MEETING AT THE WALDORF ASTORIA
Roald Dahl glanced at the six other men sitting at the hotel bar. Given the illustrious personages assembled here, the staff of the Waldorf Astoria exclusively restricted the bar for invitees to this particular group.
The most prominent man present was, of course, Winston Churchill. The former Prime Minister and savior of Britain had arrived in New York City to embark on a speaking tour of the United States. Churchill, as leader of the opposition, had taken a dim view of the Labour government’s interactions with the Soviet Union. Churchill held a glass of whiskey in his hand. William Stephenson, the Canadian spymaster and Dahl’s former boss, sat next to Churchill. J. Edgar Hoover, the former Director of the FBI, was present with his aide Clyde Tolson. Henry Luce, owner of Time Magazine, sat next to Hoover with T.S Matthews, one of his editors. Dahl, the author of an obscure children’s book and retired intelligence officer, felt out of place and ill at ease. Dahl hoped that Luce was unaware that he had slept with his wife. Hoover had charged Dahl with discretely contacting Stephenson in order to reach Churchill. Hoover, stymied in his investigation of President White, had decided to ask Churchill for help.
“Mr. Churchill,” Luce began, “we have grave concerns about the loyalties of President White. A few years ago, I hired for Time a man named Whittaker Chambers, a former member of the American Communist Party. Shortly after President White was inaugurated, Chambers told me that he had encountered White before at Communist meetings, and that White was spying on behalf of the Soviet Union. A few days later, Chambers disappeared. He has not been found, but we suspect he was murdered. We found a friend of his, Isaac Levine, who confirmed that Chambers informed a State Department official that White and several other civil servants were Communist spies. Mr. Levine provided a list of spies described by Chambers- several of these supposed spies have since been appointed to high ranking cabinet positions. Upon becoming President, White took control of investigations into Soviet espionage from the Justice Department and fired Mr. Hoover. I hired our friend here to investigate the disappearance of Chambers and if there was any truth to his claims.”
“Unfortunately,” said Hoover, “I have been unable to prove anything regarding the vanishing Mr. Chambers. We have investigated his last known whereabouts, and there’s no indication where he went. Mr. Chambers was acting agitated in his final days- which is why law enforcement has deemed his disappearance a suicide. The Justice Department has seized all evidence regarding Chambers- the President and his cronies are certainly aware of Chambers’ list, and they clearly don’t want the public to be aware of the case. Another suspected Communist, a Ms. Elizabeth Bentley, was recently found dead with a bullet in her skull, but whether that has any relations to the Chambers case is unclear. We have, however, been monitoring the President very closely. The President’s actions, I fear, have been entirely consistent with the spy theory. Consider not just his public rhetoric, but also his meetings and foreign policy. He gave major territorial concessions to the Soviets at Potsdam- we are hoping for some insight from you on the matter. He allowed Tripoli to fall under Soviet administration. The Morgenthau Plan is also entirely consistent with Soviet aims in Germany- he implemented this plan with Soviet support and against the advice of many elder statesmen. Secretary of State Duggan, who Chambers named as a spy, has had quite smooth and cordial relations with Molotov. Alger Hiss, the U.N Secretary General, is also a possible spy. We have closely monitored his schedule, and President White has met with Andrey Gromyko, the Soviet Ambassador, on eight occasions. On two occasions, he met with Gromyko before announcing major foreign policy decisions. He met with Gromyko the day before he gave a speech announcing the Soviet Union should be one of the world’s policemen. He met with him again the same week he was withdrawing troops from Korea’s capital. The last meeting was a few days before the Soviets invaded Iran. As you know, White’s policy regarding Iran is that of ambivalence and appeasement- and entirely conducive to Soviet interests. Even when it comes to decisions which should be made entirely at the volition of the U.S government, President White seems to have coordinated with the Soviets- checking for their approval, or possibly for orders from Stalin. The Attorney General promised he would look into Soviet espionage in the United States- and he has done nothing for months, while suspected Communists have been appointed to high government positions. It is possible that White’s decisions are entirely honest. But if were a dedicated agent of a Communist conspiracy and a devotee of Stalin, his actions would not be any different. We have attempted to bug the President, but we have been forced to scuttle these efforts to avoid detection by the Secret Service. As such, we do not have access to the President’s private councils or inner thoughts, but I fear that there may be more sinister plots which may do grave ill to the western powers.”
Churchill paused. “What you are suggesting, good sir, is quite an incredible claim. If Chambers was right, Stalin has pulled off the most momentous swindle in the history of western civilization. Yet all you have for proof is the word of one dead man, possibly a charlatan, and some fanciful conjecture. I am not an admirer of President White- his conduct at Potsdam was most atrocious. His forcing the Morgenthau Plan upon the German people is an act of utter barbarity- the Germans are a civilized European people; the Allies shouldn’t treat them like the bloody Bengalis. I spoke with White at Potsdam only briefly, and he indeed seemed enamored with Stalin. But it is quite a leap of faith to suppose his actions are due to malice and subterfuge, and not naiveté. It is indeed very foolish for Harry White to take Stalin’s word at face value. I recall that Mr. Chamberlain was taken advantage of by Hitler before the war. I have warned the Americans for years not to trust Stalin- that he may become as dangerous or even more dangerous than Hitler, particularly after the defeat of the Axis Powers. But that is not necessarily any indication of subterfuge on the part of Harry White. Frankly, Roosevelt was also too trusting of Stalin, as well.”
