tc.thebearandthedragon-第36部分

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ugh　the　Chinese　munists　were；　the　Catholic　Church　had　been　around　a　lot　longer；　loath　though　the　local　government　might　be　to　admit　that　fact。
　The　chitchat　went　on　for　another　thirty　minutes　before　the　Reverend　Yu　took　his　leave；　with　another　warm　handshake　to　send　him　on　his　way。
　〃So；　Franz？〃　DiMilo　asked　outside；　where　a　blowing　breeze　would　impede　any　microphones　installed　outside　the　dwelling　itself。
　〃First　time　I've　seen　the　man。　I've　heard　his　name　since　I　arrived　here。　The　PRC　government　has　indeed　given　him　a　bad　time；　and　more　than　once；　but　he　is　a　man　of　strong　faith　and　no　small　courage。　I　hadn't　known　of　his　educational　background。　We　could　check　on　this。〃
　〃Not　a　bad　idea；〃　the　Papal　Nuncio　said。　It　wasn't　that　he　distrusted　or　disbelieved　Yu；　just　that　it　was　good　to　be　sure　of　things。　Even　the　name　of　a　classmate；　now　an　ordained　minister；　Gerry　Patterson。　Somewhere　in　Mississippi；　USA。　That　would　make　it　easy。　The　message　to　Rome　went　out　an　hour　later；　over　the　Internet；　a　method　of　munication　that　lent　itself　so　readily　to　intelligence　operations。
　In　this　case；　the　time　differences　worked　for　them；　as　sometimes　happened　when　the　inquiries　went　west　instead　of　east。　In　a　few　hours；　the　dispatch　was　received；　decrypted；　and　forwarded　to　the　proper　desk。　From　there；　a　new　dispatch；　also　encrypted；　made　its　way　to　New　York；　where　Timothy　Cardinal　McCarthy；　Archbishop　of　New　York　and　the　chief　of　the　Vatican's　intelligence　operations　in　the　United　States　of　America；　received　his　copy　immediately　after　breakfast。　From　there；　it　was　even　easier。　The　FBI　remained　a　bastion　of　Irish…Catholic　America；　though　not　so　much　as　in　the　1930s；　with　a　few　Italians　and　Poles　tossed　in。　The　world　was　an　imperfect　place；　but　when　the　Church　needed　information；　and　as　long　as　the　information　was　not　promising　to　American　national　security；　it　was　gotten；　usually　very　quickly。
　In　this　case；　particularly　so。　Oral　Roberts　University　was　a　very　conservative　institution；　and　therefore　ready　to　cooperate　with　the　FBI's　inquiries；　official　or　not。　A　clerk　there　didn't　even　consult　her　supervisor；　so　innocuous　was　the　phoned　inquiry　from　Assistant　Special　Agent　in　Charge　Jim　Brennan　of　the　FBI's　Oklahoma　City　office。　It　was　quickly　established　via　puter　records　that　one　Yu　Fa　An　had　graduated　the　university；　first　with　a　bachelor　of　science　degree　in　electrical　engineering；　and　then　spent　an　additional　three　years　in　the　university　for　his　doctor　of　divinity；　both　degrees　attained　〃with　distinction；〃　the　clerk　told　Brennan；　meaning　nothing　lower　than　a　B＋。　The　alumni　office　added　that　the　Reverend　Yu's　current　address　was　in　Beijing；　China；　where　he　evidently　preached　the　gospel　courageously　in　the　land　of　the　pagans。　Brennan　thanked　the　clerk；　made　his　notes；　and　replied　to　the　e…mail　inquiry　from　New　York；　then　went　off　to　his　morning　meeting　with　the　SAC　to　review　the　Field　Division's　activities　in　enforcing　federal　law　in　the　Sooner　State。
