The Peregrine Spy (56 page)

“I can’t do that,” said Frank.

“Why the fuck not?”

“If we tell the folks back home there’s a death warrant out for me and Belinsky, they’ll pull us the hell out of here. And we’ve got a Soviet to recruit, remember?”

“I haven’t forgotten,” said Rocky. “But what’s the difference? You get pulled out, we lose Lermontov. You get killed, you ain’t gonna be much help recruitin’ his ass anyway.”

“There’s a big difference,” said Frank. “I get pulled out, it’s all over. We don’t recruit Lermontov. Period. I stay, and manage not to get killed, we’ve still got a chance.”

“So don’t get killed. And make sure Belinsky doesn’t get killed. But what do you suggest we do meanwhile? Withhold vital information from Langley?”

“I wouldn’t suggest anything like that,” said Frank. “We can’t hold back information about death threats. But we can wonder about how seriously those death threats should be taken.”

“Okay. You draft. I’ll edit. Don’t tell Gus or Chuck or anyone else about your fuckin’ death warrant.”

*   *   *

Frank marveled at the way Rocky had massaged the final version of both cables. They had never worked so long and hard over any documents before. The bones of Frank’s usual cable style remained, but puffed over with vague and convoluted phrasing. The Jayface team had been
summoned to the palace for a meeting with His Imperial Majesty at which each will be thanked appropriately. The relationship previously established between KUPEREGRINE and SDELECT-8 has at the request of SDFAM-1 been continued as SDELECT-8 relinquishes his duties with the SDG and resumes the military assignment under which he was originally in contact with KUPEREGRINE as a member in absentia of the SDJAYFACE team.

“That should seem unimportant and confusing enough for the NE drones to turn their attention to something else,” said Rocky.

“It confuses me,” said Frank.

“Good. If some overinquisitive desk officer asks for clarification, I’ll send back something even more confusing.”

Frank’s draft on the death threats attributed the information to a previously untried source of unknown reliability, an accurate description of Munair’s classification. Rocky’s editing made the threats sound vague. He sent the cable to James, eyes only.

Frank did a third cable on what Kasravi had told him about plans for a coup after the Shah’s departure. Rocky took out Frank’s description of Kasravi’s silent, negative shake of the head when Frank asked if the military could restore the monarchy.

“Why leave that out?” asked Frank.

“He didn’t say it. It’s not on tape. You might’ve misread the guy just tryin’ t’ work a kink outta his neck.”

“Rocky, you know it was Kasravi’s way of telling us the military can’t do it.”

“Okay. So I know. But we leave it out because the folks back home ain’t gonna like it, ’cause they still want a coup and Brzezinski for one keeps askin’ the ambassador—and us—when they’re gonna get one.”

Same bind, thought Frank. I find out stuff, but if it’s stuff they don’t want to hear, I can’t report it. “We didn’t get a coup for Christmas,” he said.

“No, but we did have a bunch of ragheads tryin’ to slide down the embassy chimney on Christmas Eve. Look, can you square this medal business with Gus?” asked Rocky.

“I don’t know,” said Frank. “Like the rest of us, he does have feelings.”

“Better let me do it,” said Rocky. “He can’t resent it comin’ from me. Why don’t the two ’a yiz come in before you have to trek up to the palace. Around two.”

“Two should work.”

“You got a meet with Lermontov tomorrow, right?”

“Right.”

“You get stuck at the palace, which you can bet’s gonna happen, same place next day?”

“Half hour earlier,” said Frank.

“Fine, that gives me time to ask for Henry James’s okay to give Lermontov a cleaned-up version of this latest coup d’état pipe dream. I can do it without James’s say-so, but this one’s sensitive enough to make sure he’s with us. Fact, even if you can get to tomorrow’s meet on time, give it a pass. I want time to test the waters on this one, plus that gives us more time for Belinsky to track down his GRU buddy.”

“Speaking of Belinsky, I’ve got something else,” said Frank.

“Now what?”

“A package from Munair. Along with letting me know about the death threats. I took a quick look. A cassette from Khomeini with a note that says it just came by phone from Paris last night, but they’ve already started cranking out dupes by the dozens. Says it also indicates Khomeini has someone in the Shah’s inner circle. Khomeini somehow knows the Shah has made plans to leave but has called on the military to stage a coup and bring him back to rule with a strong military government supported by the Great Satan, us.”