“Have you considered, Mr. Churchill, sir,” asked Luce, “that perhaps the Roosevelt administration was also compromised by the Communists?”
“No. I had my disagreements with Franklin, but he was too sharp to be bamboozled in that manner. Harry White, however, is an unpleasant and dubious character, and his flirtation with the Soviets will lead your country to ruin. He follows in the footsteps of Chamberlain, without any of his redeeming qualities. But to suppose he is a Mata Hiri type- I must say I am quite credulous of this idea. Yet- you Mr. Hoover, are an experienced and credential investigator. I think your dislike of Mr. White- quite justified, I say- may have clouded your judgment. However- however you would not have come to me if there were not a significant likelihood of the Chambers theory being correct. I am thus forced to consider the possibility that President White is in fact a spy- and that the Soviets have somehow mounted a secret takeover of the United States.”
“Even if the Chambers theory is not wholly correct,” interjected William Stephenson, “it is likely there is some partial truth to the notion there is a communist infiltration of the American government. We recently uncovered spies in Canada were leaking intelligence to the Soviets. There may be a chance that there are spies within the British government itself.”
“Well, there is Harry Pollitt- a wretched, spineless man, whom the voters had the ill sense to send to Parliament. But he is an open member of the Communist Party, and he has few friends in Parliament. I suppose there could be secret Communists in the Labour Government, but Attlee is not of that sort. There may be, I grant, low-ranking spies, or perhaps not so low-ranking, outside Parliament.”
“While we’re entertaining crackpot theories,” Roald Dahl said, “have we considered the possibility that President Winant was murdered? Mr. Hoover has laid out to me a number of known and possible Soviet assassinations of political opponents in the West. If White is indeed a spy, wouldn’t it make sense for the Soviets to have had a hand in Winant’s death in order to bring their man into power?”
“There has been much idle speculation as to Winant’s death, and many improbable theories,” Hoover replied. “I inspected Winant’s body myself, shortly after his death, while at the FBI. We wanted to investigate any possibility of foul play. The fingerprints on the gun belonged to Winant. I personally reviewed the autopsy reports- everything indicates that he died by his own hand. However, I have considered the possibility that Winant was manipulated into suicide, or that outside forces conspired to knock him off tilter. The explanation given to the press was that Winant was mourning the death of his son in German captivity- and there is no doubt this affected his state of mind, as did the destruction of Hiroshima. But there is a more delicate matter, I am afraid, that involves you Mr. Churchill. I trust all the gentlemen present will keep this discreet, regarding Winant’s personal life. I know I wouldn’t want personal scrutiny of my personal life either.”
Roald Dahl gulped and looked at Henry Luce, who also appeared uncomfortable, averting his eyes to the floor.
“Unfortunately, it can’t be helped,” Hoover continued. “In the days before his death, Winant was informed that the British press had uncovered evidence of his having intimate relations with Mr. Churchill’s daughter. The affair would have gone public if Winant had not killed himself, in which case it would have become a major scandal. The story was ultimately scuttled out of respect to the dead, but I believe that is what caused Winant’s mind to break completely.”
“That is a rather ugly insinuation!” Churchill snarled. “Winant was a good man, if troubled.”
“I bring this up not to accuse, sir, but as evidence for a theory. The Soviets had men within the Winant Administration, they would have known he was not of sound mind. The newspaper in question- the Daily Herald- which was investigating the matter grew very quiet about it after Winant’s death. It’s unclear where they got their source from. Mr. Stephenson brought up the possibility of spies in the British government. My hypothesis is that these spies caught wind of Winant’s philandering, and leaked the gossip in order to do him in.”
Churchill sighed. “I talked to Sarah after Winant’s passing, and I am afraid there is some truth to the matter. Winant was in love with Sarah.”
“I recognize I cannot definitely say that President White is a Communist. But I think it is clear that the Soviets are intervening secretly in the affairs of the western powers- and even if we are being overly paranoid, it is sensible for us to at least investigate all the possibilities, and stymie Soviet interests. The governments of Britain and America have been too accommodating. We should agree to work to ensure the West maintains a proper hostility and suspicion towards the Soviet Union, and work to limit and isolate any appeasers, whether they be spies or not. You must pressure Parliament and Mr. Attlee to go against White’s plans for a new world order. In secret, you must investigate the origin of this Daily Herald story. If we find the leaker, we can find the espionage ring. The more we can uncover about Soviet crimes and interference, the weaker White’s hand becomes- we can force him into limiting his actions, for fear of blowing his cover.” Hoover fiddled a cigarette in his coat pocket.
“And you want me to provide the resources to expand your investigation?” Churchill asked.
