James - World War Two Will Not Take Place

* * * *

World War Two Will

NotTake Place

By Bill James

Scanned & Proofed By MadMaxAU

* * * *

BOOK ONE

* * * *

ONE

ount flew to Berlin-Templehof in the afternoon, pass-ported as Stanley Charles Naughton, businessman. Section kept a service apartment under the S.C. Naughton name off Hindenburgdamm in Steglitz, a sedate, tree-lined suburb to the south-west of the capital. Mount had used it several times in the last couple of years and considered the address still reasonably anonymous. The apartment itself was on the second floor in a very modern, New Objectivity - Neue Sachlichkeit - style block, built in the late 1920s or early 1930s, Mount would guess, though much of the districts imposing grey stone and red-brick property went back to mid nineteenth century. It was a suitable kind of prosperous, developing area for the pied-a-terre of a British companys visiting executive. But no matter how right it might be, Section wouldnt lease this kind of accommodation for more than three years. An unusual pattern of usage - or more a non-pattern - might get it noticed. Thered be a change soon.

Mount knew what his mission was, of course. Stephen Bilson had briefed him earlier today in that painstaking style of his. But Mount had wondered (1) whether the objective was achievable; and (2) whether, even if it were, it would make much difference to the general international condition of power and politics.

Mount often wondered if his journeys and various activities for the Section had much point. But, as Stephen Bilson told him not long ago, In this kind of work little is absolutely plain, Marcus. The suggestion here was that, looking back later on, Mount might hindsight-understand how seemingly useless operations fitted into a master plan. And Mount would admit SBs hint usually turned out true - or as true as anyone could expect in this kind of work, where so little was absolutely plain, or absolutely true, or absolutely anything. Bilson had served in France throughout the war and was at the Somme. He may have often wondered how - or if - some slaughterous spell of combat contributed to a general strategy. During such bloody fighting hed picked up two medals, even if, at those moments, he hadnt properly understood this or that battles objective.

Just the same, Mount continued to think his present mission especially dud and doubted it would ever be proved otherwise. Bilsons decision to send him to Berlin had been too rushed, too impulsive. These were untypical words to use about SB, who habitually displayed absolute calm in all weathers, and whose thinking was methodical, sane, clear; except, obviously, at those times - fairly frequent - when it had to get professionally serpentine and, or, fog-producing, in the nations interest.

Thered been an episode at another airfield yesterday: Heston, not far from London. Mount and Bilson had gone there together. Would it be exaggerating to describe SBs reaction to events at Heston as near panic? Mount didnt want to call it that. He needed something to believe in and, often, SB and his level-headedness and medals had been it. However, standing with Stephen Bilson then, on the rim of the crowd at Heston, Marcus Mount had thought he detected a quite swift, painful change of reactions in his chief: a move from satisfaction bordering on relish, towards anxiety bordering on despair. Mount had tried to work out what caused this, and when. Bilson had seemed fine, and more than fine, while they waited for the Lockheed to appear out of the clouds and make its descent. This seemingly bland mood persisted right up until the plane completed its landing and the Prime Minister appeared at the top of the steps, waving his peace piece of paper. But, surely, thats what SB had schemed for. Why should it distress him now, offend him now?

Chamberlain had done the job that Stephen, in his devious, oblique, commanding style, must have managed him into doing, or helped manage him into doing, at any rate. Shouldnt Bilson feel and display delight? Some details of the PMs performance were, on the face of it showy and vulgar - did Chamberlain need to beam so manically, flourish the document so frenetically? - but that, surely, could not cancel the central, core worth of what hed achieved in Munich. Politics would always be vulgar, and war politics especially. Chamberlain had the kind of face that found excitement or enthusiasm difficult to register. There seemed to be something permanently cowed and nervy to him, even when he talked as if he had nothing to be cowed and nervy about. At Heston, in fact, he had a kind of triumph to report, didnt he? Did he?

When the next morning - this morning - Mount had spoken in the Section to Oily Fallows and Nick Baillie, about the Heston events, hed said: Of course, I might be wrong about a swing of attitude in SB. Hes not easy to read.

Harder than The Waste Land, Fallows said.

Hes sending me to Berlin at once - Sub rosa, entirely sub rosa. But the whole thing at Heston should have been a celebration, Mount said. Hed actually created the scene,

Well, yes, in a sense, Baillie said.

Im sure Chamberlain wouldnt have gone and acted compliant, except for him, Mount said. And wouldnt have come back with promises for the adoring crowd and the relieved country, but for him.

Theyre known to have private conclaves, yes, Baillie said. Stephen hates war.

He was good at it, Fallows said.

He wouldnt want more, Mount said.

But hed also realize that war might be inevitable, and a delay would give us more time to stock up on the arms and barrage balloons and gas masks and bianco, Baillie said.

Thats presumably why he wanted to be there for the PMs return at Heston, Fallows said. Hed like to see the completion of his work at first hand. He took you with him, Marcus, to learn in a very vivid way what his purpose was, and what the Sections purpose should be - and perhaps to pass on that message to the rest of us young underlings. Did he say, Marcus! Come along, sonny boy, and witness the sterling results of our work?

Normally, hed hate to join any public display for fear hed get identified, Baillie said. But he must have thought the PMs mission exceptionally, uniquely, successful - demanding his formal presence at the welcome home. Hes persuaded Neville to stop a war.

Or, at least, postpone a war, Mount said.

Perhaps Fallows and Baillie had it right. Possibly Bilson had wanted to educate Mount via the drama of Heston. And nobody could say it wasnt dramatic. The happy tension could be felt, in fact, long before Bilson and Mount actually reached Heston yesterday in the car. The narrow approach roads to the airport were jammed with vehicles and people on foot determined to make a joyful reception for Chamberlain. And when Bilson and Mount did reach the airfield they found a huge gathering of excited folk had assembled. Mount felt a kind of carnival spirit. Among the crowd he saw what he judged from their formal clothes to be a party of Eton schoolboys. Good God, there would be more than a hundred! Theyd obviously been given leave to witness these triumphant moments. News of the Prime Ministers success in his talks with the Fhrer had, of course, reached Britain a good while ahead of his plane.

Like everyone else there, the boys continually stared up into the grey skies, looking for the airliner with the Prime Minister aboard. Such a turnout! And perhaps Chamberlain deserved it. Yes, perhaps, Mount decided. In a little while, hed heard the aircrafts engine, and then, after a couple more minutes, he spotted the plane descending majestically towards Heston. The Super-Lockheed 14 landed, taxied and came to a stop. Airport staff placed steps in position. The door opened, and Neville Chamberlain appeared and waved happily to the people. Instantly, a cheer of response erupted. The Etonians, in a group and obviously organized, yelled his name, with the accent heavily on the first syllable: