Jack High: When The Boat Comes In - Book IV by Peter Mitchell

Author:Peter Mitchell [Mitchell, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UK Book Publishing
Published: 2018-04-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

‘W

hen you told me you’d lost the document, you never said what it was about.’

‘I can’t tell you exactly, Jack. It was handed to me on strictly Privy Council terms – private and confidential, you understand.’

Mr Henderson spoke then.

‘I think, if Mr Ford is going to be able to help us, we have to trust him, Charles. Perhaps you could outline the nature of the contents without revealing any of the confidential details.’

For the first time since they’d met, Ford could see that Needham was anxious.

He sought further reassurance.

‘And that would be all right with you?’

Henderson’s chin made circular chewing motions as he considered his response.

‘None of this, Charles, is all right with me. But given the circumstances, I don’t think we have a lot of choice.’

Ford had been asked to meet Charles Needham in the Central Lobby of the Palace of Westminster. His name was put on the list at reception and he was told that, when asked, he was to say that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss Government policy on road haulage.

Charles arrived to meet his friend from the direction of the Commons.

‘It’s all a bit tricky, Jack. I can only talk to you about this in the presence of the Chief Whip.’

Jack had been about to make a joke but one look at Needham’s face told him that this was not the time.

When they arrived at meeting room 12b, Henderson was already inside.

‘Good of you to come, Mr Ford. This is a delicate matter. What we say in this room must stay in this room. Do you understand.’

‘I know what a secret is, Mr Henderson,’ Said Ford, ‘But as far as understanding goes, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.’

Henderson, a short, plump avuncular-looking man with an obvious capacity to turn nasty, nodded to Needham indicating that he should get on with it.

‘Jack, you remember I told you I was in a spot of bother.’

‘Yes. It was when we went for our walk up Simonside. You said you’d mislaid an important paper.’

‘That’s right. But at the time, I thought that it was probably in the London house or here, in the office.’

‘You can’t find it, can you?’

‘I’ve hunted high and low. Eventually I had to tell the Chief Whip.’

He explained that the document was a briefing memo from the Cabinet Office detailing current Anglo-Soviet relations. It expressed the Conservative Government’s concern about Russian espionage activity in India and Afghanistan and undercover efforts to stir up anti-Imperial feeling.

‘The Bolsheviks aren’t going to stop at Russia, Jack. It seems that they are trying to spread revolutionary fervour throughout the world – even here, at home. The Government is floating some rather radical proposals to prevent this from happening.’

I bet they are, thought Ford.

Needham continued.

‘There is evidence that they do it through infiltration. They identify possible supporters in Trade Unions, the Left Wing of the Labour Party and through certain members of the Armed Forces. The Tories have decided it’s time to start fighting back.

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