The Zhukov Briefing

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Extract from Top Secret file BMS/USSR Delta/Two/2713b… Planning memo, Operation Daisy Chain, Appendix 111, p. 7, para. 4:

The Laundry had been divided into two parts by means of a temporary screen erected by the ship’s staff. One third of the compartment was forward of the screen, two thirds aft. The forward portion contained a table and chairs for the interrogators, facing it the chair into which Krasnov was strapped. Brough was already at the interpreters’ table. The rest of the party were behind the screen in the after end where a quantity of electronic equipment had been set up. A small storeroom led off it on the port side aft.

McGhee was explaining: ‘Krasnov is wearing headphones and a strobe light mask in place of the hood. He can see and hear nothing except the audio and visual material we feed him. As far as he’s concerned he’s alone. Got it?’

‘Brough and Hamsov explained the technical side to us when we were in Bluewhale,’ said Liang Hui, rather in the manner of a schoolboy saying, ‘We’ve already done that, sir.’

‘That’s right.’ McGhee was not to be put off. ‘And I explained it to you scientific gentlemen while we were in Belligerent. All I propose now is a quick run-through to make sure we all know what’s happening.’

There were murmurs of assent.

‘It’s essential to this technique to impose nervous stress on the brain of the interrogatee in order to introduce the hypnoid and ultra-paradoxical phases. This is scientific jargon for what we call inducing a compliant state of mind. In other words making the interrogatee willing to talk and changing his mental attitude in such a way that he wants to co-operate. It used to take a long time — weeks perhaps. Now, with the aid of electronics and drugs, it can be done in a few hours. We’ve come a long way since Pavlov.’

‘What drugs?’ asked Li Liang Hui.

‘We only use them if we run into difficulties, like a high level of resistance. Then mostly LSD — sometimes Nembutal.’

McGhee pointed to the console at which Smithers was sitting wearing headphones. ‘Smithers is working on Krasnov now. He’ll keep it up until midnight. After that the interrogation begins. That console contains audio mixers, selectors, input, output, volume controls and gauges and a lot more I won’t bother you with.’ He pointed to the equipment around them: the battery of tape recorders and players, the stroboscopic light projectors and diffusers, the video projectors, the microphones, loud-speakers, earpieces and other listening devices, the multiplicity of leads feeding into and out of the console.

‘Smithers controls everything,’ continued McGhee. ‘Speech, sound effects, video, light effects, whatever he wants to feed to his patient.’ He looked at the scientists. ‘You’ll be linked up with the interrogators and the simultaneous translators. The first questions to go to Krasnov will be taped ones prepared in the Admiralty research establishments. You’ll get the English version simultaneously on tape. Then, as we go along, you’ll ask supplementary questions on the basis of Krasnov’s answers. The interrogators will hear your supplementaries, put them to him in Russian. And so it goes.’ McGhee paused, thought of something. ‘From time to time Smithers will feed Krasnov with Chinese chat about the interrogation — some of it taped — some of it extempore by the Liang Huis. Although Krasnov can’t speak Chinese we must maintain the impression that he’s in a Chinese ship.’

‘How is the severe nervous stress you talk of imposed?’ The question was Tanya’s. Her brother realized that she already knew the answer but her question was an indication of her state of mind. She was deeply disturbed.

‘Smithers is working on Krasnov’s audio and visual reflexes now. Feeding him strange sounds. Weird noises. You know. Alternating these with pleasant sounds. Bits of Beethoven. Girl singing. Lambs bleating. Bird song. Stuff like that.’

‘Horrible,’ whispered Tanya. ‘It’s calculated cruelty.’

‘Not really,’ said McGhee quite happily. ‘Not a patch on what they used to do. Remember the Spanish Inquisition. Now where was I? Ah, yes. With those sound effects, Smithers is feeding in light effects.’ He leant over the console, examined the instruments. ‘He’s pushing in stroboscopic light now. Krasnov is picking it up through the mask. It confuses the nervous system even when there’s a high level of resistance.’

‘Perhaps he closes his eyes?’ suggested Curtis.

‘He certainly does. But it makes very little difference. That’s what the mask is for. It amplifies the light impulses. The intensity is too great. Now these lights. Very interesting. They’re ultra high frequency. Varying rhythms, variety of colours and patterns. Get the right frequency, rhythm and colour changes and you destroy reality. Fantasy takes over. Very clever.’

