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Sunday, January 24
Washington, D.C.
"Does he know what he's saying?" Henry Kennedy said doubtfully.
"I think so, and I also think it's a brilliant way to put a huge dent in the Japanese monopoly on integrated circuits." Marvin Jacobs had an office installed not two doors from Kennedy's in the subterranean mazes beneath the White House lawn.
"He can't blame the Japanese for everything."
"Don't you see? He's not? All he's saying is that OSO did it, and he's letting the Japanese national guilt by association take its course." Jacobs seemed pleased. "Mason's chippers will cast a shadow of doubt on everything electronic made in Japan. If it has OSO's name on it, it'll be taboo. Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Matsushita . . .all the big Nippon names will be tarnished for years."
"And you actually want this to happen?" asked Henry.
"I didn't say that," Marvin said slithering away from a policy opinion. "Hey, what are you complaining about? Mason gave us the article like you wanted, didn't he?"
"I told you there were other ways," Kennedy shot back.
"Well, for your information, there's a little more that he didn't tell us about," said Jacobs haughtily.