"International Trade and Industry. Japan's 'War Department' for trade."
"Yeah? Go on."
"Listen. All Noda's talk about helping American industry? Of course it's bullshit. But I think it's just half the bullshit. What we suspect is, he's buying a little of everything so nobody will figure out their real agenda."
"You'd better back up and take this from the beginning."
"Wait a minute." Tam got up and started the turntable. Mendelssohn was still on the platter. Maybe we were taking too many precautions, but she still nursed the idea we might be bugged.
With the music cranked up to "8," we proceeded to give Jack a quick summary of how the stack of memos on the table had come into our hands. In a way, though, they raised as many questions as they answered.
"Jack, nothing here is spelled out in detail. We have to take everything and sort of rotate it by ninety degrees to see how Noda fits in." I walked over to the table. "Tam, where's your translation of that one by what's-his-name . . . Ikeda?"
"Right here." She handed it to me.
"Here, Jack, start with this. Just to get up to speed on the background."
He fumbled in his pocket, retrieved his bifocals, and began to read the yellow sheet.