Hollywood Double Agent by Jonathan Gill

Author:Jonathan Gill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abrams
Published: 2020-04-07T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

PONTIFEX MAXIMUS, 1948–49

Aleksandr Korotkov’s idea was to bring Boris to Moscow. The FBI was delighted that one of their agents had worked his way so far inside the Soviet spy apparatus, though they did warn Boris that they wouldn’t be able to protect him on Russian soil. Boris found a way out by suggesting that a visit to the Soviet Union at this time would raise eyebrows, so he asked Soble to set up a meeting with Korotkov on neutral ground, in Switzerland. But before that happened, Boris and Soble decided to indulge themselves, spending two weeks with their wives in Nice. Boris treated the Sobles to a taste of a life that, communist ideologues or no, they always longed for: exclusive restaurants and the front row at every show. Little did they know it was all on the FBI’s tab. Catherine and Myra were free to enjoy themselves, but Boris and Jack were following the news closely, realizing that their jobs were getting more complicated every day. New accusations before HUAC against Alger Hiss shared the front pages with details about the expulsion of the Soviet consul general in New York, the Berlin Airlift, and the division of the Korean peninsula.

Eventually, Soble got a telephone call ordering him and Boris to Geneva on August 22, 1948. Korotkov would be disguised as a Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs courier at a meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council in Bonn, while Soble and Boris would pretend to be on vacation with their wives. The FBI tried to warn Boris how dangerous such a meeting was, but Boris laughed it off, joking that he could always let out his “distress yodel” if he got into trouble. But he knew precisely how high the stakes were.

Boris rented a car, and the two couples headed from Nice to Geneva. It took most of the day to get there, though after they settled into their rooms at the luxurious Beau Rivage Hotel on Lake Geneva, a favorite of European aristocrats, there was still time for the ladies to go shopping. Soble took advantage of their time alone to prepare Boris to meet Korotkov. Boris put on a brave face, but he admitted to Soble how terrified he actually was. Switzerland was officially neutral territory in the Cold War, but that would only make it easier for Korotkov if he was planning on bringing Boris back to Moscow against his will.

Korotkov scheduled the rendezvous for the extravagant Eaux Vives Restaurant, on the east shore of Lake Geneva, a setting intended to communicate to Boris that he wasn’t the only spy who could move easily between the worlds of capitalism and communism. As Boris drove across the Mont-Blanc Bridge, where the Rhône empties in the lake, Soble told him that he should mostly just listen to what Korotkov had to say. Boris stopped in front of the restaurant, handed the car keys to Soble, and went inside, where a giant, glowering figure waited for him.

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