tc.redstormrising-第13部分

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〃Second；　as　an　alternative　should　the　United　States　be　unwilling　to　allow　reciprocal　verification　of　arms　reductions；　we　will　permit　another　group　of　six　officers　to　perform　this　service；　these　officers　to　be　from　a　countryor　countries…upon　which　the　United　States　and　the　Soviet　Union　can　agree　within　the　next　thirty　days。　A　team　from　such　neutral　countries　as　Sweden　or　India　would　be　acceptable　in　principle　to　the　Soviet　Union。
〃Ladies　and　gentlemen；　the　time　has　e　to　put　an　end　to　the　arms　race。　I　will　not　repeat　all　of　the　flowery　rhetoric　we've　all　heard　over　the　past　two　generations。　We　all　know　the　threat　that　these　ghastly　weapons　represent　to　every　nation。　Let　no　one　ever　say　again　that　the　government　of　the　Soviet　Union　has　not　done　its　part　to　reduce　the　danger　of　war。　Thank　you。〃
The　room　suddenly　fell　silent　but　for　the　sound　of　motor…driven　still　cameras。　The　Western　press　representatives　assigned　to　their　respective　Moscow　bureaus　were　among　the　best　in　their　profession。　Uniformly　bright；　uniformly　ambitious；　uniformly　cynical　about　what　they　found　in　Moscow　and　the　conditions　under　which　they　were　forced　to　work；　all　were　stunned　to　silence。
〃Goddamn；〃　muttered　Flynn　after　a　full　ten　seconds。
〃One　must　admire　your　understatement；　old　boy；〃　agreed　Reuters　correspondent　William　Calloway。　〃Wasn't　it　your　Wilson　who　spoke　of　open　covenants　openly　arrived　at？〃
〃Yeah；　my　granddad　covered　that　peace　conference。　Remember　how　well　it　worked　out？〃　Flynn　grimaced；　watching　the　Foreign　Minister　depart；　smiling　at　the　cameras。　〃I　want　to　see　the　handout。　Want　to　ride　back　with　me？〃
〃Yes　on　both。〃
It　was　a　bitterly　cold　day　in　Moscow。　Snow　piles　were　heaped　at　the　roadsides。　The　sky　was　a　frigid　crystal　blue。　And　the　car's　heater　didn't　work。　Flynn　drove　while　his　friend　read　aloud　through　the　handout。　The　draft　treaty　proposal　took　up　nineteen　annotated　pages。　The　Reuters　correspondent　was　a　Londoner　who　had　begun　as　a　police　reporter；　and　since　covered　assignments　all　over　the　world。　He　and　Flynn　had　met　many　years　before　at　the　famous　Caravelle　Hotel　in　Saigon；　and　shared　drinks　and　typewriter　ribbons　on　and　off　for　more　than　two　decades。　In　the　face　of　a　Russian　winter；　they　remembered　the　oppressive　heat　of　Saigon　with　something　akin　to　nostalgia。
〃It's　bloody　fair；〃　Calloway　said　wonderingly；　his　breath　giving　ghostly　substance　to　his　words。　〃They　propose　a　builddown　with　elimination　of　many　existing　weapons；　allowing　both　sides　to　replace　obsolete　launchers；　both　sides　to　reach　a　total　of　five　thousand　deliverable　warheads；　that　number　to　remain　stable　for　five　years　after　the　three…year　reduction　period。　There　is　a　separate　proposal　to　negotiate　plete　removal　of　'heavy'　missiles；　replacing　them　with　mobile　missiles；　but　to　limit　missile　flight　tests　to　a　fixed　number　per　year…〃　He　flipped　that　page　and　rapidly　scanned　the　remainder。　〃Nothing　in　the　draft　treaty　about　your　Star　Wars　research　。　。　。　？　Didn't　he　mention　that　in　his　statement？　Patrick；　old　son；　this　is；　as　you　say；　dynamite。　This　could　as　easily　have　been　written　in　Washington。　It　will　take　months　to　work　out　all　the　technical　points；　but　this　is　a　bloody　serious；　and　bloody　generous；　proposal。〃
〃Nothing　about　Star　Wars？〃　Flynn　frowned　briefly　as　he　turned　right。　Did　that　mean　that　the　Russians　had　made　a　breakthrough　of　their　own？　Have　to　query　Washington　about　that　。　。　。　〃We　got　us　a　story　here；　Willie。　What's　your　lead？　How's　'Peace'　grab　you？〃　Calloway　just　laughed　at　that。

