tc.redrabbit-第52部分

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　　　〃Really？　Some　people　never　learn。〃
　　　〃Yep。　You　can　take　that　to　the　bank；　sir。　There　are　a　few　left；　but　Leonid　Ilyich　isn't　one　of　them；　and　neither　is　his　heir　apparent；　Yuriy　Vladimirovich。　But　Alexandrov　is　Andropov's　ally。　There's　a　Politburo　meeting　later　today。〃
　　　〃When　will　we　know　what　they　discussed？〃
　　　〃Couple　of　days；　probably。〃　But　exactly　how　we　find　out；　you　do　not　need　to　know；　sir；　Foley　didn't　add。
　　　He　didn't　have　to。　Ernie　Fuller　knew　the　rules　of　the　game。　The　U。S。　Ambassador　to　every　country　was　thoroughly　briefed　on　the　embassy　he　was　taking　over。　To　get　into　Moscow　involved　voluntary　brainwashing　at　Foggy　Bottom　and　Langley。　In　reality；　the　American　ambassador　to　Moscow　was　his　country's　chief　intelligence　officer　in　the　Soviet　Union；　and　Uncle　Ernie　was　a　pretty　good　one；　Foley　thought。
　　　〃Okay；　keep　me　posted　if　you　can。〃
　　　〃Will　do；　sir；〃　the　Chief　of　Station　promised。
　　　
　　　CHAPTER　13　…　COLLEGIALITY
　　　Andropov　arrived　in　the　kremlin　at　12：45　for　the　1：00　P。M。　meeting。　His　driver　pulled　the　handmade　ZIL　through　the　Spasskiy　Gate's　towering　brick　structure；　past　the　security　checkpoints；　past　the　saluting　soldiers　of　the　ceremonial　Tamanskiy　Guards　Division　stationed　outside　Moscow　and　used　mainly　for　parades　and　pretty…soldier　duties。　The　soldier　saluted　smartly；　but　the　gesture　went　unnoticed　by　the　people　inside　the　car。　From　there　it　was　a　hundred　fifty　meters　to　the　destination；　where　another　soldier　wrenched　open　the　door。　Andropov　noted　this　salute　and　nodded　absently　to　let　the　senior　sergeant　know　that　he　was　seen；　then　made　his　way　inside　the　yellow…cream…colored　building。　Instead　of　taking　the　stone　steps；　Andropov　turned　right　to　go　to　the　elevator　for　the　ride　to　the　second　floor；　followed　by　his　aide；　Colonel　Rozhdestvenskiy；　for　whom　this　was　the　most　interesting　and　about　to　be　the　most　intimidating　part　of　his　official　duties　since　joining　KGB。
　　　There　was　yet　more　security　on　the　upper　floors：　uniformed　Red　Army　officers　with　holstered　side　arms；　in　case　of　trouble。　But　there　would　be　no　trouble　in　his　ascension　to　the　General　Secretaryship；　Andropov　thought。　This　would　be　no　palace　coup。　He'd　be　elected　by　his　political　peers　in　the　usual　way　that　the　Soviet　Union　handled　the　transition　of　power…awkwardly　and　badly；　but　predictably。　The　one　with　the　most　political　capital　would　chair　this　counsel　of　peers；　because　they　would　trust　him　not　to　rule　by　force　of　will；　but　by　collegial　consensus。　None　of　them　wanted　another　Stalin；　or　even　another　Khrushchev；　who　might　lead　them　on　adventures。　These　men　did　not　enjoy　adventures。　They'd　all　learned　from　history　that　gambling　carried　with　it　the　possibility　of　losing；　and　none　of　them　had　e　this　far　to　risk　losing　anything　at　all。　They　were　the　chieftains　in　a　nation　of　chess　players；　for　whom　victory　was　something　determined　by　skillful　maneuvers　taken　patiently　and　progressively　over　a　period　of　hours；　whose　conclusion　would　seem　as　foreordained　as　the　setting　of　the　sun。
