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As we taxied along the runway I had the odd
thought that maybe I had been dreaming. Perhaps I had
snoozed away the whole of a perfectly normal
flight. It was hard to believe otherb wise as the
pilot manoeuvred the plane into its final resting
spot.
There was an unconscionably long delay before
steps appeared and the rear door was opened. We stood
up, collected our belongings, and waited in the
aisle in precisely the usual fashion. The people
ahead began to move slowly. A minute later I
was in the open air. We were shepherded by a girl into a
waiting bus. There was another delay and then the crew
joined
I expected to be taken to the usual assembly
hall, or waiting hall, or whatever they called
it, prior to immigration and customs. But the bus
came to a gate that led off the airfield. The gate
was opened. While we were halted two policemen
got in. Away over on my right, in the distance, I
had the impression of an airport crowded
with thousands on thousands of people. It was as if they were
waiting there, in the hope of seeing planes coming in
to land. Soon we were at a traffic light that led out
on to the highway. Then we were speeding into London.
Here too, as in Honolulu, there was very little
traffic. It was a fair guess that we had been
brought this way to avoid the crowds, perhaps to avoid
reporters and television cameras. Quite evidently,
I had not been dreaming.
7 Adagio
We were taken to what was obviously the headquarters
of some intelligence unit. Men in uniform, men in
civilian clothes, were walking around in a strained,
taut way. The American officers were quickly
separated from the rest of us. In fact only John
and myself and the Australian crew were in civvies.
We were shown into rough sleeping quarters. John
took this without comment. With a grin he said to me,
"They'll soon change their tune."
The following morning, after an unappetizing
breakfast, two officers came looking for John.
They asked him to follow them, or more politely to go
with them. John insisted I should go along too. They
were doubtful, but once he had told them I knew as
much about the business as he did -- a
gross exaggeration -- they made no further
objections. We were taken to a waiting car. In the
front, beside the chauffeur, was a fellow whom I
took to be a plain-clothes officer of some species
or other.
The car headed out int6 west London. It kept
on into the country for an hour or thereabouts. At last
we turned in at the gates of a pretty flossy
place. The house was vaguely familiar.
'Chequers," grinned John. "I told you
they'd change their tune."
We were received courteously by the Prime Minister
himself. There were a number of other guests, quite a mob
of them. The Prime Minister introduced us round.
There was the Foreign Secretary, the Chancellor, the
Minister of Defence, the Chief of Staff, and about
half a dozen other high-ranking service officers.
They were drinking sherry. A glass of the stuff was
pressed into our hands.
lohn explained my presence by saying I had been
making a complete record of everything that had
happened. This seemed to please everybody, as if a
record is equivalent to an explanation. I also
noticed how easy it is for a scribe to get himself
into even the most intimate conference. It comes
I
supposed from the laziness to which all flesh is
prey. I also noticed the heavy preponderance of the
military. It struck me wryly that whenever the
unusual happens the stock of the military always
seems to rise.
Before lunch John gave an excellent and
precise account of what had happened in
California, in Hawaii, and on the flight back
across America. His narrative was put together so
concisely and with such logical consistency that his audience
listened without comment or question until it was finished. Then
everybody waited for the Prime Minister to comment:
"Obviously you've been thinking of explanations
for all this. You've given us the facts. But what do
they mean?"'
"It's too early to say, sir. It's common
dictum to believe among lawyers that one must wait
for all the evidence to be in before forming an opinion.
I've been waiting for all the facts. You must have
an awful lot of things we don't know anything
about."
"We've got plenty of facts, but I don't
mind telling you we haven't the slightest
idea what they mean. You've given us a pretty
succinct account of the American situation. Here's
what's happened to us. As tar as we can make out
everything is quite normal in Britain. From the
American mainland we've had absolutely nothing,
which doesn't surprise me in view of what you've
just said. From Europe too there's been a blackout
except in the last few hours."
"When did the blackout start?"'
"Oh, nearly two days ago."
"At I0.37 p.m."
One of the officers had consulted a notebook. I
felt there must be something wrong here. John was looking
puzzled:
@u "That's only about thirty-six hours. It
happened four days ago with us."
It was their turn to look surprised.
