by Earl Nelson
That made me ask myself a basic question. Did I want to be involved to that degree, and would I have any choice in the matter?
As I watched traffic up and down the Thames, I thought things through. If I didn’t want to play the game on the world stage I could go into seclusion. That would be easy, fly home to Jackson House and ride George or play golf at the Forestry Service station.
At first, that sounded attractive, but the more I thought about it the more I realized I had set some things in motion. Now I could watch how they played out or try to influence where they went.
Thinking about it I realized there was one thing I wanted to happen. Dismantling the Soviet Union was one thing, I wanted to make certain that Russia couldn’t become a world power again.
The only reason that Russia could play on the world stage was its access to raw materials. They hadn’t a sophisticated manufacturing base like the US or even England and most of free Europe.
The US had an advantage over all the others in its wealth of raw materials. Put that with its manufacturing base and it was no wonder they were a world power.
Not that others like Canada, Australia or a good bit of South America couldn’t. They didn’t have the population or the political will and in some cases both.
China and India were overpopulated which caused them so many internal problems they couldn’t emerge onto the world stage. China was changing and might be able to do that.
As these thoughts circled in my mind a plan began to form. Thinking about it and pulling it off was another thing.
The next day at Buck House I told Mr. Norman my grand plan to end the Soviet Union and make it impossible for Russia to become a threat to the world again.
Russia would be vulnerable to large actions without nuclear weapons. I would have China invade Siberia and using the trans-Siberian railway take all of the territories up to the Urals. To keep the UN out of it, it would be a civil war.
The Chinese would be fighting for the rightful Tsar of Russia. As the entire Romanov family had been wiped out you would have to go back to Queen Victoria and take it from there. Using that logic, Queen Elizabeth was the Tsarina.
As a reward she would grant all of Siberia to China, forever weakening Russia.
Mr. Norman was genuinely nice as he pointed out the many flaws in my plan, starting with; did Queen Elizabeth want to be Tsarina? He went on for almost an hour.
I guess I won’t be a mover and a shaker on the world stage after all. I’m glad I brought all this up with him as I knew he would keep it confidential. Well, maybe he and the Queen would have a good laugh, but that was it.
I didn’t even want my parents to know of this cockamamie plan I had come up with.
He did tell me the one thing I had done right, which was to talk it over in confidence before I sent it out to the world.
I spent the next two days being debriefed by MI6. They were thorough. I had to go over everything at least three times. It didn’t feel like an interrogation, so I went along with them. It was amazing the small details I remembered the third time through.
These details didn’t change the basics, but they taught me why they had to be so in-depth in their questioning.
One thing that occurred to me as I described the trip was that I owed a great debt to my archery instructor, Rod Bell. Without his knowledge, I would still be chopping down trees in the gulag.
After all the grilling the MI6 grillers, which sounded like they worked at a hamburger joint, complimented me on my ingenuity on my escape.
I was told for the second time that anyone that made me mad had better watch out.
Mr. Norman called me at the Plaza that night, would I be so kind to stop by the Palace tomorrow at ten o’clock sharp, and by the way wear your full-dress uniform.
Now that didn’t sound suspicious at all.
On time and dressed as directed I appeared at the Palace gate. Once processed through I was led to a formal audience room. Waiting there was the Brigadier in Command of the Coldstream Guards, the Queen, and my parents. Even the kids were present.
The Queen herself read the description of my award. I was being awarded the George Cross! I was so stunned by what was happening that I heard only a few of the words.
One phrase stood out, “acts of the greatest heroism or for most conspicuous courage in circumstance of extreme danger."
Later I was told that my award was as much a political poke in the eye to the former Soviet Union as to my actions. Not that I didn’t demonstrate bravery but that this was another nail in the USSR coffin.
I was all for nails in that coffin. Maybe they would leave me alone now. That seemed to be the case as one of the first actions of the new government in Russia was to throw out all the political convictions by the USSR, which included mine.
For some reason, I didn’t get all warm and fuzzy.
There was a press conference which was held in strict control by the Palace. I wish I could take those people with me everywhere.
I gave a barebones description of my escape, leaving out the damage done as I left. I was asked about the major fires, bank robberies, and horse theft that occurred on my way out.
I told them that was all a coincidence, what would an American cowboy know about horse theft and bank robbery. As far as fires set with fire arrows, I had only placed third in the Robin Hood shootout in Sherwood Forest.
I don’t think I convinced them that I wasn’t involved with all that.
I did say that there were some very upstanding people in Russia who I had a debt of gratitude, that all Russians weren’t hardcore communists who would kill anyone in their quest to equalize society. Equal, like some pigs; are more equal than others.
The flight home was pleasant. Mary roped me into a game of gin rummy. Playing for a penny a point; she took me for ten dollars. As rich as she is, you wouldn’t think she would get as excited as she did.