　　　That　was　one　of　the　problems　today；　Andropov　thought；　taking　his　seat　next　to　Defense　Minister　Ustinov。　Both　sat　near　the　head　of　the　table；　in　the　seats　reserved　for　members　of　the　Defense　Counsel　or　Soviet　Orborony；　the　five　most　senior　officials　in　the　entire　Soviet　government；　including　the　Secretary　for　Ideology…Suslov。　Ustinov　looked　up　from　his　briefing　papers。
　　　〃Yuriy；〃　the　minister　said　in　greeting。
　　　〃Good　day；　Dmitriy。〃　Andropov　had　already　reached　his　acmodation　with　the　Marshal　of　the　Soviet　Union。　He'd　never　obstructed　his　requests　for　funding　for　the　bloated　and　misdirected　Soviet　military；　which　was　blundering　around　Afghanistan　like　a　beached　whale。　It　would　probably　win　in　the　end；　everyone　thought。　After　all；　the　Red　Army　had　never　failed。。。　unless　you　remembered　Lenin's　first　assault　into　Poland　in　1919；　which　had　ended　in　an　ignominious　rout。　No；　they　preferred　to　remember　defeating　Hitler　after　the　Germans　had　e　to　within　sight　of　the　Kremlin　itself；　stopping　only　when　attacked　by　Russia's　historically　most　reliable　ally；　General　Winter。　Andropov　was　not　a　devotee　of　the　Soviet　military；　but　it　remained　the　security　blanket　for　the　rest　of　the　Politburo；　because　the　army　made　sure　the　country　did　what　they　told　it　to　do。　That　was　not　because　of　love；　but　because　the　Red　Army　had　guns　in　large　numbers。　So　did　the　KGB；　and　the　Ministry　of　the　Interior；　in　order　to　act　as　a　check　on　the　Red　Army…no　sense　giving　them　ideas。　Just　to　make　sure；　KGB　also　had　the　Third　Chief　Directorate；　whose　job　it　〃was　to　keep　an　eye　on　every　single　rifle　pany　in　the　Red　Army。　In　other　countries；　it　was　called　checks　and　balances。　Here　it　was　a　balance　of　terror。
　　　Leonid　Ilyich　Brezhnev　came　in　last　of　all；　walking　like　the　aged　peasant　he　was；　his　skin　drooping　on　his　once　manly　face。　He　was　approaching　eighty　years；　a　number　he　might　meet　but　would　not　surpass；　by　the　look　of　him。　That　was　both　good　news　and　bad。　There　was　no　telling　what　thoughts　wiggled　their　way　around　the　inside　of　his　doting　brain。　He'd　been　a　man　of　great　personal　power　once…Andropov　could　remember　it　plainly　enough。　He'd　been　a　vigorous　man　who'd　enjoyed　walking　in　the　forests　to　kill　elk　or　even　bear…the　mighty　hunter　of　wild　animals。　But　not　now。　He　hadn't　shot　anything　in　years…except；　perhaps；　people；　at　second　or　third　hand。　But　that　didn't　make　Leonid　Ilyich　mellow　with　age。　Far　from　it。　The　brown　eyes　were　still　sly；　still　looking　for　treachery；　and　sometimes　finding　it　where　there　was　none。　Under　Stalin；　that　was　frequently　a　death　sentence。　But　not　now。　Now　you'd　just　be　broken；　stripped　of　power；　and　relegated　to　a　provincial　post　where　you'd　die　of　boredom。
　　　〃Good　afternoon；　rades；〃　the　General　Secretary　said；　as　pleasantly　as　his　grumbly　voice　allowed。
　　　At　least　there　was　no　obvious　bootlicking　anymore；　every　munist　courtier　jousting　with　each　other　to　curry　favor　with　the　Marxist　emperor。　You　could　waste　half　the　meeting　with　that　twaddle；　and　Andropov　had　important　things　to　discuss。
　　　Leonid　Ilyich　had　been　prebriefed；　and　after　sipping　his　post…lunch　tea；　the　General　Secretary　turned　his　face　to　the　KGB　Chairman。　〃Yuriy　Vladimirovich；　you　have　something　to　discuss　with　us？〃
