The Burma Effect by Michael E. Rose Read Free Book Online

Delaney said with a grin. “Your guys would love to see my by-line on something like this, wouldn’t they?”
    â€œBehave yourself, Francis,” Rawson said. “Read on.”
    Delaney read: “Canada’s enemies respect no barriers, either international or moral. The situation calls for an integrated approach to intelligence collection that is not bound by artificial administrative barriers. Accordingly, working covertly abroad has become an integral part of CSIS operations . . .”
    â€œJesus Christ, Jon.This will set the cat among the pigeons. There’s a headline if I ever saw one.”
    â€œYou figure? That’s mostly from me. And Smithson.”
    â€œOf course. No one’s ever said this in public before, as far as I know.”
    â€œThis might be the time,” Rawson said.
    â€œIs your guy going to buy into this for a speech?”
    â€œMaybe.”
    â€œSome of the politicians across the road from here are going to go apeshit.”
    â€œThis might be the time.”
    â€œOr you might be looking for work.”
    â€œI’m not giving this speech. The chief is giving it.”
    â€œYou’re helping to write it.”
    â€œMe and a cast of thousands. Hundreds anyway. Dozens.”
    â€œThe MPs across the road, a lot of them anyway, are going to take a very dim view of you guys operating way beyond your mandate. You always told me that and I always thought that anyway. What are you going to do next, tell them about people like me and Kellner? Why don’t you just take out a full-page ad in the Globe and Mail ?”
    â€œWe want to generate a little bit of debate about our mandate. Some of us are sick and tired of sneaking around, doing what needs to be done abroad and fussing about legislative mandates. You of all people know that.”
    â€œWell, you’ll generate some debate with this, Jon. No doubt.”
    Delaney finished reading the speech, making a few notes in the margins as he went. Rawson drank his whiskey slowly and appeared to be pondering his fate. Kenny the barman stood idle.
    â€œIt’s good,” Delaney said when he had finished. “Except for the bureaucratese in the first couple of pages, it gets pretty good. You’ll have reporters ringing your phones off the wall.”
    â€œIf our guy delivers it like that,” Rawson said.
    â€œExactly.”
    â€œMaybe he’ll figure the time is not right.”
    â€œExactly.”
    â€œWe shall see,” Rawson said glumly.
    The bar was starting to fill up now, as print media reporters and editors and hangers-on came in after their day’s work. The TV people would start coming in soon as well. Kenny started scurrying around making drinks. He had turned up the sound on CNN.
    â€œPut it on CBC,” someone called out. “The news is almost on.”
    â€œFuck that,” said someone else. “Leave it on CNN.”
    Kenny ignored everyone and went on about his business. CNN prevailed.
    â€œI’ve got to go,” Rawson said.
    â€œOK,” Delaney said.
    â€œYou staying?”
    â€œNo. Not with this crowd.” Delaney said. They took the elevator down together and came out of the National Press Building onto Wellington, all but deserted as usual on a weeknight. Across the street on Parliament Hill a TV reporter, standing in a circle of intense light, delivered a stand-up to camera. The sound man hovered with a giant microphone the size of a mortar covered in furry grey felt.
    â€œSources on Parliament Hill have told CTV news that the second reading of Bill C-78 may have to be postponed for at least a week,” the reporter said, with a stylish toss of her heavily permed hair. Delaney and Rawson exchanged glances.
    â€œHard-hitting stuff,” Rawson said.
    â€œShe’ll blow this town wide open.”
    They got to Rawson’s car, a brown government issue Ford.
    â€œYou going back tonight?” Rawson