“Thank you. I was not cut out for the bureaucracy. Not even in a military government. When I saw him this morning, His Imperial Majesty also suggested I inform you that within a few days he will name General Abbas Karim Gharabaghi as armed forces chief of staff. One of my tasks will be as liaison between General Bardri and General Gharabaghi.”
“Congratulations again,” said Frank.
“You can report all this to your government, with the usual restrictions. Ah, yes. And also I am to become a brigadier general. No more the wings of a chicken colonel. Please tell that part to General Merid, but only that part.”
Frank smiled. “I will, sir.”
“General Gharabaghi and General Bardri will rank as the two most important men in our armed forces. If we can restore the monarchy … I think we all realize His Imperial Majesty must withdraw from Iran for a time, but, I can assure you, he will not abdicate his throne. Then, if the monarchy is to be fully restored it will be up to General Bardri and General Gharabaghi.”
“Do you think that’s possible?” said Frank.
Kasravi paused. He looked at Frank and slowly shook his head.
“As a military man, I believe we make our own possibilities,” he said aloud. “And, in my new assignment, it occurred to me, I could benefit from having a direct contact with the American government. Can I do that through you?”
“I … I really don’t know. It might be more appropriate through one of the … through the embassy’s senior military attaché.”
“I have limited respect for your attachés. General Bardri and General Gharabaghi will have official U.S. contact through General Weber, who is here again on a special mission. Through the ambassador and attachés as well. But His Imperial Majesty said you had been useful to him as what he termed a ‘back door channel.’ He recommended I use you in the same way.”
Here we go again, thought Frank. “Perhaps we can work something out.”
“How can I contact you?”
“Through Colonel Troy, the office of the U.S. Air Force Guards at Dowshan Tappeh.”
“Good. I will return to your Jayface meeting with you and inform your colleagues of the changes that affect your group. I will also inform them His Imperial Majesty requires their presence at the palace at fifteen hundred hours tomorrow. He will bestow medals on them all and instruct them to continue their operations. At my suggestion and with His Imperial Majesty’s agreement, Jayface will concentrate on civic action plans the military will initiate at a future date when the current troubles are behind us. Oh, you are to attend as well. You will receive the First Order of the Homayoon for your efforts as an adviser to the Imperial Armed Forces of Iran.”
“I don’t know what to say.” But he knew what to think. Nobody in the good old boys’ coven back at Langley loves an outsider who gets a medal, and Rocky would have another reason for resentment. Then he thought of another problem.
“What about Commander Simpson?”
“The Shah has no interest in Commander Simpson.”
“Sir, I’m sure you can appreciate the … the situation. Commander Simpson has worked well as a member of the Jayface team. If everyone gets a medal and he doesn’t…”
“Commander Simpson should feel grateful we did not expel him after his clumsy effort to recruit a waiter already recruited by Savak and J2. Explain it to him.”
“I’ll do my best,” said Frank.
“And I hope you appreciate,” said Kasravi, “that His Imperial Majesty takes these measures to make it difficult for your government to withdraw you. He believes Iran continues to benefit from your presence.”
“I do appreciate that,” said Frank. But I wish it hadn’t happened.
“One other matter,” said the colonel. “Your Jayface colleague Captain Irfani heard what you did to avoid what might have become an ugly incident at the American cafeteria at Dowshan Tappeh. It impressed him that you used a tape by Ayatollah Khomeini. And His Imperial Majesty has informed Admiral Hayati that the Americans are aware of his coup proposal. The Shah did not say so, but the admiral assumed that happened through you.”
“I did manage to discuss it with the Shah.”
“That is all we could ask. Munair, Captain Irfani, has begun to change his mind about you. He thinks perhaps you can be trusted, and he asked me to give you this.” The colonel handed Frank a small package wrapped in brown paper and masking tape. “It is the latest cassette from Khomeini in Paris along with a summary Munair prepared for you in English.”
“Thank you,” said Frank. “Thank Captain Irfani for me.”
“You may be able to do that yourself,” said Kasravi. “He said he would join us.”
