LACKING VIRTUES by Thomas Kirkwood Read Free Book Online Page A

American citizenship, even married an American woman. He built a successful consulting practice in aerospace related metallurgy.
     
    “His front never cracked. He recruited all of his spies from the ranks of his host country – Americans who had no idea for whom they were working. For specialty jobs, he relied on several high-ranking Stasi agents, all of whom have since died or been disposed of. Volkov, as you are aware, took over intelligence for the Russian Federation. He passed away in March.”
     
    “And Claussen? What did he do?”
     
    “He stayed in the West while the USSR disintegrated and returned to Germany sometime after reunification. Because of these extraordinary circumstances, there is no one alive today who knows of the existence of Operation Litvyak. No one, that is, other than myself, Claussen, you and a minor player scheduled for termination.”
     
    “Litvyak?”
     
    “Some fighter ace from the war. It seems that Volkov’s obsession with obscurity carried over to the name.”
     
    Michelet lit another cigar and grunted. “It sounds like this man has been trying to sell you a bill of goods. I’d like to know what this supposed magic economic weapon is?”
     
    Delors didn’t flinch at Michelet’s initial skepticism. How else could an intelligent man respond before he knew all of the facts?
     
    He said, “The weapon is a scheme to benefit the fortunes of Airbus. By ‘benefit’ I mean an increase in our market share to at least 60 percent.
     
    “I’m sure you have a general feeling for what this upswing would accomplish, but let me give you some specifics I’ve had the time to research. It will translate into a quarter of a million new jobs in the European Community, a hundred and twenty thousand of these in the high-tech sectors in France alone. It will translate into an enormous increase in government revenues from new aircraft sales and from the expanded domestic tax base. More importantly, Georges, it will jump start the economy – and the Americans will be paying the bill.”
     
    Michelet ground out his cigar. “It is true that such an improvement in the fortunes of Airbus would be a strong stimulus for the entire economy. But, Paul, in order to garner our present share of the market, we’ve practically had to give away airplanes. The confidential government estimates I’ve seen put the final sale prices ten million dollars below production costs. The Americans are already at our throats for subsidies that violate GATT, and that’s going to get worse. I’ve seen confidential airline evaluations on Boeing’s new plane, the Triple Seven. It’s a better long-term investment for the airlines than our A-330s and A-340s. If you want to know my opinion, Paul, we’ll be lucky to hold our present market share.”
     
    “Such pessimism, Georges,” Delors said. He poured himself a cognac. “I’m going to tell you about Operation Litvyak. When I am finished, you will understand why all of your doom and gloom predictions are incorrect. You will understand why France is at the threshold of a new era of pride and independence; and why you are about to become the most significant European politician of the postwar era. May I?”
     
    “Go on, but make it brief. I haven’t packed for my trip yet.”
     
    “I shall try, George. After Russia’s collapse in the Cuban Missile Crisis, General Volkov felt the sting of failure. The experience made him doubly determined to avoid another defeat and humiliation by the United States. It also changed his view of the way in which the superpowers were likely to react in the event of another showdown. Their reluctance to use nuclear weapons in Cuba convinced him that a conventional war in Europe was a possibility. This belief was the catalyst for what followed.”
     
    “Yes?”
     
    “Operation Litvyak was designed to sabotage American civil aviation in the event of a land war with the Soviet Union. You saw in Vietnam and again in Desert Storm