“Jesus H. Christ,” said Rocky. “You’re more work than you’re worth. Draft another cable on the summary. I’ll go hunt down Belinsky. He may’ve been a stupid son of a bitch about this Aeroflot scam, but he’s a smart son of a bitch about a lot of other shit.”

Frank handed Rocky the cassette and Munair’s summary. “He says Khomeini also calls on the religious leaders to get the people to form revolutionary committees in all parts of the country and prepare them to take over all government functions once the Shah leaves.”

“Won’t that be wonderful,” said Rocky, “The Paris Tribunal comes to Tehran. Wonder if they got anybody knows how to build a guillotine. Kind of scary if Khomeini does have somebody inside the palace.”

“Hey, since it looks like Lermontov’s right and the Communistas have a mole in Langley, why can’t the Khomeini-istas have a mole in the palace?”

“Fuck you,” said Rocky. “That is not funny.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The Jayface team sat in a semicircle in the waiting room dominated by the bust of the Shah’s father. Frank noticed that Munair again stared at him as intently as he had at their earliest meetings. Occasionally, he looked away and nodded. They’d waited nearly two hours before Kasravi, now wearing the star of a brigadier general, emerged from the Shah’s office.

“Gentlemen, my apologies. The Supreme Commander … His Imperial Majesty will see you shortly. First, however, Major Sullivan, could you come with me?”

Frank stood, feeling the eyes of the others, and followed General Kasravi. The Shah sat slumped in his oak chair. For a moment his head seemed shrunken, grotesque and gray, peering up at Frank from behind the huge desk, like the head of a turtle poking out of its shell.

“Ah, Frank.” He pushed himself up, took a deep breath, and straightened his shoulders. “Good of you to come. I have had a very difficult day. Please sit. General Kasravi, join us.”

Frank and Kasravi pulled up two of the several oak chairs arrayed around the desk. The Shah took another moment to gather himself. He had looked so much better at their last meeting only three days before that Frank worried about his condition. His first remarks sounded as though recited by rote.

“I know General Kasravi has already informed you that our various military commanders have prevailed on me to leave the country for a time. During my absence they will stage a coup against the Bakhtiar government. Then, they shall call on us to return.” Frank noticed the change from first person singular to the imperial “us.” The Shah’s voice took on strength and conviction and a tinge of bitterness. “All before the Great Ayatollah descends from the skies on the wings of his French angel. The military government our generals will install will have no direct ties to us or to any of our previous governments. When they have established firm control, they will invite our return.”

“As happened,” said Kasravi, “after Mosaddeq was overthrown.”

Frank did not want to risk the Shah’s anger, but he wondered how seriously he considered the possibility of a coup. “Do you think, sir, the Ayatollah’s following compares to Mosaddeq’s?”

“Neither ever had a following worthy of the name. Rabble. Street thugs. Some leftists. Russians backing both. Foreigners wanting a weak government so they could exploit our oil.”

“The course of action we’ve plotted benefits from lessons learned during the Mosaddeq episode,” said Kasravi.

“We hope your government understands our need for support,” said the Shah.

“I share your hope, sir.”

“Ambassador Zahedi, who is here for consultations, tells us we can count on Mr. Brzezinski to push for support, but that your President remains…”

The Shah looked to Kasravi for help, who in turn looked to Frank. “Wishy-washy?” said Kasravi. “Is there such a term?”

“Your ambassador’s picked up well on American idiom,” said Frank.

“It means indecisive?”

“Correct, general. And some of President Carter’s critics say that about him. But I’ve also heard he’s a very meticulous, careful man. He may want to make sure the Iranian military can initiate a successful coup before committing support.”

“We recognize that we need American support to succeed,” said the Shah. “By now even President Jimmy must recognize that.”

“What kind of support will you need?” asked Frank. He realized he’d begun to tread on the territory of Americans far senior, including Ambassador O’Connor and the visiting General Weber. But he saw no way of avoiding the Shah’s determination to involve him.

“Perhaps only symbolic,” said the Shah. “Certainly not troops. Possibly no more than your country provided during the overthrow of the tyrant Mosaddeq.”

“Covert support?” said Frank.