Frank and General Kasravi did not have to wait long for Munair to make his appearance.
“Thank you for the tape from Paris,” said Frank as he stood to greet Munair.
“The tape is important,” said Munair, “but I have something much more urgent to discuss. May we sit down?”
“Of course,” said Kasravi.
“Good.” They drew up chairs at the head of Kasravi’s long table. “I thought it important that General Kasravi should hear what I am about to tell you.”
This does not sound good, thought Frank.
“What is it?” said Kasravi.
“This tape from Paris, perhaps, Mr. Sullivan, your embassy may already have it. A man from your embassy, his name is Charles Belinsky. Do you know him?”
“I’ve heard the name,” said Frank.
“He seems very active. They say he speaks good Farsi. He seeks tapes made by the Imam in many quarters. If he is a good man, warn him. He is being watched. He may be killed. So may you.”
“Me?”
Munair glanced at Kasravi. “It is no secret that I am a devout Muslim. I am loyal to Admiral Hayati and to my Shah. But I am devout, and I am in contact with others who are devout, including certain members of Savak who have formed a revolutionary komiteh that reports to Ayatollah Taleqani. They hope, in fact, to replace Savak with a new Islamic organization they call Savama, which hopes to take over the functions of Savak in behalf of the revolution.”
“We are aware of them,” said Kasravi.
But what the hell are you doing about them? wondered Frank.
Munair’s dark eyes burned into Frank’s. “These men kept watch on your friend Mr. Belinsky. They do not like his contacts with Shariat-Madari, a man as respected as the Imam among many believers, but a man seen by others as a rival to the Imam. Savak agents also saw this Belinsky at the airport with Major Anwar Amini and meeting with a Russian known to be a GRU agent. Your American friend Mr. Belinsky helped Major Amini get out of Iran with his wife and children. Right under the eyes of Savak. That embarrassed them, made them mad. One Savak agent in particular was angry. Someone you know, in fact.”
“Someone I know?” Frank could not believe he knew any Savak agent.
“Your Mr. Belinsky’s taxi driver. He drove you to the university.”
Oh, God. Frank remembered what Rocky had told him about the Savak officer who had allowed Chuck to recruit him.
“He felt humiliated,” said Munair, “because he also drove this Mr. Belinsky to the airport to help Major Amini escape. And of course he tied you and Belinsky together in that. He did his best to persuade other members of the Savama group that they should kill both you and your friend, but they feared they could not touch two official Americans until a certain clergyman, Hojatalislam Qomi Mohhammad, an influential man who hates Shariat-Madari, issued a fatwa.”
“You lost me,” said Frank, shaken but trying to pay attention.
“A command that puts all Muslims under obligation, in this case an obligation to carry out a death sentence.”
“On me?”
“Yes, on you and on your Mr. Belinsky. But their real target, the real target of the fatwa, was not Mr. Belinsky or you. The real target was Ayatollah Shariat-Madari.”
“I don’t get it,” said Frank.
“Of course
not,” said Kasravi. “You are not a Shi’a Muslim. This clergyman could not issue a fatwa to kill Shariat-Madari. That would have made a martyr of Shariat-Madari, a hero.”
“Exactly,” said Munair. “We would have seen a revolution within the revolution. This way the corrupt turban man has shown that he is more powerful than Ayatollah Shariat-Madari. People will say Hojatalislam Qomi issued his fatwa behalf of the Imam, and Shariat-Madari could not protect his American friend, your Mr. Belinsky.”
“But why include me?” said Frank.
Munair shrugged. “I believe what you did for Major Amini and his family you did from the goodness of your heart, but you and your Mr. Belinsky play a dangerous game.”
* * *
“Pretty impressive,” said Rocky. “A medal from the Shah and a death warrant from some holy man. All in the same day.”
“Right,” said Frank. “I’m impressed as hell.”
