HOLD BACK THE DAWN!
CHAPTER: SOLKIN'S BIG DAY
For the American trip, in the third week of September, the Pope was being scheduled for a brief stop near Boston, then on to the New York area for two eventful days, winding up with an outdoor Mass in Yankee Stadium. There could also be a brief run - from Saint Patrick's Cathedral to the United Nations - in the Popemobile, and a short speech at the UN General Assembly. The Pope had expressed an interest in a side trip to a very traditional seminary in the quiet hills of New Jersey, to display his affection for the more orthodox of Catholic endeavors.
In the Soviet Consulate Andrei Solkin assumed a new air of importance. While most of the consulate staff were aware that the small elevator off the side lobby went down to a top secret area below street level, they were not themselves admitted. Persons with a key to the door into the small elevator vestibule were ipso facto very important, and for the last few days a stern faced and brief-cased Solkin could be seen entering and leaving, along with some new faces, which belonged to Colonel Igor Ilyushin and Gregor Boros, to both of whom Solkin could be observed to be quite deferential.
These three were meeting again in the top secret planning room. Colonel Ilyushin lit up a "long meeting" cigar - one of Havana's best. Solkin was in a dream. He had never thought he might be involved in something as big as operation Peter, yet here he was, right in the middle of it. He was bursting to give Chenille the hints and innuendoes which would surely convince her of his stature - was already rehearsing them, in fact. "At this stage, Andrei, you are the only person in the United States who knows of the plan," spoke Colonel Ilyushin.
"Andrei! The Colonel addresses me as 'Andrei'," thought Solkin, who had never been called anything but "Solkin" by his immediate boss, Gregor Boros, aka Klepi.
"Andrei," continued the Colonel, "I must commend you on bringing Victor Ignatyev to his senses. These agents who become monsignors can become difficult cases - too easily thrown off the track."
Ilyushin hunched forward on his elbows and stretched toward Solkin across the table, his shoulder missing by inches the contact which would put Boros' nose out of joint if his next remark didn't, and added in a very confidential tone which, with Ilyushin's squeaky voice, came out as sing-songy:
"Tell me, Andrei, how did you do it?"
This was the high point in the career of Andrei Solkin. He gave it everything he had.
"Well, Colonel, it begins with an understanding of the life. As you know, I was also one of the 1949 originals and served in the cloth for several years. In this job, the agent is expected to chart his own course - to find targets of opportunity, missions of opportunity - in furtherance of the primary goals. For myself, I never lost sight of - -"
"Boros," interrupted Colonel Ilyushin as he leaned back in his seat, "what a gem this man is! After thirty years, he is still focused on the primary goals. It would be time well spent if we took a moment to restate our goals. What do you say, Gregor?"
"The goals?" queried Gregor Boros, assuming a sullen look and raising his expressive eyebrows.
"Tell me the goals."
"Well," hesitated Boros, "as you know, the effort is one of destabilization - primarily - uh -"
"Destabilization, you say. Good. But for what purpose? We must be clear on these matters."
"Well, sir - " spoke up Andrei Solkin.
"Yes!" thundered the Colonel, his voice cracking under the strain, "I'll bet you can give us the goals. Speak Comrade!"
Solkin spoke suavely, though with perhaps too much hand waving and head wagging. "There have always been the two primary goals," counting proudly on his fingers, "first, the church's sympathy for communist causes, and second, the decay of the faith and the hierarchy's authority itself, especially loyalty to the Pope."
"Exactly! - but I interrupted you. What about the Monsignor? See, Boros, he knows, he knows!"
Solkin continued. "Well, sir, it's a lonely life. Constant encouragement is needed. It's simply a matter of management. As a Moscow operative, in such a strange setting as the Catholic Church, one can begin to feel like a fish out of water. There goes morale. This is what Monsignor Hughes sees. Little or no real contact with his superiors. I try to add an occasional 'Well Done' to our messages. Of course, the real challenge was how to confront Hughes face to face without his learning my identity. I went to confession! When I said 'Hello Comrade' he knew he'd better listen, but in the dark, he had no way to identify me!"
"Very creative," responded Colonel Ilyushin.
Boros could take it no longer. "Come, Solkin, you're roaming all over the lot. Surely it was the news of his mother and the threat to his sister - which I instructed you to deliver - that caused the Monsignor's sudden conversion."
"I would hope not," interrupted the Colonel. "That punishment was never carried out. I thought better of it, but when you mentioned that you had already relayed the news, there was nothing that could be done."
"How very fortunate!" jumped Solkin. "I too thought better of delivering such news, which Klepi had provided - the effect it could have, you see - so I merely told him he had been doing a wonderful job, was very important to us all, and that we had an important new mission for him. That very evening he resumed picking up his messages. Now we can rely on him for operation Peter." Solkin slumped back in his chair, triumphantly.