FORT　MEADE；　MARYLAND
American　intelligence　agencies；　like　their　counterparts　throughout　the　world；　monitor　all　news　wire　services。　Toland　was　examining　the　AP　and　Reuters　reports　before　most　news　bureau　chiefs；　and　paring　them　with　the　version　transmitted　over　Soviet　microwave　circuits　for　publication　in　the　regional　editions　of　Pravda　and　Isvestia。　The　way　items　of　hard　news　were　reported　in　the　Soviet　Union　was　intended　to　show　Party　members　how　their　leaders　felt。
〃We've　been　down　this　road　before；〃　his　section　chief　said。　〃The　last　time；　things　broke　down　on　this　issue　of　mobile　missiles。　Both　sides　want　them；　but　both　sides　are　afraid　of　the　other　side　having　them。〃
〃But　the　tone　of　the　report…〃
〃They're　always　euphoric　about　their　arms…control　proposals；　damn　it！　Hell；　Bob；　you　know　that。〃
〃True；　sir；　but　it's　the　first　time　that　I　know　of　that　the　Russians　have　unilaterally　removed　a　weapons　platform　from　service。〃
〃The　'Yankees'　are　obsolete。〃
〃So　what？　They　never　throw　anything　away；　obsolete　or　not。　They　still　have　World　War　II　artillery　pieces　sitting　in　warehouses　in　case　they　need　them　again。　This　is　different；　and　the　political　ramifications…〃
〃We're　not　talking　politics；　we're　talking　nuclear　strategy；〃　the　section　chief　growled　back。
As　if　there　were　a　difference；　Toland　said　to　himself。

KIEV；　THE　UKRAINE
〃Well；　Pasha？〃
〃rade　General；　we　truly　have　a　man's　work　before　us；〃　Alekseyev　answered；　standing　at　attention　in　the　Kiev　headquarters　of　the　Southwest　Theater。
〃Our　troops　need　extensive　unit　training。　Over　the　weekend　I　read　through　more　than　eighty　regimental　readiness　reports　from　our　tank　and　motor…rifle　divisions。〃　Alekseyev　paused　before　going　on。　Tactical　training　and　readiness　was　the　bane　of　the　Soviet　military。　Their　troops　were　almost　entirely　conscripts；　in　and　out　in　two　years；　half　of　whose　uniformed　service　was　occupied　just　in　acquiring　basic　military　skills。　Even　the　nons；　the　backbone　of　every　army　since　the　Roman　legions；　were　conscripts　selected　for　special　training　academies；　then　lost　as　soon　as　their　enlistment　periods　ended。　For　that　reason；　the　Soviet　military　leaned　heavily　on　its　officers；　who　often　performed　what　in　the　West　was　sergeants'　work。　The　professional　officer　corps　of　the　Soviet　Army　was　its　only　permanent；　only　dependable　feature。　In　theory。　〃The　truth　of　the　matter　is　that　we　don't　know　our　readiness　posture　at　the　moment。　Our　colonels　all　use　the　same　language　in　their　reports；　without　the　slightest　deviation。　Everyone　reports　meeting　norms；　with　the　same　amount　of　training　hours；　the　same　amount　of　political　indoctrination；　the　same　number　of　practice　shots　fired…that　is；　a　deviation　of　under　three　percent…and　the　requisite　number　of　field　exercises　run；　all　of　course　of　the　proper　type。〃
〃As　prescribed　in　our　training　manuals；〃　the　Colonel　General　noted。
〃Naturally。　Exactly…too　damned　exactly！　No　deviation　for　adverse　weather。　No　deviation　for　late　fuel　deliveries。　No　deviation　for　anything　at　all。　For　example；　the　703rd　Motor…Rifle　Regiment　spent　all　of　last　October　on　harvesting　duty　south　of　Kharkov…yet　somehow　they　met　their　monthly　norms　for　unit　training　at　the　same　time。　Lies　are　bad　enough；　but　these　are　stupid　lies！〃
〃It　cannot　be　as　bad　as　you　fear；　Pavel　Leonidovich。〃
〃Do　we　dare　to　assume　otherwise；　rade？〃
The　General　stared　down　at　his　desk。　〃No。　Very　well；　Pasha。　You've　formulated　your　plan。　Let　me　hear　it。〃
〃For　the　moment；　you　will　be　outlining　the　plan　for　our　attack　into　the　Muslim　lands。　I　must　get　into　the　field　to　whip　our　field　manders　into　shape。　If　we　wish　to　acplish　our　goals　in　time　for　the　attack　west；　we　must　make　an　example　of　the　worst　offenders。　I　have　four　manders　in　mind。　Their　conduct　has　been　grossly　and　undeniably　criminal。　Here　are　the　names　and　charges。〃　He　handed　over　a　single　sheet　of　paper。
〃There　are　two　good　men　here；　Pasha；〃　the　General　objected。
〃They　are　guardians　of　the　State。　They　enjoy　positions　of　the　greatest　trust。　They　have　betrayed　that　trust　by　lying；　and　in　doing　so；　they　have　endangered　the　State；〃　Alekseyev　said；　wondering　how　many　men　in　his　country　could　have　that　said　of　them。　He　dismissed　the　thought。　There　were　problems　enough　right　here。
〃You　understand　the　consequences　of　the　charges　you　bring？〃
〃Of　course。　The　penalty　for　treason　is　death。　Did　I　ever　falsify　a　readiness　report？　Did　you？〃　Alekseyev　looked　away　briefly。　〃It　is　a　hard　thing；　and　I　take　no　pleasure　in　it…but　unless　we　snap　our　units　into　shape；　how　many　young　boys　will　die　for　their　officers'　failings？　We　need　bat　readiness　more　than　we　need　four　liars。　If　there　is　a　gentler　way　to　achieve　this；　I　don't　know　what　that　might　be。　An　army　without　discipline　is　a　worth