"You mean you lost contact with the American mainland
four days ago?"' asked the Chancellor.
We both affirmed that this was so.
"Very strange, very strange."
The Prime Minister was drumming his fingertips on
the table.
John went on, "That's another interesting
fact. You were talking about Europe,
what's going on there?"'
"We don't know." This from the Minister of
Defence. "You mean it's just as blank as the
American mainland?"'
"No, it isn't. We've been getting
wireless messages but they're strange in every
conceivable respect."
"Why haven't you sent planes over?"' I
broke in.
The Prime Minister looked at me for a few
seconds. I saw his eyes were dark and troubled.
"Of course we sent planes over. They never
returned."
On this new and sombre note we sat down
to lunch. A short menu had been typed. I was
engrossed in my own thoughts, hardly listening to the
discussion, significant as it might be. Idly
I looked at the menu. It was dated September the
19th. Of course it must be a mistake. I
waited until there was a lull in the talk and then
asked, feeling very foolish, whether the date on the
menu was right. The triviality of the question riveted
everybody.8ness attention. A few seconds went
by in which I had the impression they were all
ticking off the days in their minds. Then someone said,
'I think it's right." Another added, "Of course
it's right." The Prime Minister looked at me and
asked, simply, "Why ?"'
"Because according to my reckoning it should be somewhere in the
middle of August. I think the 13th, certainly
within a day or two of that. What's your reckoning,
John?"'
"Somewhere about that, within a day or two. I've
been so heavily occupied that I've really lost
precise contact. Yet there isn't the slightest
doubt we're still in August. At least Dick and
I are in August."
At this very dramatic point the girl serving the
food whispered something to the Prime Minister. He
nodded and she went away. A moment later a young
lieutenant in uniform appeared. He whnt to the
Chief of Staff, stood behind his chair as if to serve
some dish, saluted, and handed him an envelope. The
Chief of Staff turned and said, "Thank you. You
can wait outside."
Everybody watched the envelope being slit open
very. precisely with a knife. I would have ripped it
open with thumb and finger myself. We watched the Chief
of Staff reading with growing astonishment. Then [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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As we taxied along the runway I had the odd
thought that maybe I had been dreaming. Perhaps I had
snoozed away the whole of a perfectly normal
flight. It was hard to believe otherb wise as the
pilot manoeuvred the plane into its final resting
spot.
There was an unconscionably long delay before
steps appeared and the rear door was opened. We stood
up, collected our belongings, and waited in the
aisle in precisely the usual fashion. The people
ahead began to move slowly. A minute later I
was in the open air. We were shepherded by a girl into a
waiting bus. There was another delay and then the crew
joined
I expected to be taken to the usual assembly
hall, or waiting hall, or whatever they called
it, prior to immigration and customs. But the bus
came to a gate that led off the airfield. The gate
was opened. While we were halted two policemen
got in. Away over on my right, in the distance, I
had the impression of an airport crowded
with thousands on thousands of people. It was as if they were
waiting there, in the hope of seeing planes coming in
to land. Soon we were at a traffic light that led out
on to the highway. Then we were speeding into London.
Here too, as in Honolulu, there was very little
traffic. It was a fair guess that we had been
brought this way to avoid the crowds, perhaps to avoid
reporters and television cameras. Quite evidently,
I had not been dreaming.
7 Adagio
We were taken to what was obviously the headquarters
of some intelligence unit. Men in uniform, men in
civilian clothes, were walking around in a strained,
taut way. The American officers were quickly
separated from the rest of us. In fact only John
and myself and the Australian crew were in civvies.
We were shown into rough sleeping quarters. John
took this without comment. With a grin he said to me,
"They'll soon change their tune."
The following morning, after an unappetizing
breakfast, two officers came looking for John.
They asked him to follow them, or more politely to go
with them. John insisted I should go along too. They
were doubtful, but once he had told them I knew as
much about the business as he did -- a
gross exaggeration -- they made no further
objections. We were taken to a waiting car. In the
front, beside the chauffeur, was a fellow whom I
took to be a plain-clothes officer of some species
or other.
The car headed out int6 west London. It kept
on into the country for an hour or thereabouts. At last
we turned in at the gates of a pretty flossy
place. The house was vaguely familiar.
