"Mack Reynolds - North Africa 03 - The Best Ye Breed" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Mack)

Paul Kosloff gave him a few moments, then left his hiding place and
hustled along the hall. He gently tried the doorknob of the room that was
his destination. It wasnтАЩt locked. He pulled a comb from his pocket, drew
it through his hair a couple of times and returned it. He straightened his
suit, moistened dry lips, then opened the door and walked through,
nonchalantly.
The man reclining on the bed, reading, looked up at him.
тАЬPaul Kosloff?тАЭ he said.
тАЬWell, IтАЩm not the ghost of Spiro Agnew,тАЭ Paul Kosloff said, closing the
door behind him. тАЬWhat in the hell is this all about?тАЭ
тАЬHow did you get in without detection?тАЭ
тАЬI didnтАЩt completely. YouтАЩve either got a dead dog or one with a whale of
a headache out in your garden. Again, whatтАЩs this all about?тАЭ Kosloff
pulled up a chair without invitation and sat down.
тАЬA double motive,тАЭ the man in the bed said. тАЬFirst, I wanted to find out
whether youтАЩre as good as youтАЩre supposed to be as an
espionage-counter-espionage agent. And, second, I wanted to give you an
assignment without anyone, anyone at all, even knowing weтАЩve ever met.
Do you know who I am?тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩre the head of what some of us field men call the Commission of
Dirty Tricks of the State Department, often working hand in glove with
the CIA.тАЭ
The other looked at him. тАЬVery few people know of me. In my section,
we need publicity like a broken leg.тАЭ
Paul Kosloff said evenly, тАЬYes, I know. I was just a child when the Bay of
Pigs took place, but there have been other farces since. Publicity doesnтАЩt
help.тАЭ
The man in the bed was obviously not pleased at that. He said, тАЬKosloff,
do you consider yourself a patriotic American?тАЭ
The cloak-and-dagger operative said reasonably, тАЬHow could I be?
When a special bill was brought before Congress to grant me citizenship,
it was decided my odor was too high and it was turned down. LetтАЩs face
reality. IтАЩm persona non grata everywhere, including the country of my
birthтАФRussiaтАФwhere they took a dim view of my тАШdefectingтАЩ even though I
was a child in arms at the time and all the rest of my family had been
liquidated in the purges. Relatives smuggled me out over the Finnish
border and finally got me here to America.тАЭ
The commissioner said, тАЬWhat I should have said was, тАШAre you
basically pro-American or anti-Communist?тАЭтАЩ
The international troubleshooter took him in. тАЬI thought they meant the
same thing.тАЭ
тАЬNot necessarily.тАЭ
Paul Kosloff was getting tired of this routine. He said, тАЬAll right. IтАЩve
been ordered to contact you secretly. What do you want me to do?тАЭ
тАЬStop a revolution.тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs my specialty. ThatтАЩs what you people have been having me do
forтАж as long as I can remember. Why the buildup? Do I have to
assassinate some present-day Trotsky or Mao, or what?тАЭ
тАЬThe revolution is to take place, or is taking place, in North Africa, all of
North Africa, but we are particularly concerned with Algeria, Tunisia and