She then tried to talk the stewardesses into playing but they told her they had to work. I noticed their work was retiring to their quarters in the aircraft hold for a cup of coffee or even a nap.
Seems like they knew about my sister and her teacher, Mum.
The news on the TV when we got home was that the US would be leading the effort to contain the USSR nuclear stockpile from being sold.
A world mover and shaker I was not.
Chapter 40
When I got home it was too late in the day to do anything but make some phone calls. I called Nina to see if she would like to go out to dinner tomorrow night. She didn’t sound as enthusiastic as usual but agreed.
I was to choose the restaurant. I had one in mind not real far from Nina’s. It was a small place that had spaced seating so we could have an open conversation but public enough that there should be no scenes.
I didn’t have a good feeling about where our relationship was going. I didn’t think it had anything to do with another guy, Nina wasn’t that dumb or malicious.
I was able to get a reservation so I called Nina back and let her know the time and place so she could be ready and dressed appropriately. It wasn’t dress-up, dress-up but it wasn’t casual either.
She was okay with my selection and sounded a little more with it on my second call.
I had no idea what was happening with her or why she gave me a look of fear after dinner with her parents, but it had to have something to do with it.
Next, I called Rod Bell at his home. I asked Rod where I could meet him the next day, I had a few things to discuss with him. He suggested that I come by his house. I wrote his address down and he invited me to lunch with him.
With those calls made I turned in for the night. I didn’t read anything. I wondered where my reading habit had gone. Instead of reading about life, I was now living it.
In the morning it felt good to get a real run in, my time in the Soviet Union had cost me some of my stamina for running but not as much as I feared.
It was
in the weight room I saw the difference. Being a lumberjack is good for bodybuilding. I had gained in every type of lift that I performed, and I don’t mean marginally.
Five months of forced labor had been good to me. Maybe every teenager should have to do that. Not really.
I saw too many injuries and even deaths doing it; how I got through it is amazing. I put it down to my ability to accept things as they are and concentrate on my plan of action. There I had planned to survive and escape. Plan achieved.
After a hearty breakfast, I took a ride on George. From the way he acted, I think he was miffed that I had been gone so long, but we settled in for a nice ride.
After that, I cleaned up and got ready to go over to Rod Bell’s for lunch. Before I left the house the phone rang. The caller identified himself as working for the CIA at a place they called the Farm.
He gave me a code and told me to call the public CIA office in Virginia to confirm that he was who he said he was. I called information and they connected me to the CIA.
After holding and being shuffled around the code was confirmed, and that Tom Johnson was the head of the Farm and that he would call me right back.
I no sooner hung up and my phone rang again.
It was Johnson.
“How can I help you, Mr. Johnson?”
“Start with calling me, Tom.”
“Okay Tom, how can I help you?”
“I’ve read the report on your escape from the gulag you were in. I would like to discuss it with you and see what we can learn from it. I’m especially interested in your use of a longbow.”
“I thought the CIA didn’t believe the story of my escape.”
“That’s the clowns in suits in Langley. Out here at the Farm, we deal with the real world. This is the training center for active agents. We don’t play the political games they do.”
“I thought part of the CIA's mission was political.”
“It is, with foreign governments, I’m talking about the games they play with each other in-house.”
“I’ve seen some of that.”
“So could you come here and tell us more about your escape.”
“Yes, I can, but I’m about to have lunch with the man who taught me everything I know about the longbow. Could I invite him?”
“By all means. He sounds like the guy we need on our staff if this is as good as it sounds.”
“I need to know where to come, and when.”
He gave me a number to call after my conversation with Rod. I gave him Rod’s full name and address so they could start the background check. No one went onto a CIA facility without such a check.
I was surprised by where Rod Bell lived. Most stunt people made rather good money. He lived in a dump. At least from the neighborhood and its surroundings. The building was from the 1930s and had a hard life.
I had to walk up to the third floor as the elevator was out of order. It probably had been out of order since 1945.
The stairwell stank. I shudder as to what his apartment might be like. What was going on?
Rod opened the door as soon as I knocked. He had been waiting for me.
His apartment was as neat as a pin as Mum would say. All was well cared for and in its place. There were bows and arrows everywhere but stacked and racked neatly. Where there would be a desk was a workbench for him to practice his craft.
“Rick, I bet you are wondering about the area I live in.”
“It did surprise me; I would think you could do much better.”
“I could but I moved in here right after the war and got comfortable. As the neighborhood went down so did the rents.”
“Aren’t you concerned about your neighbors?”
“You got it backward, they are concerned about me. We used to have a pigeon problem, but I went up on the roof and took them down in flight.”