'Chequers," grinned John. "I told you
they'd change their tune."
We were received courteously by the Prime Minister
himself. There were a number of other guests, quite a mob
of them. The Prime Minister introduced us round.
There was the Foreign Secretary, the Chancellor, the
Minister of Defence, the Chief of Staff, and about
half a dozen other high-ranking service officers.
They were drinking sherry. A glass of the stuff was
pressed into our hands.
lohn explained my presence by saying I had been
making a complete record of everything that had
happened. This seemed to please everybody, as if a
record is equivalent to an explanation. I also
noticed how easy it is for a scribe to get himself
into even the most intimate conference. It comes
I
supposed from the laziness to which all flesh is
prey. I also noticed the heavy preponderance of the
military. It struck me wryly that whenever the
unusual happens the stock of the military always
seems to rise.
Before lunch John gave an excellent and
precise account of what had happened in
California, in Hawaii, and on the flight back
across America. His narrative was put together so
concisely and with such logical consistency that his audience
listened without comment or question until it was finished. Then
everybody waited for the Prime Minister to comment:
"Obviously you've been thinking of explanations
for all this. You've given us the facts. But what do
they mean?"'
"It's too early to say, sir. It's common
dictum to believe among lawyers that one must wait
for all the evidence to be in before forming an opinion.
I've been waiting for all the facts. You must have
an awful lot of things we don't know anything
about."
"We've got plenty of facts, but I don't
mind telling you we haven't the slightest
idea what they mean. You've given us a pretty
succinct account of the American situation. Here's
what's happened to us. As tar as we can make out
everything is quite normal in Britain. From the
American mainland we've had absolutely nothing,
which doesn't surprise me in view of what you've
just said. From Europe too there's been a blackout
except in the last few hours."
"When did the blackout start?"'
"Oh, nearly two days ago."
"At I0.37 p.m."
One of the officers had consulted a notebook. I
felt there must be something wrong here. John was looking
puzzled:
@u "That's only about thirty-six hours. It
happened four days ago with us."
It was their turn to look surprised.
"You mean you lost contact with the American mainland
four days ago?"' asked the Chancellor.
We both affirmed that this was so.
"Very strange, very strange."
The Prime Minister was drumming his fingertips on
the table.
John went on, "That's another interesting
fact. You were talking about Europe,
what's going on there?"'
"We don't know." This from the Minister of
Defence. "You mean it's just as blank as the
American mainland?"'
"No, it isn't. We've been getting
wireless messages but they're strange in every
conceivable respect."
"Why haven't you sent planes over?"' I
broke in.
The Prime Minister looked at me for a few
seconds. I saw his eyes were dark and troubled.
"Of course we sent planes over. They never
returned."
On this new and sombre note we sat down
to lunch. A short menu had been typed. I was
engrossed in my own thoughts, hardly listening to the
discussion, significant as it might be. Idly
I looked at the menu. It was dated September the
19th. Of course it must be a mistake. I
waited until there was a lull in the talk and then
asked, feeling very foolish, whether the date on the
menu was right. The triviality of the question riveted
everybody.8ness attention. A few seconds went
by in which I had the impression they were all
ticking off the days in their minds. Then someone said,
'I think it's right." Another added, "Of course
it's right." The Prime Minister looked at me and
asked, simply, "Why ?"'
"Because according to my reckoning it should be somewhere in the
middle of August. I think the 13th, certainly
within a day or two of that. What's your reckoning,
John?"'
"Somewhere about that, within a day or two. I've
been so heavily occupied that I've really lost
precise contact. Yet there isn't the slightest
doubt we're still in August. At least Dick and
I are in August."
At this very dramatic point the girl serving the
food whispered something to the Prime Minister. He
nodded and she went away. A moment later a young
lieutenant in uniform appeared. He whnt to the
Chief of Staff, stood behind his chair as if to serve
some dish, saluted, and handed him an envelope. The
Chief of Staff turned and said, "Thank you. You
can wait outside."
Everybody watched the envelope being slit open
very. precisely with a knife. I would have ripped it
open with thumb and finger myself. We watched the Chief
of Staff reading with growing astonishment. Then [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]