"You have to call me 'Claudia', Viktor. Where I am going there will be no room for error."
Viktor rolled off from on top of Claudia, he continued to caress her body as he reached over for a cigarette. He offered one to her, she shook her head, 'nyet'.
After the first settling puff of nicotine, he said, "if we are going to stand on formalities, 'Claudia', suppose I should insist on being referred to as, 'General Zhutov'."
With a smile, Claudia gave him a playful salute, "you mean, 'Comrade' General, Viktor. We must remember our fraternal equality, despite your rank."
Zhutov smiled back at her, "where you're going, my Рыбка, we should practise familiarity. Americans respect neither rank, nor the fundamental equality of all."
Claudia kissed him, then rose on one elbow. "So, Viktor, what do you make of this new crop? Too many seem to be from сельское общество. How on earth will kids form the rural areas be trainable?"
Viktor rolled over, swinging his feet to the floor. With his back to her he said, "well, one is from Tobolsk. He comes highly recommended. He was vetted by Directorate-S in his home setting. Even in the Tyumen Oblast - even in Siberia - he's practically fluent in English as it is."
Claudia sat up, said, "all the more to train out of him. I can guarantee if he's from Tyumen Oblast, he won't pass in suburban Virginia."
Viktor turned, kissed Claudia with a more respectful caress than he had just moments before, then he stood up and reached for his pants. "Today is a big day, Claudia. I will not be able to see you off. I wish you revolutionary zeal for your own posting. Directorate-S will be stronger with you on-site."
When unable to straighten his uniform to his liking, Claudia came up behind him, she now dressed, and tried to help him.
He stopped her, "Claudia, you're not my wife, you're not my secretary. Leave something for her to do, my secretary is the one who makes me presentable."
Turning he put his hands on her shoulders as if steadying her. "I will miss you. You know that. But if you'd been posted three years ago, we would never have lost Rudolph Ivanovich Abel. You were right. It's not enough to have illegals placed. Shortwave radio, it's fraught with problems. You were right, we need handlers on the ground, in support of Directorate-S agents."
He sighed, "I just wish it wasn't you. That is selfish, I know. You, you're hero of the Great Patriotic War. I would be doing our motherland a disservice to keep you for myself."
IN THE BEGINNING
General Zhutov had reservations about both men he'd invited to this meeting. The Kremlin had just ordered the KGB to accelerate its Directorate-S, illegals program. Why?
President Eisenhower of the United States had just betrayed the Soviet Union, yet again. Just the previous September, back in 1959, there had been what even Pravda had called, 'The Camp David Thaw', that Eisenhower and Khrushchev had found common ground, promising to draw down dangers associated with the Cold War, not to mention the nuclear threat.
Now a mere eight months later? In May 1960 Francis Gary Powers had been shot down, spying with his high altitude, U2-spy plane. Heroes of the Soviet Union, they had defied the limits of anti-aircraft missiles and taken a wing off. Powers was captured, the wreckage recovered, the Americans had been caught red-handed.
The planned and promised Paris Summit that May between Eisenhower and Khrushchev was subsequently cancelled. The two superpowers went back on high alert.
The acceleration of the illegals program within Directorate-S, the KGB section Zhukov headed, meant all hands on deck - it meant that Zhukov lost some control as to who he could draw into leadership.
Before the two comrades joined Zhukov, he opened the file on the KGB agent in Washington, D.C., the one who had died in a car accident. Zhukov himself had had to notify the man's family in Kiev, only able to tell them that their son had died 'overseas' in service to the Motherland. That was all that could be said. As far as the intelligence in the file noted, the United States never knew the man's background with the KGB.
But Washington, D.C., it remained uncovered by the KGB. Russia was now blind in America's capital, at the worst possible time.
In the shadowy world of spying and counterintelligence, the United States was none the wiser. The D.C. illegal had never had his cover blown, not even in death. Both FBI counterintel of the day, as well as CIA, were playing a perpetual game of 'catch-up'.
Then again, all that had been the best guess, according to the file.
LET THE MEETING BEGIN
When he came into the room, Nikolai Timoshev said, standing erect, "Приветствую товарища генерала, Тимошев прибывает на дежурство. Для меня большая честь служить таким образом в Дирекции-С."
He motioned for Timoshev to sit at a place with files in front of it, which when he did, Zhukov said, "English, comrade, English. For what we are asking our agents to do, it's best if we keep ourselves in the situation they'll be in."
Trying to curry favour at this new assignment, Timoshev asked, "that means the United Kingdom or America, I suppose."
Before they could add anything, Zhukov found reason to be annoyed again. A young and new KGB recruit, Arkady Ivanovich Zotov, came in the door - he, too, trying to make a good impression on this, his first assignment. Despite his youth, his family connections had shot him straight to the legendary Directorate-S of the KGB.
Looking at the young man, Zhutov thought that Zotov's connections within The Party were just as well. With the situation between The United States and the Soviet Union souring the way they just had, it was good, thought Zhukov, that there might be allies outside of this room.
Without even an awkward word, without prompting Zotov sat at a chair in front of the only pile of files remaining. Seeing it, Zhutov breathed a sigh of relief sensing that Zotov would be a quick study on the business at hand.
Timoshev felt a twinge of resentment at Zotov's confidence, at perhaps being shown-up in front of the Comrade General.
"Comrades," Zhutov began, "we need to begin. You know what has happened in Washington and Moscow. First Secretary Khrushchev has canceled the Paris meeting - once again, we in Russia have been betrayed. And we now have no one in America's capital. So it is, the three of us, we begin. We begin with a defence of The Party. We are ordered to take this 'Cold War' to America."
