in three separate murders, though as yet no one had gathered sufficient evidence to try him.
Smith turned at the sound of voices in the corridor behind him. An armed guard entered first, followed by a tall suntanned young man wearing shackles on his hands. Smith registered a lean, angular face and piercing black eyes, then Jonas Stern was past him and moving toward the officers who waited at the front of the room. Stern carried what appeared to be an oilcloth-wrapped package under one arm. Last through the door was a shorter man wearing the light khaki uniform and crimson sunburn of a British officer serving in the Middle East. Smith followed the group up the aisle and took a seat at the side of the room, where he could see more clearly.
The senior officer, General John Little, addressed the sunburned Englishman. “Captain Owen?”
“Yes, sir. I’m terribly sorry we’re late. We’d have been here yesterday if it weren’t for the U-boats.”
General Little looked down his nose at Owen. “Well,you’re here now. Let’s begin. Is this the notorious Mr. Stern?”
“Yes, sir. Er . . . I wonder if it might be possible for me to remove his handcuffs now?”
A florid-faced major seated to the general’s right said, “Not just yet, Captain. He is a wanted fugitive, after all.”
Duff Smith focused on the man who had spoken, a staff intelligence major of rather modest achievements.
“I am Major Dickson,” the man went on. “You’ve got a lot of cheek coming into this building. In case you don’t know, you’re the leading suspect in a rash of Arab house-bombings around Jerusalem, thefts of British lend-lease arms, not to mention the murder of a British military policeman in Jerusalem in 1942. The only reason we agreed to see you is that you saved Captain Owen’s life at Tobruk. You probably don’t know, but Captain Owen’s father had quite a distinguished career in the Welsh Guards.”
Jonas Stern said nothing.
“Captain Owen tells us you’ve got some daring plan for single-handedly winning the war in Europe. Is that right?”
“No.”
“It’s a bloody good thing,” Dickson snapped. “I should think Monty can handle the invasion without any help from the likes of you!”
“Hear, hear,” chimed the other major, who was seated on General Little’s left.
Stern took a deep breath. “I’d like to state for the record that the officers that I requested be here are not present.”
Major Dickson’s face went completely scarlet. “If you think Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris has nothing better to do than listen to the ranting of a bloody Zionist terrorist—”
“Clive,” General Little interrupted. “Mr. Stern, we have gathered here at some considerable inconvenience to hear what you have to say. You would do well to get on with it.”
Brigadier Smith watched the young Jew try awkwardly to slide the package that was under his arm into his cuffed hands.
“Bloody waste of time,” muttered Major Dickson.
“Mr. Stern,” General Little said with seemingly paternal concern, “do you mind my asking if Moshe Shertok or Chaim Weizmann know you are in London?”
“They don’t.”
“I thought not. You see, Mr. Stern, there are proper channels for pursuing matters relating to European Jews. His Majesty’s Government generously maintains excellent relations with the Jewish Agency here in London. Messrs. Weizmann and Shertok are the men you should be seeing about this matter. And I think you will find, having done so, that they are doing all in their power to help the European Jewry.”
General Little waited what he considered to be a suitable time for his wisdom to be assimilated, then said, “Have I put your mind at rest, Mr. Stern?”
“You’ve done nothing of the kind,” Stern replied. He took a step closer to the table. “I’m well aware of the efforts of Shertok, Weizmann, and the Jewish Agency. They have the best of intentions, I’m sure. But I have not come here to
Smith turned at the sound of voices in the corridor behind him. An armed guard entered first, followed by a tall suntanned young man wearing shackles on his hands. Smith registered a lean, angular face and piercing black eyes, then Jonas Stern was past him and moving toward the officers who waited at the front of the room. Stern carried what appeared to be an oilcloth-wrapped package under one arm. Last through the door was a shorter man wearing the light khaki uniform and crimson sunburn of a British officer serving in the Middle East. Smith followed the group up the aisle and took a seat at the side of the room, where he could see more clearly.
The senior officer, General John Little, addressed the sunburned Englishman. “Captain Owen?”
“Yes, sir. I’m terribly sorry we’re late. We’d have been here yesterday if it weren’t for the U-boats.”
General Little looked down his nose at Owen. “Well,you’re here now. Let’s begin. Is this the notorious Mr. Stern?”
“Yes, sir. Er . . . I wonder if it might be possible for me to remove his handcuffs now?”
A florid-faced major seated to the general’s right said, “Not just yet, Captain. He is a wanted fugitive, after all.”
Duff Smith focused on the man who had spoken, a staff intelligence major of rather modest achievements.
“I am Major Dickson,” the man went on. “You’ve got a lot of cheek coming into this building. In case you don’t know, you’re the leading suspect in a rash of Arab house-bombings around Jerusalem, thefts of British lend-lease arms, not to mention the murder of a British military policeman in Jerusalem in 1942. The only reason we agreed to see you is that you saved Captain Owen’s life at Tobruk. You probably don’t know, but Captain Owen’s father had quite a distinguished career in the Welsh Guards.”
Jonas Stern said nothing.
“Captain Owen tells us you’ve got some daring plan for single-handedly winning the war in Europe. Is that right?”
“No.”
“It’s a bloody good thing,” Dickson snapped. “I should think Monty can handle the invasion without any help from the likes of you!”
“Hear, hear,” chimed the other major, who was seated on General Little’s left.
Stern took a deep breath. “I’d like to state for the record that the officers that I requested be here are not present.”
Major Dickson’s face went completely scarlet. “If you think Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris has nothing better to do than listen to the ranting of a bloody Zionist terrorist—”
“Clive,” General Little interrupted. “Mr. Stern, we have gathered here at some considerable inconvenience to hear what you have to say. You would do well to get on with it.”
Brigadier Smith watched the young Jew try awkwardly to slide the package that was under his arm into his cuffed hands.
“Bloody waste of time,” muttered Major Dickson.
“Mr. Stern,” General Little said with seemingly paternal concern, “do you mind my asking if Moshe Shertok or Chaim Weizmann know you are in London?”
“They don’t.”
“I thought not. You see, Mr. Stern, there are proper channels for pursuing matters relating to European Jews. His Majesty’s Government generously maintains excellent relations with the Jewish Agency here in London. Messrs. Weizmann and Shertok are the men you should be seeing about this matter. And I think you will find, having done so, that they are doing all in their power to help the European Jewry.”
General Little waited what he considered to be a suitable time for his wisdom to be assimilated, then said, “Have I put your mind at rest, Mr. Stern?”
“You’ve done nothing of the kind,” Stern replied. He took a step closer to the table. “I’m well aware of the efforts of Shertok, Weizmann, and the Jewish Agency. They have the best of intentions, I’m sure. But I have not come here to
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