‘Fiendishly,’ said Curtis. He was suffering from a painful dichotomy. There was a great deal he wanted to learn from the Soviet lieutenant about the Zhukov’s missile systems but, compassionate and gentle, he was revolted by the methods used.

‘I suppose you could say,’ continued McGhee, ‘that Krasnov’s nervous system, his audio and visual perceptions, are now under attack — being broken down. Smithers judges the patient’s reflexes by feeding in straightforward questions at odd intervals. If the strains to which the patient is subjected become too severe, Smithers eases up.’

‘Very considerate of him,’ said Curtis dryly.

‘The object is to induce a state of nervous breakdown in order to obtain co-operation — or compliance if you like. At the same time the technique induces partial hypnosis. When these objectives have been achieved the interrogatee is usually ready to assist. Got the idea?’

‘Yes — and I think it’s perfectly bloody,’ said Tanya. ‘Cruel. Barbaric.’

McGhee smiled indulgently. ‘Don’t worry your head about that, Tanya. It’s no more cruel than the shock treatment given regularly in psychiatric therapy. And we permit that for people we love.’ McGhee spoke with more feeling than his audience appreciated. He had a schizophrenic daughter undergoing treatment in an institution in the south of England.

‘How do you know if his answers are truthful?’ asked Grogan.

‘Smithers has a lie-detector feed into the console. He alerts the interrogators if necessary. It helps. In this instance the scientists will probably know if he’s lying on technical subjects. No system is perfect. Ours is based on the latest neurological and psychiatric techniques. The desire to lie is removed. It doesn’t often fail.’

‘Is there any permanent damage — I mean to Krasnov.’ It was evident that Tanya was not likely to be counted among McGhee’s admirers.

‘No,’ said McGhee. ‘Nothing permanent. Unless it’s damage to his conscience. We can’t do anything about that.’

‘I’m sure you can’t.’ Her eyes flashed.

‘Look,’ said McGhee, with a trace of irritation. ‘I’m not pretending interrogation is humane. Of course it’s not. This isn’t a vicar’s tea party. You know that. You’ve done the resistance course. You may be subject to interrogation yourself. It’s an occupational hazard.’

The course convinced me I wouldn’t be a very good resister.’

McGhee saw her quick glance at the ring she was wearing, a stainless steel hexagon. ‘What’s in that?’ he asked.

‘Something,’ she smiled sadly. ‘Better than betrayal.’

McGhee looked at her curiously. Only his wife would have recognized the slight twitching at the corners of his mouth as sympathy. ‘It’s a way out.’ He shrugged his shoulders, seemed about to say something, looked embarrassed, then went back to his subject. ‘Yes. Interrogation is unpleasant. Certainly humiliating. But the end justifies the means. We live in a tooth and claw jungle this end of the twentieth century. Krasnov possesses knowledge which can help us survive. We intend to get it.’ His steely grey eyes outstared hers and she realized for the first time that he was not only a strong man but a very frightening one.

‘Well, he was a tougher proposition than we thought.’ McGhee, wheezing from a climb up several companion-ladders, wiped his face with a large silk handkerchief, leant back in the easy chair, unbuttoned his waistcoat and lit a cigarette. ‘Doesn’t do himself badly for accommodation, does he?’ He looked with approval round the captain’s day cabin.

‘For how long have we got it?’ asked Wilson.

‘He’ll be on the bridge for the next couple of hours. We’re okay until noon.’

Wilson yawned, shook his head, looked at his watch. ‘Good heavens! Nearly ten hours of it. Exhausted me. Goodness knows what it’s done to Krasnov.’

‘He’s sleeping. On a stretcher in that small storeroom at the after end of the laundry. They’ve locked him in,’ said McGhee. ‘He’ll need time to sleep off the LSD and a bit of shock.’

‘The Liang Huis still down there?’ said Wilson.

‘Yes. Until we land him tonight they’re the only people he’ll see or hear.’

‘Have they discussed the landing with him?’

‘Not yet. They will. When he’s had a good sleep and his mind is clear.’

Curtis was on the settee, feet stretched out, ample stomach bulging over his belt line, pink flesh peeping through a taut shirt. ‘I hated every minute of it. Absolutely loathsome. Glad I’m a scientist and not…’ He stopped short, pulled up by McGhee’s stare. ‘Sorry,’ he went on. ‘I know it’s your job.’

‘Somebody has to do it,’ said McGhee. ‘Warm in here, isn’t it?’