THE FILES, THE RECRUITS
"This one," Timoshev said, holding up a file showing the headshot to Zhukov and Zotov, "she looks like a village girl. Her family, her mother, she is a bookkeeper for the local, Smolensk committee, loyal. Serious. Committed to keeping the Soviet Union safe from foreign intrusion. In Smolensk, her family would have defended the motherland, many times. Smolensk, it is said that holding off German advances for three months during the Great Patriotic War, that they sacrificially allowed Moscow to prepare."
"Besides, look at her," Timoshev said. "Has that 'village girl' innocence to her, but she's committed. Took care of her mother for two years, still kept her grades - still excelled in sports. Her ideological spirit is second to none. I like her."
"Okay, okay, Comrade," Zotov said, "we can see that you're taken with her. The question, though, is she Directorate-S material? How's her English?"
"We will find out," General Zhutov said, "I've already sent for her. She should arrive next week." Zhotov closed her file and directed Timoshev to close his. "Frankly, my concern actually IS her ideological commitment. It may be too much - I mean, we'd be assigning her a 5-year tour somewhere in America. Right now, factor in training, that would mean 1964 or 1965. She'd be out by the end of the decade." Zhukov wondered outloud that if with her loyalty to Party, would she be able to hide it in America - enough to 'blend in'.
The room sat silent for a moment, then Timoshev said, "I guess this applies to all the comrade-women in these files…. but…. do they know what will be required of them? The way they will be required to sexually compromise the assets they develop?"
Breaking his silence, Zotov said, "that's pass-fail, Comrade Nikolai. In training it becomes readily apparent if recruits - male or female - can stomach the demands of compromising assets. If not, there are many other roles any one of them can play."
The three sat silent, spending an inordinate amount of time on this one file. Timoshev seemed to be spending inordinate time on the 'sexual compromises' women would be asked to make. Both Zhukov and Zotov knew that this kind of time could not be spent on each file in the pile. The souring relationship between the two superpowers demanded that this job get done.
But that it get done right.
NADEZHDA BORISOVNA POPOVA
Zhukov: Please relax, Nadezhda Borisovna. Let me get you some tea.
Nadezhda: I am fine, Comrade General. It is an honour to meet you.
Zhukov: We'll get started. First off, your English is excellent. Honestly, though, I am not the expert. If you make it into training, we have people who can train in accents, regional idioms. Truly, slips of the tongue are the main cause of tours that fail.
Nadezhda: I am committed to learning. The Party is what holds our country together, like my mother, I serve The Party.
Zhukov: I'm not telling secrets, Nadezhda, but the KGB has always had a unique leadership role in The Party. If accepted, you will need to take legal commands from what is called, 'The Centre'. For overseas placements, shortwave radio is your connection to back home. But as you know, you will also be trained in how to be a solo actor. There will be countless situations where you are on your own, it is you who represents The Party, even alone. Collectivism will not be available most times.
- silence -
Zhutov: Congratulations, Elizabeth Mary Korman. You have the weekend to settle into our facility. Training starts Monday.
Nadezhda: 'Elizabeth Mary Korman'?
Zhutov: Yes, from this point forward, please forget the name your parents in Smolensk gave you. Also, forget Smolensk. That is a sacrifice, I know. You must learn 'Chicago', all things Illinois.
Nadezhda: One request, Comrade General. I apologize for making demands, even before training begins.
Zhutov: A 'demand'? Demands from recruits are frowned upon. But you are also encouraged to be independent actors in the field. Maybe we can leave any 'demands' until you've had a few years here at the facility. - pause - All right, what is it, what is your demand?
Nadezhda: When posted overseas, Comrade General, I wish to be alone. I can manage myself.
Zhutov: Pairings are rare, Elizabeth Mary Korman. When paired we insist that agents overseas limit themselves to three to five years. Otherwise the details of maintaining cover, over time, become too complex. But then again, this is way too soon to be talking about this. - pausing, then standing and shaking her hand - Let's talk about this as months and years pass. Congratulations. Report for training Monday morning.
Nadezhda: Thank you for this honour, Comrade General. I will not let you down, I will not let down The Party.
MIKHAIL ANDREIOVICH PETROV
Zhutov: How are to faring, Mikhail Andreiovich? It is a long way from Tobolsk to Moscow. But from what your file says, the trip was worth it.
Mikhail: It is an honour, Comrade General.
Zhutov: Philip Martin Jennings.
Mikhail: Comrade General?
Zhutov: Your name. Philip Martin Jennings. Not only is it the English language from now on - American English - part of the training, Philip, will be to familiarize you with eastern Pennsyl-van-ia.
Mikhail: Pennsyl-vain-ia, Comrade General.
Zhutov: Excuse me?
Mikhail: Americans, they say 'Pennsyl-vain-ia'.
Zhutov: As the French say, Philip, touché. But you got caught out, still. You just called Americans, 'they'. It is you who is the American now, Philip. - pause - You're smart, Philip, one of the smartest ones we've recruited, which you must know. But 'smarts' they are only part of it. - pause - Indeed, come Monday, you'll be training with people with solid, but silent, ideological commitment, to The Party. To the command structure of the KGB. To The Centre.
Philip: I do have one request, Comrade General. I wish no disrespect.
Zhutov: And what is this request, Philip Martin Jennings?
Philip: First off, Comrade General, with respect…. Americans rarely are introduced with all their names.
Zhutov: Of course.
Philip: But Comrade General, when posted, I wish to be posted as a solo agent. I can see myself doing more than a five-year tour. Being posted in a pair, that might compromise things…..