　It　was　a　little　different　in　Jackson；　Mississippi。　There　it　was　the　SAC　…　Special　Agent　in　Charge　…　himself　who　made　the　call　on　Reverend　Gerry　Patterson's　First　Baptist　Church；　located　in　an　upscale　suburb　of　the　Mississippi　state　capital。　The　church　was　three…quarters　of　the　way　into　its　second　century；　and　among　the　most　prosperous　of　such　congregations　in　the　region。　The　Reverend　Patterson　could　scarcely　have　been　more　impressive；　impeccably　turned　out　in　a　white　button…down　shirt　and　a　striped　blue　tie。　His　dark　suit　coat　was　hung　in　a　corner　in　deference　to　the　local　temperature。　He　greeted　the　visiting　FBI　official　with　regal　manners；　conducted　him　to　his　plush　office；　and　asked　how　he　could　be　of　service。　On　hearing　the　first　question；　he　replied；　〃Yu！　Yes；　a　fine　man；　and　a　good　friend　from　school。　We　used　to　call　him　Skip　…　Fa　sounded　too　much　like　something　from　The　Sound　of　Music；　you　know？　A　good　guy；　and　a　fine　minister　of　the　gospel。　He　could　give　lessons　in　faith　to　Jerry　Falwell。　Correspond　with　him？　You　bet　I　do！　We　send　him　something　like　twenty…five　thousand　dollars　a　year。　Want　to　see　a　picture？　We　have　it　in　the　church　itself。　We　were　both　a　lot　younger　then；〃　Patterson　added　with　a　smile。　〃Skip's　got　real　guts。　It　can't　be　much　fun　to　be　a　Christian　minister　in　China；　you　know？　But　he　never　plains。　His　letters　are　always　upbeat。　We　could　use　a　thousand　more　men　like　him　in　the　clergy。〃
　〃So；　you　are　that　impressed　with　him？〃　SAC　Mike　Leary　asked。
　〃He　was　a　good　kid　in　college；　and　he's　a　good　man　today；　and　a　fine　minister　of　the　gospel　who　does　his　work　in　a　very　adverse　environment。　Skip　is　a　hero　to　me；　Mr。　Leary。〃　Which　was　very　powerful　testimony　indeed　from　so　important　a　member　of　the　munity。　First　Baptist　Church　hadn't　had　a　mortgage　in　living　memory；　despite　its　impressive　physical　plant　and　amply　cushioned　pews。
　The　FBI　agent　stood。　〃That's　about　all　I　need。　Thank　you；　sir。〃
　〃Can　I　ask　why　you　came　here　to　ask　about　my　friend？〃
　Leary　had　expected　that　question；　and　so　had　preframed　his　answer。　〃Just　a　routine　inquiry；　sir。　Your　friend　isn't　in　any　trouble　at　all　…　at　least　not　with　the　United　States　government。〃
　〃Good　to　know；〃　the　Reverend　Patterson　responded；　with　a　smile　and　a　handshake。　〃You　know；　we're　not　the　only　congregation　that　looks　after　Skip。〃
　Leary　turned。　〃Really？〃
　〃Of　course。　You　know　Hosiah　Jackson？〃
　〃Reverend　Jackson；　the　Vice　President's　dad？　Never　met　him；　but　I　know　who　he　is。〃
　Patterson　nodded。　〃Yep。　Hosiah's　as　good　as　they　e。〃　Neither　man　mented　on　how　unusual　it　would　have　been　a　mere　forty　years　earlier　for　a　white　minister　to　ment　so　favorably　on　a　black　one；　but　Mississippi　had　changed　over　time；　in　some　ways　even　faster　than　the　rest　of　America。　〃I　was　over　at　his　place　a　few　years　ago　and　we　got　talking　about　things；　and　this　subject　came　up。　Hosiah's　congregation　sends　Skip　five　or　ten　thousand　dollars　a　year　also；　and　he　organized　some　of　the　other　black　congregations　to　help　us　look　after　Skip　as　well。〃
　Mississippi　whites　and　blacks　looking　after　a　Chinese　preacher；　Leary　thought。　What　was　the　world　ing　to？　He　supposed　that　Christianity　might　really　mean　something　after　all；　and　headed　back　to　his　office　in　his　official　car；　content　at　having　done　some　actual　investigative　work　for　a　change；　if　not　exactly　for　the　FBI。
　Cardinal　McCarthy　learned　from　his　secretary　that　his　two　requests　for　information　had　been　answered　before　lunch；　which　was　impressive　even　by　the　standards　of　the　FBI…Catholic　Church　alliance。　Soon　after　his　midday　meal；　Cardinal　McCarthy　personally　encrypted　both　of　the　replies　and　forwarded　them　back　to　Rome。　He　didn't　know　why　the　inquiry　had　e；　but　figured　that　he'd　find　out　in　due　course　if　it　were　important；　and　if　not；　then　not。　It　amused　the　churchman　to　be　the　Vatican's　master　spy　in　America。