“Okay,” said Rocky. “Here’s what we do.” He and Frank sat alone in the bubble. “We go downstairs. You plop your Irish butt down at a typewriter. Start with the easy part. The medals. Do a draft. Triple space it so I’ll have lots of room for edits. This has to be finessed in ways you can only guess. Fritz Weber’s gonna want your head on a fuckin’ platter. If some Savaki doesn’t put a bullet through you first. Fritz comes over with a special mandate from the President to get cozy with the military. And he finds you chewin’ on his turf with Kasravi, who’s just been named point man for a coup. And that’s just the start. Then you get a fuckin’ medal. You know how that’ll play in Virginia.”
“Maybe they’ll forgive me if I get killed.”
“The hell they will. You get killed, they’ll just have t’ give you another medal.”
“You sure know how to make a guy feel good.”
“Feel good is not my middle name. You talk t’ Belinsky again?”
“I did. Belinsky told me Anwar and his family got outta here okay. Talked about his GRU job.”
“And?”
“And he worries me. Drinking again. Real down on himself about what he did.”
“He should be,” said Rocky. “He should also get his ass in gear about a meet with his GRU guy. Let’s go to work. You finish a draft on the medals. While I edit that, you do a draft on the death warrant.”
“I can’t do that,” said Frank.
“Why the fuck not?”
“If we tell the folks back home there’s a death warrant out for me and Belinsky, they’ll pull us the hell out of here. And we’ve got a Soviet to recruit, remember?”
“I haven’t forgotten,” said Rocky. “But what’s the difference? You get pulled out, we lose Lermontov. You get killed, you ain’t gonna be much help recruitin’ his ass anyway.”
“There’s a big difference,” said Frank. “I get pulled out, it’s all over. We don’t recruit Lermontov. Period. I stay, and manage not to get killed, we’ve still got a chance.”
“So don’t get killed. And make sure Belinsky doesn’t get killed. But what do you suggest we do meanwhile? Withhold vital information from Langley?”
“I wouldn’t suggest anything like that,” said Frank. “We can’t hold back information about death threats. But we can wonder about how seriously those death threats should be taken.”
“Okay. You draft. I’ll edit. Don’t tell Gus or Chuck or anyone else about your fuckin’ death warrant.”
* * *
Frank marveled at the way Rocky had massaged the final version of both cables. They had never worked so long and hard over any documents before. The bones of Frank’s usual cable style remained, but puffed over with vague and convoluted phrasing. The Jayface team had been summoned to the palace for a meeting with His Imperial Majesty at which each will be thanked appropriately. The relationship previously established between KUPEREGRINE and SDELECT-8 has at the request of SDFAM-1 been continued as SDELECT-8 relinquishes his duties with the SDG and resumes the military assignment under which he was originally in contact with KUPEREGRINE as a member in absentia of the SDJAYFACE team.
“That should seem unimportant and confusing enough for the NE drones to turn their attention to something else,” said Rocky.
“It confuses me,” said Frank.
“Good. If some overinquisitive desk officer asks for clarification, I’ll send back something even more confusing.”
Frank’s draft on the death threats attributed the information to a previously untried source of unknown reliability, an accurate description of Munair’s classification. Rocky’s editing made the threats sound vague. He sent the cable to James, eyes only.
Frank did a third cable on what Kasravi had told him about plans for a coup after the Shah’s departure. Rocky took out Frank’s description of Kasravi’s silent, negative shake of the head when Frank asked if the military could restore the monarchy.
“Why leave that out?” asked Frank.
“He didn’t say it. It’s not on tape. You might’ve misread the guy just tryin’ t’ work a kink outta his neck.”
“Rocky, you know it was Kasravi’s way of telling us the military can’t do it.”
“Okay. So I know. But we leave it out because the folks back home ain’t gonna like it, ’cause they still want a coup and Brzezinski for one keeps askin’ the ambassador—and us—when they’re gonna get one.”
Same bind, thought Frank. I find out stuff, but if it’s stuff they don’t want to hear, I can’t report it. “We didn’t get a coup for Christmas,” he said.
“No, but we did have a bunch of ragheads tryin’ to slide down the embassy chimney on Christmas Eve. Look, can you square this medal business with Gus?” asked Rocky.
“I don’t know,” said Frank. “Like the rest of us, he does have feelings.”