　　　〃Thank　you；　rade　General　Secretary。　rades；〃　he　began；　〃something　has　e　up　which　mands　our　attention。〃　He　waved　to　Colonel　Rozhdestvenskiy；　who　quickly　circulated　around　the　table；　handing　out　copies　of　the　Warsaw　Letter。
　　　〃What　you　see　is　a　letter　dispatched　to　Warsaw　last　week　by　the　Pope　of　Rome。〃　Each　man　had　a　photocopy　of　the　original…some　of　them　spoke　Polish…plus　an　exact　translation　into　literary　Russian；　plete　with　footnotes。　〃I　feel　that　this　is　a　potential　political　threat　to　us。〃
　　　〃I　have　already　seen　this　letter；〃　Alexandrov　said　from　his　distant　〃candidate〃　seat。　In　deference　to　the　seniority　of　the　terminally　ill　Mikhail　Suslov；　the　latter's　seat　at　Brezhnev's　left　hand　（and　next　to　Andropov）　was　empty；　though　his　place　at　the　table　had　the　same　collection　of　papers　as　everyone　else's…maybe　Suslov　had　read　them　on　his　deathbed；　and　he'd　lash　out　one　last　time　from　his　waiting　niche　in　the　Kremlin　wall。
　　　〃This　is　outrageous；〃　Marshal　Ustinov　said　immediately。　He　was　also　well　into　his　seventies。　〃Who　does　this　priest　think　he　is！〃
　　　〃Well；　he　is　Polish；〃　Andropov　reminded　his　colleagues；　〃and　he　feels　he　has　a　certain　duty　to　provide　his　former　countrymen　with　political　protection。〃
　　　〃Protection　from　what？〃　the　Minister　of　the　Interior　demanded。　〃The　threat　to　Poland　es　from　their　own　counterrevolutionaries。〃
　　　〃And　their　own　government　lacks　the　balls　to　deal　with　them。　I　told　you　last　year　we　needed　to　move　in　on　them；〃　the　First　Secretary　of　the　Moscow　Party　reminded　the　rest。
　　　〃And　if　they　resist　our　move？〃　the　Agricultural　Minister　inquired　from　his　seat　at　the　far　end　of　the　table。
　　　〃You　may　be　certain　of　that；〃　the　Foreign　Minister　thought　out　loud。　〃At　least　politically；　they　will　resist。〃
　　　〃Dmitriy　Fedorovich？〃　Alexandrov　directed　his　question　at　Marshal　Ustinov；　who　sat　there　in　his　military　uniform；　plete　with　a　square　foot　of　ribbons；　and　two　Hero　of　the　Soviet　Union　gold　stars。　He'd　won　them　both　for　political　courage；　not　on　the　battlefield；　but　he　was　one　of　the　smartest　people　in　the　room；　having　earned　his　spurs　as　People's　missar　of　Armaments　in　the　Great　Motherland　War；　and　for　helping　shepherd　the　USSR　into　the　Space　Age。　His　opinion　was　predictable；　but　respected　for　its　sagacity。
　　　〃The　question；　rades；　is　whether　the　Poles　would　resist　with　armed　force。　That　would　not　be　militarily　threatening；　but　it　would　be　a　major　political　embarrassment；　both　here　and　abroad。　That　is；　they　could　not　stop　the　Red　Army　on　the　battlefield；　but　should　they　make　the　attempt；　the　political　repercussions　would　be　serious。　That　is　why　I　supported　our　move　last　year　to　bring　political　pressure　on　Warsaw…which　was　successfully　acplished；　you　will　recall。〃　At　the　age　of　seventy…four；　Dmitriy　Fedorovich　had　learned　caution；　at　least　on　the　level　of　international　politics。　The　unspoken　concern　was　the　effect　such　resistance　would　have　on　the　United　States　of　America；　which　liked　to　stick　its　nose　where　it　didn't　belong。
　　　〃Well；　this　m