"Solkin, in this room there is no need to refer to me as 'Klepi'. Comrade Boros will do," said the sullen one, eyebrows bouncing.
"But Andrei," cut in the Colonel, "how could you talk of an important new mission? You knew nothing of operation Peter until two days ago."
An observer could almost see Solkin's mind flip-flop between alternative responses. He selected the less troublesome - for the moment. "Just another management decision. That's how it is, running these operatives. You must be creative. I am sure, Comrade Boros, that you would have enjoyed the experience of controlling agents if you had done it."
The Colonel had by now had enough of his little fun setting the other two at each other's throats. "So let's get down to business. Gregor, why don't you bring Comrade Solkin up to date on operation Peter."
It was Boros' turn to pontificate. "Well, Solkin, it's as simple as this. We now have focused in on the timing. It must be during his visit to the New York area in two months. Our Vatican sources tell us there is now a maximal window of opportunity for a successor Pope who would be less rigid and more interested in reaching an accommodation with Moscow. Things are now in place which - -"
"No need for all that. Just the New York situation," said Colonel Ilyushin.
"Of course," resumed Boros. "The operation will be under the control of others, but - - "
"No need for all that either. Just Comrade's Solkin's role"
"You in the New York area, together with others in the Vatican, will be the primary source of intelligence for this mission, and will also be expected to make recommendations for the actual plan, together with evaluations of alternate proposals. We will need a full picture of the most opportune moments - whether while saying mass, while in a helicopter - whatever. For this, Monsignor Hughes will be the key man. We will need every detail, the time of arrival and departure for each step - a complete schedule, the altar location for Yankee Stadium, the location of the podium for any speeches, the number of people who will be close to the Pope, entrances and exits - everything." Boros finished with a gasp, as if he had run himself down.
Part 2 of "Excerpt"- 526 added words (if permitted): (a continuation of Part 1, above)
"I understand," said Solkin, fully aware of the major burden being put on him. "This is a lot of information. Hughes will have to be an insider to learn it all. By this I mean that he should be appointed a member of the advance planning committee for the Pope's trip"
"And how do you plan to accomplish that?" demanded Boros, sure that he had Solkin this time.
"Through Lou Dice."
"Who's Lou Dice?"
"He's at the United Nations, in church liaison. He's one of our operatives."
"What's his Soviet name?" asked Boros.
"Ah! Gregor," spoke Solkin quite familiarly to his boss, "I have such a time trying to remember original names. I almost forgot, earlier, when you were discussing Ignatyev, that it was Monsignor Hughes you meant. When you're out here in the field, security dictates that all the assumed identities become real and the rest forgotten - just as the manual dictates."
"It's not important," interrupted the Colonel. "Go on Comrade Solkin, tell us more about Lou Dice."
"Simply that Hughes's bishop will not disregard a call from the United Nations Office of Religious Liaison suggesting that a certain Monsignor Hughes has been proposed for participation in the planning of the papal visit. Lou has already been in touch, just this morning, with the Papal Nuncio in Washington, as I instructed him, to stress the importance of the United Nations being represented in the planning process." Solkin sat back triumphantly. "And he succeeded! Dice will be involved, and now has the standing to call Hughes's bishop - Meggin - which he will do this afternoon."
Boros saw another opening and his eyebrows rose to the ceiling in anticipation of a great coup. "But how do you know these things already? Are your couriers that fast? Surely you didn't use the phone!"
"Yes. I did."
"He called you here, at the consulate?"
"There is nothing to arouse suspicion in a telephone call from the United Nations to the Russian Consulate. There are probably hundreds every day."
"But now Dice knows whom to ask for. He knows his control officer. Is that in the manual!"
Solkin gambled. "Well in fact, when you first told me of Operation Peter, I saw the need for unusual speed in future communications. I made myself known to Dice two weeks ago. It was perhaps a gamble, but anyway a management decision which seems to have paid off."
"Excuse me," asked the Colonel "did you say two weeks ago?"
"Yes sir."
"So! Boros, you too make management decisions!" stormed the Colonel. "Did you use the pouch to leak this ahead of time - or the telephone from Moscow - or WHAT!"
Solkin's latest gamble had also paid off. Boros sat mute, head down.
"Never mind!" The colonel's voice squeaked and cracked. He again broke his cigar quashing it out. "Prepare a complete list of all the facts we need, and why. This will become Hughes's initial assignment sheet. Let me know at once when he is assigned to the planning group. I will want to talk to you both at nine this evening about how to manage both Dice and Hughes!"
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