“Better let me do it,” said Rocky. “He can’t resent it comin’ from me. Why don’t the two ’a yiz come in before you have to trek up to the palace. Around two.”
“Two should work.”
“You got a meet with Lermontov tomorrow, right?”
“Right.”
“You get stuck at the palace, which you can bet’s gonna happen, same place next day?”
“Half hour earlier,” said Frank.
“Fine, that gives me time to ask for Henry James’s okay to give Lermontov a cleaned-up version of this latest coup d’état pipe dream. I can do it without James’s say-so, but this one’s sensitive enough to make sure he’s with us. Fact, even if you can get to tomorrow’s meet on time, give it a pass. I want time to test the waters on this one, plus that gives us more time for Belinsky to track down his GRU buddy.”
“Speaking of Belinsky, I’ve got something else,” said Frank.
“Now what?”
“A package from Munair. Along with letting me know about the death threats. I took a quick look. A cassette from Khomeini with a note that says it just came by phone from Paris last night, but they’ve already started cranking out dupes by the dozens. Says it also indicates Khomeini has someone in the Shah’s inner circle. Khomeini somehow knows the Shah has made plans to leave but has called on the military to stage a coup and bring him back to rule with a strong military government supported by the Great Satan, us.”
“Jesus H. Christ,” said Rocky. “You’re more work than you’re worth. Draft another cable on the summary. I’ll go hunt down Belinsky. He may’ve been a stupid son of a bitch about this Aeroflot scam, but he’s a smart son of a bitch about a lot of other shit.”
Frank handed Rocky the cassette and Munair’s summary. “He says Khomeini also calls on the religious leaders to get the people to form revolutionary committees in all parts of the country and prepare them to take over all government functions once the Shah leaves.”
“Won’t that be wonderful,” said Rocky, “The Paris Tribunal comes to Tehran. Wonder if they got anybody knows how to build a guillotine. Kind of scary if Khomeini does have somebody inside the palace.”
“Hey, since it looks like Lermontov’s right and the Communistas h
ave a mole in Langley, why can’t the Khomeini-istas have a mole in the palace?”
“Fuck you,” said Rocky. “That is not funny.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The Jayface team sat in a semicircle in the waiting room dominated by the bust of the Shah’s father. Frank noticed that Munair again stared at him as intently as he had at their earliest meetings. Occasionally, he looked away and nodded. They’d waited nearly two hours before Kasravi, now wearing the star of a brigadier general, emerged from the Shah’s office.
“Gentlemen, my apologies. The Supreme Commander … His Imperial Majesty will see you shortly. First, however, Major Sullivan, could you come with me?”
Frank stood, feeling the eyes of the others, and followed General Kasravi. The Shah sat slumped in his oak chair. For a moment his head seemed shrunken, grotesque and gray, peering up at Frank from behind the huge desk, like the head of a turtle poking out of its shell.
“Ah, Frank.” He pushed himself up, took a deep breath, and straightened his shoulders. “Good of you to come. I have had a very difficult day. Please sit. General Kasravi, join us.”
Frank and Kasravi pulled up two of the several oak chairs arrayed around the desk. The Shah took another moment to gather himself. He had looked so much better at their last meeting only three days before that Frank worried about his condition. His first remarks sounded as though recited by rote.
“I know General Kasravi has already informed you that our various military commanders have prevailed on me to leave the country for a time. During my absence they will stage a coup against the Bakhtiar government. Then, they shall call on us to return.” Frank noticed the change from first person singular to the imperial “us.” The Shah’s voice took on strength and conviction and a tinge of bitterness. “All before the Great Ayatollah descends from the skies on the wings of his French angel. The military government our generals will install will have no direct ties to us or to any of our previous governments. When they have established firm control, they will invite our return.”
“As happened,” said Kasravi, “after Mosaddeq was overthrown.”
Frank did not want to risk the Shah’s anger, but he wondered how seriously he considered the possibility of a coup. “Do you think, sir, the Ayatollah’s following compares to Mosaddeq’s?”
The Peregrine Spy Page 44