　
　
　It　would　have　amused　him　less　to　know　that　the　National　Security　Agency　at　Fort　Meade；　Maryland；　was　interested　in　this　sideshow　activity　also；　and　that　their　monster　Thinking　Machines；　Inc。　superputer　in　the　cavernous　basement　under　the　main　building　in　the　sprawling　plex　was　on　the　case。　This　machine；　whose　manufacturer　had　gone　bankrupt　some　years　before；　had　been　both　the　pride　and　joy　and　the　greatest　disappointment　in　the　huge　collection　of　puters　at　NSA；　until　quite　recently；　when　one　of　the　agency's　mathematicians　had　finally　figured　out　a　way　to　make　use　of　it。　It　was　a　massive　parallel…processing　machine　and　supposedly　operated　much　as　the　human　brain　did；　theoretically　able　to　attack　a　problem　from　more　than　one　side　simultaneously；　just　as　the　human　brain　was　thought　to　do。　The　problem　was　that　no　one　actually　knew　how　the　human　brain　worked；　and　as　a　result　drafting　the　software　to　make　full　use　of　the　hugely　powerful　puter　had　been　impossible　for　some　years。　This　had　relegated　the　impressive　and　expensive　artifact　to　no　more　practical　utility　than　an　ordinary　workstation。　But　then　someone　had　recognized　the　fact　that　quantum　mechanics　had　bee　useful　in　the　cracking　of　foreign　ciphers；　wondered　why　this　should　be　the　case；　and　started　looking　at　the　problems　from　the　programming　unit。　Seven　months　later；　that　intellectual　sojourn　had　resulted　in　the　first　of　three　new　operating　systems　for　the　Thinking　Machines　Super…Cruncher；　and　the　rest　was　highly　classified　history。　NSA　was　now　able　to　crack　any　book　or　machine　cipher　in　the　world；　and　its　analysts；　newly　rich　with　information；　had　pitched　in　to　have　a　woodworker　construct　a　sort　of　pagan　altar　to　put　before　the　Cruncher　for　the　notional　sacrifice　of　goats　before　their　new　god。　（To　suggest　the　sacrifice　of　virgins　would　have　offended　the　womenfolk　at　the　agency。）　NSA　had　long　been　known　for　its　eccentric　institutional　sense　of　humor。　The　only　real　fear　was　that　the　world　would　learn　about　the　TAPDANCE　system　NSA　had　e　up　with；　which　was　totally　random；　and　therefore　totally　unbreakable；　plus　easy　to　manufacture　…　but　it　was　also　an　administrative　nightmare；　and　that　would　prevent　most　foreign　governments　from　using　it。
　The　Cardinal's　Internet　dispatches　were　copied；　illegally　but　routinely；　by　NSA　and　fed　into　the　Cruncher；　which　spat　out　the　clear　text；　which　found　its　way　quickly　to　the　desk　of　an　NSA　analyst；　who；　it　had　been　carefully　determined　beforehand；　wasn't　Catholic。
　That's　interesting；　the　analyst　thought。　Why　is　the　Vatican　interested　in　some　Chink　minister？　And　why　the　hell　did　they　go　to　New　York　to　find　out　about　him？　Oh；　okay；　educated　over　here；　and　friends　in　Mississippi。。。　what　the　hell　is　this　all　about？　He　was　supposed　to　know　about　such　things；　but　that　was　merely　the　theory　under　which　he　operated。　He　frequently　didn't　know　beans　about　the　information　he　looked　at；　but　was　honest　enough　to　tell　his　superiors　that。　And　so；　his　daily　report　was　forwarded　electronically　to　his　supervisor；　who　looked　it　over；　coded　it；　and　then　forwarded　it　to　CIA；　where　three　more　analysts　looked　it　over；　decided　that　they　didn't　know　what　to　make　of　it　either；　and　then　filed　it　away；　electronically。　In　this　case；　the　data　went　onto　VHS…sized　tape　cassettes；　one　of　which　went　into　storage　container　Doc；　and　the　other　into　Grumpy　…　there　are　seven　such　storage　units　in　the　CIA　puter　room；　each　n