such open and, if I may say so, ill-advised confession will achieve at best an absolute zero and at worst a big black minus for you, the Pentagon and the citizens of America. The Pentagon, I am sure, is composed of honourable men. Sure, it may have its quota of the misguided, the incompetent, even the downright stupid: name me any large and powerful bureaucratic elite that has never had such a quota. All that matters, finally and basically, is that they are honourable men and I see no earthly justification for dragging the reputations œf honourable men through the dust because we have discovered two rotten apples at the bottom of the barrel.

  'You yourself, Mr President, are in an even worse position. You have devoted a considerable deal of your presidential time to combating terrorism in every shape and form. How will it look to the world if it comes out that two senior members of your armed forces have been actively engaged in promoting terrorism for material gain? You may hardly know the two gentlemen concerned but they will, of course, be elevated to the status of highly trusted aides, and that's just looking on the bright side. On the dark side, you will not only be accused of harbouring men who are engaged in terrorism but of aiding, abetting and inciting them to new levels of terrorism. Can't you just see the headlines smeared across the front pages of the -tabloids and yellow press throughout the world? By the time they have finished with you, you will be remembered in history for one thing and one thing only, the ultimate byword for hypocrisy, the allegedly noble and high-principled president who ha$ spent his life in encouraging and promoting the one evil he had sworn to destroy. Throughout the countries of the world that dislike or fear America because of its power, authority and wealth and that, like it or not, means most countries -- your reputation would lie in tatters. Because of your exceptionally high level of popularity in your own country you will survive but I hardly think that that consideration would affect you: what would and should affect you is that your campaign against terrorism would be irrevocably destroyed. No phoenix would arise from those particular ashes. As a world force for justice and decency you would be a spent man. To put it in the most undiplomatic terms, sir, to go ahead as you propose to do you'd have to be more than slightly off your rocker.'

  The President stared into the middle distance for quite some time, then said in a voice that was almost pla
intive: "Does anyone else think I'm off my rocker?'

  'Nobody thinks you're off your rocker, Mr President,' the General said. 'Least of all, I would say, Sir John here. He is merely saying what our unfortunately absent Secretary of State would advocate if he were here. Both gentlemen are high on pragmatism and cold logic and low on unconsidered and precipitate action. Maybe I'm not the ideal person to be passing judgement on this issue. I would obviously be delighted if whatever reputation the Pentagon has survives intact, but I do feel most strongly that, before jumping off the top of the Empire State or whatever one should give some thought to the fatal and irrevocable consequences.'

  'I can only nod emphatic agreement,' John Heiman, the Defence Secretary said. 'If I may mix up two metaphors -- if I am mixing them -- we have only two options. We can let sleeping dogs lie or let slip the dogs of war. Sleeping dogs never harmed anyone but the dogs of war are an unpredictable bunch. Instead of biting the enemy they may well turn, in this case almost certainly would turn, and savage us.'

  The President looked at Hollison. 'Richard?'

  'You're in the card-game of your life, Mr President. You've got only one trump and it's marked "Silence".'

  'So it's four to one, is it?'

  'No, Mr President,' Heiman said, 'it's not and you know it. It's five to zero.'

  'I suppose, I suppose.' The President ran a weary hand across his face. 'And how do we propose to mount this massive display of silence, Sir John?'

  'Sorry, Mr President, but not me. If I am asked for my opinions I am not, as you have seen, slow to give them. But I know the rules and one of them is that I cannot be a party to formulating the policy of a sovereign state. Decisions are for you and for what is, in effect, your war cabinet here.'

  A messenger entered and handed a slip of paper to the president. 'Dispatch from the Ariadne, Mr President.'

  'I don't have to brace myself for this,' the President said. 'As far as dispatches from the Ariadne are concerned, I am permanently braced. Some day I'll get some good news from that ship.' He read the message. 'But not, of course, this time. "Atomic mine removed from cargo bay of bomber and safely transferred to sailing vessel Angelina." Excellent news as far as it goes, but then: "Unexpected 180 degree change in wind course makes sailing departure impossible. Anticipated delay three to six hours. Hydrogen weapons from plane's cargo bay being transferred to diving ship Kilcharran. Expect to complete transfer by nightfall." End of message. Well, where does that leave us?'

  Sir John Travers said: 'It leaves you, Mr President, with a few hours' breathing space.'

  'Meaning?'

  'Masterly inactivity. Nothing that can be profitably done at the moment. I am merely thinking out loud.' He looked at the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 'Tell me, General, do those two gentlemen in the Pentagon know they are under suspicion? Correction. Do they know that you have proof of their treason?'

  'No. And I agree with what you are about to say. No point

  will be served by acquainting them with that fact at the present moment.'

  'None. With the President's permission, I would like to retire and ponder the problems of state and international diplomacy. With the aid of a pillow.'

  The President smiled one of his increasingly rare smiles.

