The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

as 'unfortunate and unforeseen' circumstances, part of which might be true, Ryan
thought as he read down the page – the Japanese had as many domestic political
problems as everyone else – but there was something else: they were going to
coordinate something in Mexico . . . something to do with the state visit of
their Prime Minister to Washington the coming February. Instead of buying
American farm goods, they were opting to buy them cheaper from Mexico, playing
that off against reduced tariff barriers into that country. That was the plan,
in any case. They weren't sure they could get the concession from Mexico, and
they were planning . . .
. . . a bribe?
'Jesus,' Ryan breathed. The Mexican Institutional Revolutional Party – PRI –
didn't exactly have an exemplary record for integrity, but this . . . ? It would
be handled in face-to-face talks in Mexico City. If they got the concession,
trading access to Mexican markets for opening Japan to Mexican foodstuffs, then
the amount of American foodstuffs they had committed to buy the previous
February would be reduced. It made good business sense. Japan would get food a
little cheaper than they could in America while at the same time opening up a
new market. Their excuse to American farmers would have to do with agricultural
chemicals that their food-and-drug agency would decide, much to everyone's
surprise, not to like for reasons of public health.
The bribe was fully in proportion to the magnitude of the target. Twenty-five
million dollars, to be paid in a roundabout, quasi-legal fashion. When the
Mexican president left office the following year, he would head a new
corporation that . . . no, they would buy out a corporation he already owned for
fair market value, and the new ownership would keep him on, while inflating the
value of the business and paying his impressive salary in return for his obvious
expertise at public relations.
'Nice separation,' Ryan said aloud. It was almost comical, and the funny part
was that it might even be legal in America, if someone hired a sharp enough
lawyer. Maybe not even that much. Plenty of people from State and Commerce had
hired themselves out to Japanese interests immediately after leaving government
service.
Except for one little thing: what Ryan held in his hand was evidence of
conspiracy. In one way they were foolish: the Japanese thought that some
counsels were sacrosanct, that some words spoken aloud would never be heard
outside the four enclosing walls that heard them. They didn't know that a
certain cabinet member had a certain mistress who in turn had a personal beef
that matched her ability to loosen a man's tongue; and that America now had
access to all that information, courtesy of a KGB officer . . .
'Think, boy.'
If they could get harder evidence, and give that over to Fowler . . . But how?
You couldn't exactly cite the report of a spy in court . . . a Russian national,
a KGB officer working in a third country.
But they weren't talking about an open court with rules of evidence, were they?
Fowler could discuss this in his own face-to-face meet with their PM.
Ryan's phone rang. 'Yes, Nancy?'
'The Director just called in. He's got the flu.'