Armageddon_ A Novel of Berlin - Leon Uris [156]
Neal Hazzard stifled an impulse to wring Blatty’s neck. “Hans Kronbach is too important for us to lose. Just don’t make a federal case out of this and let things cool down before I put his name up.”
“See here, Hazzard, I’m only trying to run the show properly. Once we impress the Russians that we play the game by the rules through thick and thin they’re not so apt to bugger us around.”
“For Christ’s sake. We’re not on the goddam sporting fields of Eton.”
“Well!”
“I mean, close your eyes this once.”
“If you insist, Colonel Hazzard, but I act under duress.”
Hazzard sighed with relief. “I’ll return the favor.”
The tricolor of France was raised on the third flag pole as Colonel Jacques Belfort arrived. They all met on the first floor in the main conference room around a square table, with seats behind theirs for advisors and translators.
At precisely nine o’clock Colonel Nikolai Trepovitch arrived with a bevy of staff following him. Hazzard watched the Russian carefully. His face was frozen in a cold glare, he was sullen, and there was an absence of greeting. Hazzard knew it was going to be a long, hard day.
Trepovitch nodded curtly to the chairman, Blatty, sat, adjusted his glasses, unloaded his briefcase, and picked up the agenda.
“This session is called to order,” the Englishman said. “We have a request to remove from the agenda the nomination of a deputy police president.” He looked at Hazzard. “This is a unilateral action of the Americans. Do I hear an objection?”
Trepovitch’s interpreter buzzed into his ear and pointed to the agenda. To Hazzard this was another bad sign, for Trepovitch’s English was better than passable when he so desired. He had a knack of forgetting English in order to force slow, tortuous translations.
Blatty continued. “The first order of business will be to continue discussion on a subcommittee report regarding the removal of Berlin’s dairy herd by the Soviet Union before our arrival in the city. The vote stands three to one that we should not be compelled to replace the herd, that being the duty of the Soviet Union. Whereas,” Blatty droned on, “we have agreed to feed our sectors, an original source of food has been deliberately removed in the Soviet act of spiriting 7000 cows away. Speaking for His Majesty’s Government as well as the American and French governments, it is our position that the Soviet Union owes us 5000 cows ...”
“Last night,” Nikolai Trepovitch began as though he had not heard a word the Englishman said, “two soldiers of the Soviet Union were murdered.”
“I say, Colonel Trepovitch, you are most out of order.”
“They were shot down in cold blood by American aggressors.”
“We are discussing the dairy herd, sir.”
“The guilty murderers are to be found, full restitution made to their grieving families, and a public apology is to be rendered to the Soviet Union.”
“There is a proper place allotted on the agenda for the discussion of emergency contingencies. In due course we shall examine your charges.”
“This was an arrogant murder of two soldiers of the Soviet Union who fought the Nazis with valor only to be slaughtered in the streets by American police brutality.”
Thus far, Neal Hazzard had kept a slight smile on his lips, and had otherwise remained expressionless.
“See here, now,” Blatty answered, “you simply cannot twist the agenda about because you are in a fit of pique. It is not done.”
The Russian brought his fist on the table. “There is no other order of business until this is settled!”
“Sir, is it the position of the Soviet Union that you refuse to allow the business of this body to proceed?”
The fist fell again.
“As chairman of the Kommandatura, I shall not submit to threats or highhanded methods. Now then, if you are finished pounding on the table, we will continue to examine the question of the dairy herd.”
“Is it your position then to protect paid murderers?” Trepovitch broke into an impassioned speech filled with such names as warmongers, fascist bullies, gangsters, lynchers. Within moments the translators were unable to keep up and the translation