tc.redrabbit-第43章

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　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　might　well　incite　additional　political　unrest　in　Poland；　or　so　my　analysts　tell　me；〃　Andropov　told　his　colleagues；　and　the　room　got　a　little　chilly。
　　　〃How　serious　is　this；　Yuriy　Vladimirovich？　How　serious　might　it　bee？〃　It　was　Brezhnev　speaking　for　the　first　time　from　beneath　his　bushy　eyebrows。
　　　〃Poland　continues　to　be　unstable；　due　to　counterrevolutionary　elements　within　their　society。　Their　labor　sector；　in　particular；　is　restless。　We　have　our　sources　within　this　'Solidarity'　cabal；　and　they　tell　us　that　the　pot　continues　to　boil。　The　problem　with　the　Pope　is　that　if　he　does　what　he　threatens　and　es　to　Poland；　the　Polish　people　will　have　a　rallying　point；　and　if　a　sufficient　number　of　them　bee　involved；　the　country　might　well　try　to　change　its　form　of　government；〃　the　Chairman　of　the　KGB　said　delicately。
　　　〃That　is　not　acceptable；〃　Leonid　Ilyich　observed　in　a　quiet　voice。　At　this　table；　a　loud　voice　was　just　a　man　venting　his　stress。　A　quiet　one　was　far　more　dangerous。　〃If　Poland　falls；　then　Germany　falls。。。〃　and　then　the　entire　Warsaw　Pact；　which　would　leave　the　Soviet　Union　without　its　buffer　zone　to　the　West。　NATO　was　strong；　and　would　bee　more　so；　as　the　new　American　defense　buildup　began　to　take　effect。　They'd　already　been　briefed　on　that　troublesome　subject。　Already；　the　first　new　tanks　were　being　given　to　line　units；　preparatory　to　shipping　them　to　West　Germany。　And　so　were　the　new　airplanes。　Most　frightening　of　all　was　the　vastly　increased　training　regimen　for　the　American　soldiers。　It　was　as　though　they　were　actually　preparing　for　a　strike　east。
　　　The　fall　of　Poland　and　Germany　would　mean　that　a　trip　to　Soviet　territory　would　be　shortened　by　more　than　a　thousand　kilometers；　and　there　was　not　a　man　at　this　table　who　did　not　remember　the　last　time　the　Germans　had　entered　the　Soviet　Union。　Despite　all　the　protestations　that　NATO　was　a　defensive　alliance　whose　entire　purpose　was　to　keep　the　Red　Army　from　driving　down　the　Champs　Elysees；　to　Moscow　NATO　and　all　the　other　American　alliances　looked　like　an　enormous　noose　designed　to　fit　around　their　collective　necks。　They'd　all　considered　that　before　at　great　length。　And　they　really　didn't　need　political　instability　to　add　to　their　problems。　munists…though　not　quite　so　fervent　as　Suslov　and　his　ideological　heir；　Alexandrov…feared　above　all　the　possible　turning　away　of　their　people　from　the　True　Faith；　which　was　the　source　of　their　own　very　fortable　personal　power。　They'd　all　e　to　power　at　second　hand　to　a　popular　peasant　revolt　which　had　overthrown　the　Romanov　dynasty…or　so　they　all　told　themselves；　despite　what　history　really　said…and　they　had　no　illusions　about　what　a　revolt　would　do　to　them。　Brezhnev　shifted　in　his　chair。　〃So；　this　Polish　priest　is　a　threat。〃
　　　〃Yes；　rades；　he　is；〃　Andropov　said。　〃His　letter　is　a　genuine　and　sincere　thrust　at　the　political　stability　of　Poland；　and　thus　of　the　entire　Warsaw　Pact。　The　Catholic　Church　remains　politically　powerful　throughout　Europe；　including　our　fraternal　socialist　allies。　If　he　were　to　resign　the　papacy　and　travel　back　to　his　homeland；　that　in　itself　would　be　a　huge　political　statement。
　　　〃Josef　Vissarionovich　Stalin　once　asked　how　many　army　divisions　the　Pope　had。　The　answer　is　none；　of　course；　but　we　cannot　disregard　his　power。　I　suppose　we　could　try　diplomatic　contacts　to　dissuade　him　from　this　course。。。〃
　　　〃A　plete　waste　of　time；〃　the　Foreign　Minister　observed　at　once。　〃We　have　had　occasional　diplomatic　contacts　in　the　Vatican　itself；　and　they　listen　to　us　politely；　and　they　speak　reasonably；　and　then　they　take　whatever　action　they　want　to　take。　No；　we　cannot　influence　him；　even　with　direct　threats　to　the　church。　They　merely　see　threats　as　challenges。〃
　　　And　that　put　the　matter　squarely　in　the　middle　of　the　table。　Andropov　was　grateful　to　the　Foreign　Minister；　who　was　also　in　his　camp　for　the　issue　of　succession。　He　wondered　idly　if　Brezhnev　knew　or　cared　about　what　would　happen　after　he　died…well；　he'd　care　about　his　children's　fate　and　protection；　but　that　was　easily　handled。　Sinecure　Party　posts　could　be　found　for　all　of　them；　and　there　would　be　no　future　marriages　to　require　the　china　and　tableware　from　the　Hermitage。
　　　〃Yuriy　Vladimirovich；　what　can　KGB　do　about　this　threat？〃　Brezhnev　inquired　next。　He　is　so　easy　to　manage；　Andropov　reflected　briefly　and　gratefully。
　　　〃It　may　be　possible　to　eliminate　the　threat　by　eliminating　the　man　who　makes　it；〃　the　Chairman　replied；　with　an　even；　unemotional　voice。
　　　〃To　kill　him？〃　Ustinov　asked。
　　　〃Yes；　Dmitriy。〃
　　　〃What　are　the　dangers　of　that？〃　the　Foreign　Minister　asked　at　once。　Diplomats　always　worried　about　such　things。
　　　〃We　cannot　entirely　eliminate　them；　but　we　can　control　them。　My　people　have　e　up　with　an　operational　concept；　which　would　involve　shooting　the　Pope　at　one　of　his　public　appearances。　I　have　brought　my　aide；　Colonel　Rozhdestvenskiy；　to　brief　us　in　on　it。　With　your　permission；　rades？〃　He　received　a　collection　of　nods。　Then　he　turned　his　head：　〃Aleksey　Nikolay'ch？〃
　　　〃rades。〃　The　colonel　rose　and　walked　to　the　lectern；　trying　to　keep　his　shaking　knees　under　control。　〃The　operation　has　no　name；　and　will　have　none　for　s