The Run Around

Chapter Forty

There was a table at the side of Mordechai Cohen’s office, with newspapers and magazines in several languages heaped upon it, disordered where they had been read and discarded.

‘Have you seen them!’ demanded the Israeli Foreign Minister.

‘Nearly all,’ said Levy. He guessed it was politics time.

Cohen picked up one at random, France Soir, and said: ‘Look at that headline! The Shambles of Israeli Security.’ The man snatched up another, the current edition of Newsweek. ‘The Slaughter that Could and Should have been Avoided,’ he read aloud.

‘It’s very bad,’ conceded Levy, going along with the charade.

‘Do you know how bad?’ asked Cohen, rhetorically. ‘At best we’re being made to look an incompetent laughing-stock. At worst there are private demands being made from the American State Department for a full explanation. According to our Washington embassy a lot of Congressmen are openly doubting that it was a mistake at all. There’s a groundswell growing to block any further aid. At this morning’s Cabinet meeting the conclusion was that the whole thing has backfired. Disastrously.’

‘I’m very sorry,’ said the intelligence chief.

‘Are you sure it was the Englishman?’

‘It has to be,’ said Levy. ‘I gave him the phoney biography.’

‘Why!’

‘To deflect him,’ said Levy. ‘I wanted to bury him in paper.’

‘Why didn’t you get the damned thing back!’

‘I never thought he’d use it; certainly not like this,’ admitted Levy. Sadly he remembered: ‘And he said I’d made him look a fool.’

‘Now it’s been reversed,’ said the Foreign Minister. Pointedly he added: ‘In your case, publicly.’

‘Yes,’ accepted Levy, tightly.

‘Has there been any count of the number of times you have been openly named?’

‘Quite a lot,’ said Levy. ‘About thirty, worldwide.’

‘Israeli intelligence personnel are expected always to remain anonymous.’

Levy did not reply.

Cohen said: ‘I’m sorry.’

Still Levy did not speak.

‘The Cabinet meeting also decided that a gesture was necessary beyond the formal expression of regret,’ disclosed the Foreign Minister. ‘Something to placate the Americans.’ Cohen paused and said: ‘I know it was my instruction but if I go it will be confirmation that there was prior government awareness: make everything worse rather than better.’

At last Levy responded. He said: ‘I would like it to be a resignation, not a dismissal.’

‘Of course,’ accepted the Foreign Minister.

‘Thank you,’ said Levy.

‘I really am sorry,’ said Cohen.

‘When?’

‘Immediately.’

‘Ironic, isn’t it?’ said Levy. ‘Charlie Muffin actually called me the bastard!’