Sidney Sheldon - Windmills Of The Gods

Stanton Rogers turned to the Secretary of State. “Do you have that list of candidates for the Remanian post?”

Floyd Baker took an envelope from a leather attaches case and handed it to Rogers. “These are our top prospects. They’re all career diplomats. Naturally,” he added, “the State Department favors a career diplomat rather than a political appointee. Someone who’s been trained for this kind of job. Remania is an extremely sensitive post.”

“I agree.” Stanton Rogers rose to his feet. “i’ll discuss these names with the President and get back to you.”

As the others got up to leaveNed Tillingast said, “Stay here, Pete. I want to talk to you.” When they were alone, Tillingast said, “You came on pretty strong, Pete.”

“But I’m right,” Pete Connors said stubbornly. “The President is trying to sell out the country. What are we supposed to do?”

“Keep your mouth shut, Pete. And be careful. Very careful.”

Ned Tillingast had been around longer than Pete Connors. He had been a member of Wild Bill Donovan’s OSS before it became the CIA. He too hated what the bleeding hearts in Congress were doing to the organization he loved. It had been Tillingast who had recruited Pete Connors out of college, and Connors had turned out to be one of the best. But in the last few years Connors had become a cowboy-a little too independent, a little too quick on the trigger. Dangerous.

“Pete, have you heard anything,about an underground organization calling itself Patriots for Freedom?” Tillingast asked.

Connors frowned. “No. Can’t say that I have. Who are they?”

“All I have is smoke. See if you can get a lead on them.”

“Will do.”

An hour later Pete Connors was making a phone call from a public booth. “I have a message for Odin,” he said.

“This is Odin,” General Oliver Brooks replied.

PAUL Ellison threw the list of candidates down on his desk. “They’re dinosaurs,” he snapped. “Every one of them.”

“Mr. President,” Rogers protested, “these people are all experienced career diplomats.”

“And hidebound by State Department tradition. You remember how we lost Remania three years ago? Our experienced career diplomat in Bucharest screwed up, and we were out in the cold. The pin-striped boys worry me.”

“But if you put an amateur in there, someone with no experience, you’re taking a big risk.”

“Maybe we need someone with a different kind of experience. Remania is going to be a test case, Stan.” He hesitated. “I’m not kidding myself. I know that there are a lot of powerful people who don’t want to see this work. If it fails, I’m going to get cut off at the knees. I don’t intend for that to happen.”

“I can check out some of our political appointees who-“

President Ellison shook his head. “Same problem. I want someone with a completely fresh point of view. Someone who can thaw the ice. The opposite of the ugly American.”

Stanton Rogers was studying the President, puzzled. “Mr. President, I get the impression that you already have someone in mind.”

“As a matter of fact,” Paul Ellison said slowly, “I think I have.”

“Who is he?”

“She. Did you happen to see Ide article in Foreign Affairs magazine called’Ddtente Now’?”

“Yes.”

“She wrote it. What did you think of it?”

“thought it was interesting. The author believes that we’re in a position to try to seduce the communist countries into coming into our camp by offering them economic and-” He broke off “It was a lot like your inaugural speech.”

“Only it was written six months earlier. She’s published brilliant articles in Commentary and Public Affairs. Last year I read a book of hers on Eastern European politics, and I must admit it helped clarify some of my ideas.”

“Okay. So she agrees with your theories. That’s no reason-“

“Stan, she went further than my theory. She outlined a detailed plan That’s brilliant. She wants to take the four major world economic pacts and combine them.”

“How can we-“

“It would take time, but it could be done. Look. You know that in 1949 the Eastern-bloc countries formed a pact for mutual economic assistance, called COMECON, and in 1958 the other European countries formed the EEC-the Common Market.”

“Right.”

“We have the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which includes the United States, some Western-bloc countries, and Yugoslavia. And don’t forget that the Third World countries have formed a nonaligned movement of their own.”

The Presiden’s voice was charged with excitement. “Think of the possibilities. If we could combine these plans and form one big marketplace, it could be awesome! It would mean real world trade. And it could bring peace.”

Stanton Rogers said cautiously, “It’s an interesting idea, but It’s a long way off. Do you know anything about this woman?”

“No. Except that she’s extremely bright and that we’re on the same wavelength. Her name is Mary Ashley. I want you to find out everything you can about her.”

Two days later President Ellison and Stanton Rogers breakfasted together.

“I got the information you asked for.” ]Rogers pulled a paper from his pocket. “Mary Elizabeth Ashley. Milford Road, junction City, Kansas. Age, almost thirty-five. Married to Dr. Edward Ashley. Two children: Beth, twelve, and Tim, ten. Assistant professor, Eastern European political science, Kansas State University. Grandfather born in Remania.” He looked up thoughtfully. “I must admit she sounds interesting.”

“I think so too. I’d like to have a full security check run on her.”

“I’ll see that It’s done.”

“I DISAGREE, Professor Ashley,” said Barry Dylan, one of the twelve graduate students in Mary Ashley’s political science seminar. “Alexandros lonescu is worse than CeauSSescu ever was.”

“Can you back up that statement?” Mary asked.

The waiting lists to get into Mary Ashley’s classes were longer than any other professor’s at Kansas State University. She was a superb teacher, with an easy sense of humor and a warmth that made being around her a pleasure. She had an oval face that changed from interesting to beautiful, depending on her mood. She had the high cheekbones of a model, and almond-shaped, hazel eyes. Her hair was dark and thick. She had a figure that made her female students envious and the males fantasize, yet she was unaware of how beautiful she was.

“Well,” said Barry, “Ionescu has cracked down hard on all the pro-Groza elements and reestablished a hard-line, pro-Soviet position. Even CeauSSescu wasn’t that bad.”

Another student spoke up. “Then why is President Ellison so anxious to establish diplomatic relations with him?”

“Because we want to woo him into the Western orbit. Also-” The bell sounded. The time was up.

Mary said, “Monday we’ll discuss the possible consequences of President Ellison’s plan to penetrate the Eastern bloc. Have a good weekend.”

Mary Ashley loved the give-and-take of her graduate seminar. Foreign names and places became real, and historical events took on flesh and blood. This was her fill year on the faculty at Kansas State, and teaching still excited her.

She especially enjoyed teaching about Remania. It had been her grandfather who had instilled in her a deep curiosity about his native land. He had told her romantic stories of Queen Marie

and baronesses and princesses; tales of Albert, the prince consort of England, and of Alexander II, Czar of Russia.

Somewhere in our background there is royal blood. If the revolution had not come, you would have been a princess.

She used to have dreams about it.