“Well Mr. Luce here is paying my bills. Yes, I do need men- I’ve been working privately with only a few accomplices. I hope to establish an independent spy network- the FBI and American intelligence are all compromised.”
“I’ve agreed to do some freelance work for Mr. Hoover,” Dahl stated. “Stephenson is game as well. But sir, you are a great man with many friends. If you could make some introductions, it would expedite our investigations. Depending on what we might find, we may need some friends in Parliament to react quickly to stop the Communists.”
“I may be able to call on some old friends for a favor,” Stephenson said. “You won’t be alone, Roald.”
The party continued to discuss the affairs of the Soviets late into the night. Across the hall from the hotel bar, a shadow tried to sneak a look into the room, seeking to catch a glimpse of the men or a whisper of their private conversations.
EMBASSY OF THE SOVIET UNION, WASHINGTON D.C
“Agent Czech followed Hoover into the Waldorf Astoria. He wasn’t able to listen in, but he did see who was there- William Stephenson, and Churchill! There’s no doubt Hoover tried to recruit Churchill into helping his little detective agency.” Nathan Silvermaster, Special Assistant to the President, declared to his employers.
“We already knew Churchill was hostile towards us,” said Ambassador Andrei Gromyko. “There is little that Hoover could have told him that would immediately threaten us. There are some of our men he suspects, but he couldn’t be aware of our more discrete operations. One detective will not be our doom.””
Anatoly Gorsky shook his head. “I still think this business is too risky. We should eliminate Hoover before he can uncover our operations.”
“We have been through this before,” Gromyko replied. “A handful of low profile people- we have eliminated them when necessary. But Hoover is a public figure, who is known to be an enemy of ours. It would be too obvious, and there are others who would continue the investigation- it would weaken our position significantly.”
“I must say,” said Silvermaster, “I am worried about the safety of our comrades. Hoover has a list of suspects, but we don’t know how many of us are in danger. Reed is afraid of public scrutiny of his interactions and meetings. I told him the Embassy was being monitored, and that we had to set a more secure channel for passing documents to avoid surveillance. I scared him a little too well. He won’t be meeting with you any longer, you’ll have to filter all requests through me.”
“Reed isn’t becoming unreliable, is he? Can we still trust him?” asked Gorsky.
“I wouldn’t worry, he’s just a little nervous." Silvermaster replied. "Reed is not going to forget the private understanding that was reached at Potsdam. He understands he is not included fully in our operations, and is happier staying ignorant. He has signed off on orders knowing he does not understand their full implications. Still, it would be better if we didn’t mention Raider’s been passing nuclear secrets. Reed wants to be a man of peace. Let’s indulge his ego a little- on the diplomatic end, you should give the administration some concessions, give us a little breathing room in case a member of the Hoover cabal goes public. The invasion of Iran has given rhetorical fuel to reactionaries who want to undermine U.S-Soviet cooperation.”
“We will not compromise on any matters of Soviet security,” replied the Ambassador. “We may be willing to give public commitments to a certain course of action, provided it does not actually hinder our secret operations.”
“I understand why Reed would be cautious, and why you think our actions should be restrained, Andrei.” Gorsky said. “But we don’t want to be caught unawares. We should be prepared to move aggressively to protect our assets, just in case.”
“We can’t simply stab everyone we don’t like in the back with an icepick." said Gromyko. "That is a method which loses utility the more frequently we use it. We do need a plan of action against Hoover. We either need to trip him up or discredit him. Stalin eliminated enemies of the revolution by bringing criminal charges against them- Trotskyists and the like- which discredited them in the eyes of the people. Obviously you do not have as free a hand, Nathan, but perhaps you could investigate Hoover’s conduct for wrongdoing, or invent some charge that will ruin him. I am not deeply familiar with criminal law in this country, perhaps our American agents could find the proper reason to prosecute him? We can’t kill him, as much as Anatoly Borisovich may want to. Still, we must watch his conduct very carefully.”
LONDON
Dahl pushed the door open, entering the swank bar. Dahl wondered why he couldn’t meet his contact in a humble pub, or even just in private. They didn’t plan on discussing business in public- no worry of unfriendly ears learning secrets- but Dahl was still ill at ease. Dahl had worked with his contact before when he was stationed in Washington. Stephenson had recommended the pair team up, suggesting they would work well together due to their shared love of writing. Dahl’s opposite had also worked as a journalist, which would be useful in investigating the Daily Herald story.
Dahl spotted his contact at the end of the bar, dressed in a black tuxedo, holding a martini glass. As Dahl approached him, he could see the man introducing himself to a pretty woman. “Fleming. Ian Fleming,” said the man in the black tuxedo. Seeing Dahl approaching, Fleming excused himself and turned to face Dahl. “Are you ready for some honest spy work, old chap?”
“I’ve just gotten back from New York. The news is worse than you think. The specter of communism has become quite haunting indeed. Let’s get a couple of drinks, and then we must begin in earnest. England is depending on us. Not just England, or the Empire, but possibly the whole world.”
