“Then there was no reason to send these men back to us,” Petkoff said.
“Oh, no,” Malone said. “There was a very good reason. You see, we didn’t want them in our country, either.”
“But—”
“And when we found that they’d lied on their naturalization papers, why, naturally, we took immediate steps. The only steps we could take, as a matter of fact.”
“The only steps?” Petkoff said. “You could have preferred charges. This was not done. Why was it not done?”
“That,” Malone said, sidestepping neatly, “is a matter of governmental policy, Major Petkoff. And I can’t provide any final answer.”
“Ah?” Petkoff said.
“But, after all, a trial would not make sense,” Malone said, now busily attacking from the side. “You see, at first we thought they were espionage agents.”
“A foolish conclusion,” Petkoff said uneasily.
Malone nodded. “That’s what we finally realized,” he said. “We questioned them, but their stories were nonsense, absolute nonsense. Of course, we had no idea of what foreign government might have employed them.”