Arthur Harris. ââItâs been such a pleasure to negotiate with you; my frustrations with D.E. over the years have been brought to breaking point by the devious and short-sighted attitude of Harris in London, whose word simply cannot be trusted. I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with you, the Archangel Mining Corporation and the Russian government. I look forward to meeting President Yeltsin and to visiting the site â¦â etc.â Reece stopped and slid the paper back into his briefcase. He knew he was called a spy, a creeper who did the Chairmanâs dirty work. Too often Arthur Harris had vented his feelings about Heyderman on his underling Reece; this was Reeceâs moment. He looked down at his hands folded on top of the desk and allowed himself a slight smile.
There was absolute silence in the room. Ray Andrews lit a cigarette. It was so still the lighter rasped like a hacksaw. Arthur Harrisâs pale face had flushed. Kruger came to his defence. He glared at Reece aggressively. âAre you sure thatâs genuine?â
âAbsolutely,â Reece answered. âIt has the same provenance as the other documents. It came out of Karakovâs personal correspondence file. It was an informal letter, not a company memo. It wasnât intended for general viewing.â He said it very softly, as if he were apologizing.
Arthur Harris didnât look at him, or at his brother-in-law, who had just humiliated him in front of them all. Deliberately. He said, âIn view of this, I should not try to negotiate. Iâd like to say that his personal opinion does not concern me in the least. My only concern is what is best for our business.â
James Hastings had to admire him for that. He had shown quiet dignity in the face of a calculated and brutal insult, orchestrated by Heyderman. But it wasnât any good being dignified when you couldnât strike back.
Heyderman made a gesture, which didnât fool anybody, least of all his victim. âWe should have taken a tougher line with him in the beginning,â he said. âDonât worry, weâll nail the old bastard. As I see it, weâve got to plan this like a battle. Attack the problem on two fronts. First, someoneâs got to go to Moscow and get to the Minister of Mining Development. And, if necessary, to President Yeltsin. Someone with the know-how and the weight to undermine their confidence in Karakov, and persuade them that he doesnât have the resources to market their stones properly without us. Point out what a trade free-for-all would do to the market and to their hopes of substantial foreign currency.â
He looked at Ray Andrews.
âYou negotiated with them five years ago. You know the country and the set-up. You may be able to rectify that mistake when you lost us the mine. Will you take it on?â
Ray Andrews was not a coward; his moral principles had sometimes caused embarrassment. He had boobed, and he accepted the responsibility. Even though he knew it was a poisoned chalice.
âI will,â he said firmly. âIâll fly out to Moscow and report back on the situation, if introductions can be arranged through our Embassy. Iâll need all the diplomatic pressure I can get if I want an interview at the top.â
âIâll put that in train,â Arthur Harris said quickly. âWe have excellent relations with the Foreign Office; theyâll be glad to help.â
âGood,â to their surprise Julius Heyderman pushed back his chair. âWeâll break for an early lunch. Iâve got an appointment. Reconvene at one forty-five. Then we can discuss how to deal with Karakov and whoâs going to do it.â
They lunched in the directorsâ dining-room. Arthur did not believe in the canteen culture, as he described it. He didnât lunch with his employees. He wouldnât have enjoyed it, nor, he maintained, would they. James
Bret Witter, Luis Carlos Montalván