  'What a splendid suggestion. I also shall do exactly that. It's close on six now, gentlemen. May I suggest that we foregather again at ten-thirty a.m. ?'

  At 2.30 that afternoon Van Gelder, message sheet in hand, joined Talbot on the bridge of the Ariadne.

  'Radio from Heraklion, sir. Seems that a Phantom of the Greek Air Force located the diving ship Taormina less than ten minutes after taking off from base. It was just east of Avgo Island, which the chart tells me is about forty miles north-east of Heraklion. Very conveniently positioned to break through the Kasos Strait.'

  'What direction was it headed?'

  'No direction. Having no wish to raise any suspicion the Greek pilot didn't hang around but he reports that the Taormina was stopped in the water.'

  'Lurking. Lurking, one wonders, for what. Speaking of lurking, what's Jimmy doing at the moment?'

  'Last seen, he was lurking with two young ladies in the wardroom. No dereliction of duty, I assure you. The three A's have retired, to their cabins, presumably for the afternoon. The girls report a far from subtle change in their behaviour. They have stopped discussing the predicament they find themselves in, in fact they have stopped discussing anything. They appear unusually calm, relaxed and not very concerned about anything, which may mean that they have philosophically resigned themselves to whatever fate may hold in store or they may have made up their minds about some plan of

  action, although what that could be I couldn't even begin to imagine.'

  'What would your guess be, Vincent?'

  'A plan of action. I know it's only the slenderest of clues but it's just possible that they may be resting up this afternoon because they don't expect to be doing much resting during the coming night.'

  'I have the oddest feeling that we won't be doing much resting ourselves tonight.'

  'Aha! The second sight, sir? Your non-existent Scottish blood clamouring for recognition.'

  'When it clamours a bit more, I'll let you know. I just keep wondering about Jenkins's disappearance.' A phone rang and Talbot picked it up. 'A message for the Admiral from the Pentagon? Bring it here.' Talbot hung up and gazed out through the for'ard screens of the bridge. The Angelina, to protect it from the buffeting of the four-foot-high waves generated by the now very brisk Euros wind from the southeast, had been moved to a position where it lay snugly in the still waters between the bows of the Ariadne and the stern of the Kilcharran.

  'Speaking of the Pentagon, it's only an hour since we told them that we expected the unloading of the hydrogen missiles to be completed by nightfall. And what do we have? A Force 6 and the plane's fuselage streamed out a cable length to the north-west. Lord only knows when the unloading will be finished now. Do you think we should so inform them?'

  'I should think not, sir. The President of the United States is a much older man than we are and the kind of cheery communications he has been receiving from the Ariadne of late can't be doing his heart any good.'

  'I suppose you're right. Ah, thank you, Myers.'

  'Bloody funny signal if you ask me, sir. Can't make head nor tail of it.'

  'These things are sent to try us.' Talbot waited till Myers had left, then read out the signal.

  '"Identity of cuckoos in the nest established. Irrefutable proof that they are linked to your generous benefactor friend. Sincerest congratulations to Admiral Hawkins and the officers of the Ariadne."'

  'Recognition at last,' Van Gelder said.

  'You are the last to arrive, Sir John,' the President said. 'I have to advise you that we have already made up our minds what to do.'

  'A very difficult decision, I assume, Mr President. Probably the most difficult you have ever been called upon to make.'

  'It has been. Now that the decision is made and is irrevocable, you can no longer be accused of meddling with the affairs of a sovereign state. What would you have done, Sir John?'

  'Perfectly straightforward. Exactly what you have done. No one is to be informed except two people and those two people are to be informed that the President has suspended them indefinitely from duty, pending the investigation of allegations and statements that have been laid against them.'

  'Well, damn your eyes, Sir John.' The President spoke without heat. 'Instead of sleeping all the time I spent a couple of hours wrestling with my conscience to arrive at the same conclusion.'

  'It was inevitable, sir. You had no option. And I would point out that it's easy enough for us to arrive at decisions. You, and only you, can give the executive order.'

  'I will not insult your intelligence by asking if you are aware what this executive order means.'

  'I am perfectly aware of what it means. Now that my opinion is no longer called for I have no hesitat
ion in saying that I would have done exactly the same thing. It is a death

  sentence and it can be no consolation at all that you will not be called upon to carry out, or to order to be carried out, the execution of that death sentence.'

  Chapter 9

  'Manhattan Project?' Admiral Hawkins said. 'What on earth does she mean by "Manhattan Project"?'

  'I don't know, sir,' Denholm said. 'Eugenia doesn't know either. She just caught the words as she walked into the wardroom. Only Andropulos, Alexander and Aristotle were there. The phrase was repeated twice and she thought it odd enough -- I think it's very odd, too -- to pass it on to me. When they became aware of her presence the subject was switched. She said that whatever the nature of the subject was they seemed to find it rather amusing.'