‘It’s the heater,’ said Grogan. ‘Shouldn’t have thought it necessary with air-conditioning.’

‘Nice and homely,’ said McGhee. ‘Nothing like the glow of artificial coal.’

‘He’s a tough young man.’ Wilson clasped his hands behind his head. ‘Took Smithers a long time to introduce… what was it you called it, McGhee?’

‘State of compliance?’ suggested McGhee, sticking his thumbs in his belt.

‘Yes, that’s it. He was anything but compliant at the start.’

‘Interesting,’ said Grogan. ‘Did you notice when the break came?’

‘The threats?’ Curtis shivered. ‘Ugh!’

‘No. It was after that. When Brough put in that bit about the futility of war. How the only way to avoid it was to share technological progress. Don’t let one side become dominant because that’s an invitation to armed conflict. Maintain the balance. He used the joint space programme rather well, I thought. After that Krasnov began to co-operate.’

‘There were a lot of other things at work,’ said McGhee dryly. ‘He was going to co-operate anyway.’

‘Incredibly slow start’Wilson yawned. ‘I thought we’d never get going.’

‘Smithers, Brough and Hamsov are a good team.’ McGhee said it with the pride of a parent.

‘It’s not pleasant to watch,’ said Grogan. ‘But I must say it works.’

He went on, ‘I suppose the price in moral terms is high. But that interrogation may have saved the West five years of research. Even then we might not have got on to the drone.’

‘Fortunate for us the Zhukov got on to those rocks,’ parodied Wilson. ‘We knew the USSR had moved ahead in submarine missilry but we were thinking in terms of MARV, range, megatonnage. That sort of thing.’

‘You mean you hadn’t thought up anything like the secondary missile system?’ suggested McGhee.

Curtis said, ‘We’d thought of it. But we haven’t got very far with it. Too many snags. They’ve got it. A remarkable achievement. That and the drone give their BM and fleet submarines an offensive capacity well in advance of anything in the West. When their construction programme is completed they’ll not only have the edge in terms of nuclear exchange but superiority in conventional naval warfare.’

Wilson said, ‘They must have got a long way with AC super-conductors.’

‘In marine application — yes,’ Grogan agreed with some reluctance. ‘But the Japanese are already operating a test locomotive on super-conductors at 400 m.p.h. We know the technology of course, but there are problems of application, particularly with marine motors. They’ve overcome them. We haven’t.’

‘What’s the big advantage of the super-conductivity motor?’ asked McGhee.

‘A power-weight ratio ten times better than anything else around. It’s as simple as that.’

McGhee leant back in the chair puffing happily at his pipe, hands clasped behind his head. ‘So the Krasnov interrogation wav worthwhile?’

Grogan regarded him thoughtfully. ‘As a scientist I don’t care much for purple passages, but I think it would be no exaggeration to say that this has been one of the most important intelligence operations conducted by the West since the nuclear arms race began.’

‘Yes. And at what a price,’ Curtis grimaced. ‘Reduces us to the moral level of thugs, child rapists, Gestapo sadists, anything foul you care to think of. God! To think I’ve been involved in that.’

‘It would do you good to be in on an interrogation session in Lubianka Prison.’ McGhee stared at Curtis through a haze of cigarette smoke, shook his head sadly and changed the subject. ‘We’ve got the whole thing on tapes but I won’t be releasing them in their present form. Anyway I doubt if you’d be able to use them as they are. A lot of editing is involved. We’ll do that at Special Branch. Cut out the interrogation by-play. But you’ll get the essential detailed questions and answers.’ He took a miniaturized transistor recorder from a coat pocket, put it on the table in front of Wilson. ‘You’d better get on with the summary. The principal facts. That’s what we’re here for.’

Wilson said, ‘I hadn’t forgotten. Just taking a breather.’ There was a knock on the cabin door.

‘Come in,’ called McGhee. It was the captain’s steward with coffee and sandwiches.

‘Marvellous,’ said Curtis. ‘Best thing we’ve seen for a long time.’

The steward put the tray on the table, began to arrange the cups. ‘Don’t worry,’ said McGhee. ‘We’ll manage.’

When the steward had gone McGhee locked the door. Wilson picked up the recorder, slid the control to ‘speak’, counted aloud to ten, played it back and adjusted for volume. ‘Put me right as I go, if you don’t agree.’

He began to dictate.