“The gangsters that live around here aren’t afraid of guns, but a yard-long arrow scares the bejeezus out of them. Every six months or so I put on another show to remind them of what could happen. It is a peaceful neighborhood. I put the word out that the old people and young families were under my protection. It works, so now I don’t want to leave.”
“If you are happy here, it works for me. I stopped by to let you know the knowledge on bow work you gave me saved my life in Russia.”
“How’s that?”
As he prepared a simple lunch of ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches, I related my escape. How I had made my weapon and then used it.
He had a dozen questions on my making of the bow and arrows. He smiled a lot and then frowned as he realized I could have done something better.
“So, my escape worked, but you believe that I could improve on my bow, arrow, and string making?”
“Don’t get me wrong, you did a wonderful job, but there are some things you were never shown that would have made a better weapon.”
“Are you willing to share that knowledge?”
“Yes, I would love to, bowery and fletching are dying arts. I would love to carry them on.”
“Good, we have an appointment in two days at the CIA training center in Virginia.”
“You don’t mess around. Fortunately, I’m free for the next while, as there are no movies on the horizon that will need me.”
“Can I use your phone?”
“Be my guest.”
I called Tom Johnson back and told him that Rod Bell and I would fly into Baltimore Friendship the day after tomorrow.
In turn, he told me there would be a light plane waiting for us to fly to the Farm.
Rod wanted to know what airline we would be flying. I told him the Ricky Jackson special out of Ontario airport, be there by eight o’clock.
“I will be early; I hate to miss flights.”
“This one will wait for us. It is my airplane.”
That is when I found out that not many people in Hollywood know about my 707.
Rod and I spent several hours chit-chatting about Hollywood and what was going on, and who was seeing who or had fallen out. The more I heard the less I wanted to go back to that world.
I finally had to take my leave so I could go get ready for my dinner with Nina. I was filled with dread about how this was going to go.
It was funny, I wasn’t so worried about Nina breaking up with me, but how she would do it. From the way she had been acting, I knew we were done as a couple, I just didn’t know why.
Would there be drama? I hated that sort of thing. As far as her leaving me I was sort of ambivalent about it, I liked her a lot, but I think I had grown at a different rate than her.
We had been a perfect high school couple; this wasn’t high school anymore.
Chapter 41
I picked up Nina on time and we rode to the restaurant. We had little to say. She had welcomed me with a peck on the cheek. Not the best of signs considering the scorching kisses I used to get.
After settling in at our table I suggested that we eat and then have a serious conversation about where we were in life. She agreed at once.
We both passed on appetizers and dessert. It was obvious that we wanted to get this over with.
“Nina, I can tell we both have serious questions about our relationship. What are your concerns?”
“Thanks, Rick, this will make it easier. I just graduated from high school. I'm starting college in the fall. I’m looking forward to a summer at the beach and trips to an amusement park. Maybe a picnic or two.”
“When I start school in the fall, I would like to join a sorority and live in their house. I’m looking forward to football games and dances. A hayride in the fall would be nice followed by bobbing for apples. Skiing at Christmas break, and then getting a tan on Spring break.”
“Even classes can be more fun. There is the panic of pulling all-nighters before final exams. I’m looking forward to all those experiences.”
“I see you flying around the world on your jet plane seei
ng Kings, Queens, and Presidents. Making business deals in the millions of dollars.”
“I can’t do both, and I don’t feel up to your world or even know what place I would have in it. There is no other boy or man for that matter.”
“That’s another point, I’m up to dating a boy and finding out what a relationship is, but you are a man, and I'm not ready for you.”
At that, she paused and waited for my reply.
“I hadn’t looked at it from your viewpoint, but it makes sense. My life is different, and I don’t see it changing soon.”
“There is also the danger you always seem to be in. Do you think it will go away now that the Soviet Union has collapsed?”
“No, I don’t.”
“I just can’t handle it, I like you a lot, I thought I loved you at one time, but I realized I loved the glamour of your life as much as you, and now I realized that the glamour isn’t so great and that it would prevent me from living the life I want.”
“Nina, I would never expect you to give up your life to be with me, I think we both realize that we can always be friends and go our separate ways in life.”
“I would like that, the friend’s part I mean. I know it is trite for the girl to say she wants to be friends, but I would like that. Our directions are too different for anything else.”
“Friends then,”
“Friends.”
I paid the bill and took Nina home. I walked her to her door and kissed her lightly on her lips.
“Goodnight, and it was fun while it lasted.”
“Yes, it was.”
As I was driving away, I saw that her mother had met her at the door and was starting to question her.
I pulled over in a small park and thought about what had transpired. I wasn’t upset. I had similar thoughts about her situation but not from her point of view. The life I was living didn’t fit her dreams at all.
While she hadn’t said it, I think that after college she was dreaming of getting married, buying a house with a white picket fence, and having two children.