"Very well," said Blake. "Russia—"
"There," said the President. "That's more like it."
Blake cleared his throat and went on.
"We know the weak spot in the Russian armor is the mentality of the average Communist official," he explained, while the Secretary, who had heard this all before, fiddled with the straps of Teddy's parachute and hummed softly to himself. "They have a distrust complex. Everything and everybody is under 24-hour-a-day suspicion."
"Yes, so I hear," said the President.
"What do you suppose would happen to an agent that was caught by the Russians?" asked Blake.
"I'd rather not even think about that."
"Not the sadistic details, sir. I mean the general train of events, from the time of capture onward."
The President pondered this. "After his capture," he said thoughtfully, "he would be questioned. Through various methods—hopelessly at variance with the regulations of the Geneva Convention—they would discover his mission, and then he would be shot, I guess, or imprisoned."
Blake nodded grimly. "And what if an agent landed there that could not divulge his mission?"