The operator said, "The Premier was busy on the phone—not taking any calls, but it seems he was trying to get through to you. May I connect him, sir?"
"By all means."
The normally harsh voice of the Russian Premier was oddly quiet and pensive. "Mr. President?"
"Mr. Premier. I was trying to get through to you."
"They told me. How—how are things there? How are your people taking it in the United States?"
"Very well. They are stunned, naturally, and I'm sure quite a few of them don't believe it. It will take a little time."
The Russian Premier chuckled with a note of wistfulness. "That's exactly what they will have—very little time."
"And your people—?"
"We haven't told them. We thought it best."
The President sighed. "We stick to our ideologies to the very end, don't we?"