“That could be helpful,” said the Shah. “
Savak
’s abilities in that line have … diminished.”

“And perhaps symbolic support,” said Kasravi. “A carrier task force in the Gulf. Flyovers by American planes, both from the carrier and from your base at Incirlik.”

“The capacity of our air force…” The Shah hesitated.

“Also has diminished,” said Kasravi.

“And you see, even though we may leave, we hope you will stay. Maintain contact with General Kasravi. He will work with our new chief of staff, General Gharabaghi, a man the Americans, including this General Weber, think highly of, and with General Bardri. We must maintain a difficult balance. The covert support must remain invisible. The symbolic support must be highly visible.”

“Sir, Your Imperial Majesty, General Kasravi, all this goes way out of my league. My competence. You should be talking to others.”

“You have proved effective in our effort to move your official representatives,” said the Shah. “Since we have begun also to communicate through you, they pay much more attention to what we have to say. We do not want to lose that channel.”

“I’ll do my best,” said Frank. Great, he thought. I get to stay and give some crazy
Savak
types more time to kill me. “Sir,” he managed to say aloud, “when you leave, where will you go?”

The Shah smiled. “As you know, we had hoped to go to America. But in view of the plans of our military, we shall stay in the neighborhood. We will let you know where. General?”

“I think you have covered everything very well, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“In that case, we can proceed to the other business at hand. As General Kasravi has told you, we plan to continue the mandate of the…” The Shah glanced at a sheet of paper on his desk. “The Joint Armed Forces Ad Hoc Committee on Enlightenment. Today we will present decorations to all its members. Including you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

General Kasravi again cleared his throat.

“Yes. General Kasravi brought up the delicate matter of…”

“Commander Simpson,” said the general.

“Yes. We had not considered that question. After discussing the question with General Kasravi, and with our chief of protocol, we have a solution that differs from the plans General Kasravi outlined to you yesterday. Commander…?”

“Simpson,” interjected Kasravi.

“Yes. He, too, will receive a decoration. Which we will entrust you to bring to him.”

“The Fourth Order of Homayoon,” said General Kasravi. “The Royal Decoration.”

Good, thought Frank. He hoped there might be less flak at home about his getting a medal if Gus got one, too.

“Accordingly,” said the Shah, “rather than the Order of Homayoon, we have decided to award you the Third Order of Taj.”

“The Decoration of the Crown,” said Kasravi. “It is the highest honor His Imperial Majesty can bestow on a foreigner.”

Not so good, thought Frank. He stood and bowed. “I’m deeply honored, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“That’s true,” said Kasravi, looking up at him. “You truly are.”

“We are not doing this purely out of the goodness of our heart,” said the Shah, “or even out of our admiration for you. Please be seated.” Frank sat. “In doing this, we also send another message to your government. The protocol officer at your embassy, we are certain, will explain the significance of what we have done to your ambassador. You need not tell anyone about it. Our press officer will make an official announcement, as we customarily do on the rare occasions when we bestow an award of this magnitude. Your government will realize the degree of respect and trust we have in you. They will have to honor accordingly all that you report to them.”

As long, thought Frank, as my reporting doesn’t contradict policy.

*   *   *

“We can’t put all that shit in a cable,” said Rocky. “Look, Sully, you draft like you did yesterday. I’ll do a heavy edit. Concentrate on this cockamamie coup idea. Leave out you askin’ the questions you did. Just report everything the Shah and his Bodyguard general had to say, includin’ the Shah wantin’ you to maintain contact with Kasravi when His Imperial Candy Ass leaves for wherever the hell he’s goin’. Looks like you guys are gonna be here a while. Can’t exactly ship you out if the Shah tells his key military leave-behind to stay in touch with you.”

“You can ship me out,” said Gus.

“No chance,” said Rocky. “Sullivan’s got me convinced he needs you. Sully, put in your cable what Kasravi said about U.S. planes out of Incirlik buzzin’ Iran just so Washington can see how pipe-dreamy these guys are. No way in hell the Turks will sit still for us buzzin’ Iran out of a base on their territory. Do a separate cable on the awards for everybody. They can find out about you gettin’ anointed when the palace makes its announcement. We can act like it’s no big thing, but they’ll get the fuckin’ message the Shah wanted them to get.”