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Authors: John Maddox Roberts, Eric Kotani
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aren't so bad as a people. Not much different from Estonians or Americans. I got along well with most of my colleagues. Dr. Tarkovsky is a splendid man, very warm and humorous as well as brilliant and learned."
"And how do Americans stack up against Russians in your estimation?" Sam asked.
"I have been here only a short time," she said, evasively, "I have seen very little of America."
"Still," he persisted, "you must have some kind of feeling."
There he was with the "gut feelings" again. "All right, since you are so curious. From what I have seen so far, most Americans seem to be more superficial, less serious minded than most Russians I have known. They seem more concerned with their immediate surroundings and problems, and less aware of the world at large."
"Go on," Sam encouraged.
She lit another cigarette, trying to find words to express her thoughts. "For instance," she said at last, "suppose you were to ask the average Russian why Estonia is part of the Soviet Union. He would tell you that all the Baltic nations joined of their own accord, because they wished to become a part of the family of Socialist Republics. He would say this because that is what he has been taught. But if you asked an American, I doubt if one in ten would even know where or what Estonia is."
"Probably not one in a hundred," Sam admitted. He looked at his wristwatch. "It's about two o'clock. There's one more expert on the Soviet space program I want to interview this afternoon."
"Who might that be?"
"You. Think you could give me an executive summary on what you know about the program?"
"I'm not sure," she said cautiously. "What is an executive summary?"
"It means a concise summary prepared for a busy executive who hasn't got the time nor the technical expertise to cope with a full report. The kind of report we just got from Novak."
"All right. On one condition."
"Name it."
"Please, no interrogation room. Even if you call it a debriefing room, I want no more of them."
"Any suggestions?" he asked.
"How about my hotel room? It's not luxurious, but it's adequate. Besides, all my papers and notes are there."
"You're on."
CHAPTER FIVE
BALTIMORE
In the week following their briefing from Novak, Sam and Laine, using introductions provided by Ken Bridges, visited a few cometary astronomers in the area to learn all they could on the state of research on comets. They spent an afternoon with a NASA official who described the principles of ion drive. Laine was still having difficulty with American colloquialisms, but she was at home with the technical discussions where Sam was utterly lost. They made a complementary pair. By the time the colloquium opened on Monday the following week, Sam and Laine felt prepared for it, if not individually, then at least as a team.
Sam's worries about the Soviet scientists' catching on to their investigation proved to be needless. None of the leading experts showed up. Tarkovksy had been scheduled to deliver an invited talk entitled: "Tunguska Phenomenon: A Quantitative Analysis." He sent a telegram to cancel his attendance, citing poor health as an excuse. A sudden cancellation of Soviet participation was nothing new to the scientific community and the meeting opened as scheduled, although some participants had been looking forward to Tarkovsky's invited talk at the colloquium banquet.
"In a way I'm relieved," Laine admitted. "It could be embarrassing, confronting a former colleague after defecting. What would I say to him?"
They attended several of the readings. Some of the speakers presented their work succinctly and interestingly, but others required perseverance to sit through. Laine had a greater tolerance owing lo experience and training, but even she began to grow glassy-eyed by the end of the first day.
On the second day of the colloquium, after the traditional banquet, Professor Dr. Ehlers, of the University of Hamburg, chairman of the scientific organizing committee, called a special meeting
"And how do Americans stack up against Russians in your estimation?" Sam asked.
"I have been here only a short time," she said, evasively, "I have seen very little of America."
"Still," he persisted, "you must have some kind of feeling."
There he was with the "gut feelings" again. "All right, since you are so curious. From what I have seen so far, most Americans seem to be more superficial, less serious minded than most Russians I have known. They seem more concerned with their immediate surroundings and problems, and less aware of the world at large."
"Go on," Sam encouraged.
She lit another cigarette, trying to find words to express her thoughts. "For instance," she said at last, "suppose you were to ask the average Russian why Estonia is part of the Soviet Union. He would tell you that all the Baltic nations joined of their own accord, because they wished to become a part of the family of Socialist Republics. He would say this because that is what he has been taught. But if you asked an American, I doubt if one in ten would even know where or what Estonia is."
"Probably not one in a hundred," Sam admitted. He looked at his wristwatch. "It's about two o'clock. There's one more expert on the Soviet space program I want to interview this afternoon."
"Who might that be?"
"You. Think you could give me an executive summary on what you know about the program?"
"I'm not sure," she said cautiously. "What is an executive summary?"
"It means a concise summary prepared for a busy executive who hasn't got the time nor the technical expertise to cope with a full report. The kind of report we just got from Novak."
"All right. On one condition."
"Name it."
"Please, no interrogation room. Even if you call it a debriefing room, I want no more of them."
"Any suggestions?" he asked.
"How about my hotel room? It's not luxurious, but it's adequate. Besides, all my papers and notes are there."
"You're on."
CHAPTER FIVE
BALTIMORE
In the week following their briefing from Novak, Sam and Laine, using introductions provided by Ken Bridges, visited a few cometary astronomers in the area to learn all they could on the state of research on comets. They spent an afternoon with a NASA official who described the principles of ion drive. Laine was still having difficulty with American colloquialisms, but she was at home with the technical discussions where Sam was utterly lost. They made a complementary pair. By the time the colloquium opened on Monday the following week, Sam and Laine felt prepared for it, if not individually, then at least as a team.
Sam's worries about the Soviet scientists' catching on to their investigation proved to be needless. None of the leading experts showed up. Tarkovksy had been scheduled to deliver an invited talk entitled: "Tunguska Phenomenon: A Quantitative Analysis." He sent a telegram to cancel his attendance, citing poor health as an excuse. A sudden cancellation of Soviet participation was nothing new to the scientific community and the meeting opened as scheduled, although some participants had been looking forward to Tarkovsky's invited talk at the colloquium banquet.
"In a way I'm relieved," Laine admitted. "It could be embarrassing, confronting a former colleague after defecting. What would I say to him?"
They attended several of the readings. Some of the speakers presented their work succinctly and interestingly, but others required perseverance to sit through. Laine had a greater tolerance owing lo experience and training, but even she began to grow glassy-eyed by the end of the first day.
On the second day of the colloquium, after the traditional banquet, Professor Dr. Ehlers, of the University of Hamburg, chairman of the scientific organizing committee, called a special meeting
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