"Maybe Margie should just rough out a few lines."
"No."
"Okay, John. Okay."
"You know," Morton said, as they were leaving, "some day an American politician is going to do what he thinks is right, instead of what the polls tell him. And it's going to look revolutionary."
The two aides turned back together. "John, come on. You're tired."
"It's been a long trip. We understand."
"John. Trust us on this, we have the figures. We are telling you with ninety-five percent confidence intervals how the people feel."
"I know damn well how they feel. They feel frustrated. And I know why. It's been fifteen years since they've had any leadership."
"John. Let's not do this one again. This is the twentieth century. Leadership is the quality of telling people what they want to hear."
They walked away.
Immediately, Woodson came up, carrying a portable phone. He started to speak, but Morton held up his hand. "Not now, Bob."
"Senator, I think you need to take this —"
"Not now."
Woodson backed away. Morton glanced at his watch. "You're Mr. Connor and Mr. Smith?"
"Yes," Connor said.
"Let's walk," Morton said. He started away from the film crew, toward a hill overlooking the rolling course. It was Friday. Not many people were playing. We stood about fifty meters from the crew.
"I asked you to come," Morton said, "because I understand you're the officers in charge of the Nakamoto business."
I was about to protest that it wasn't true, that Graham was the officer in charge, when Connor said, "That's true, we are."
"I have some questions about that case. I gather it's been resolved now?"
"It seems to be."
"Is your investigation finished?"
"For all practical purposes, yes," Connor said. "The investigation is concluded."
Morton nodded. "I'm told you officers are particularly knowledgeable about the Japanese community, is that right? One of you has even lived in Japan?"
Connor gave a slight bow,
"You were the one playing golf with Hanada and Asaka today?" Morton said.
"You're well informed."
"I spoke with Mr. Hanada this morning. We have had contact in the past, on other matters." Morton turned abruptly and said, "My question is this. Is the Nakamoto business related to MicroCon?"
"How do you mean?" Connor said.
"The sale of MicroCon to the Japanese has come before the Senate Finance Committee, which I chair. We've been asked for a recommendation by staff from the Committee on Science and Technology, which must actually authorize the sale. As you know, the sale is controversial. In the past I have gone on record as opposing the sale. For a variety of reasons. You're familiar with all this?"
"Yes," Connor said.
"I still have problems about it," Morton said. "MicroCon's advanced technology was developed in part with American taxpayer money. I'm outraged that our taxpayers should pay for research that is being sold to the Japanese – who will then use it to compete against our own companies. I feel strongly we should be protecting American capacity in high-tech areas. I feel we should be protecting our intellectual resources. I feel we should be limiting foreign investment in our corporations and our universities. But I seem to be alone in this. I can't find support in the Senate or in industry. Commerce won't help me. The trade rep's worried it'll upset the rice negotiations. Rice. Even the Pentagon is against me on this. And I just wondered, since Nakamoto is the parent company of Akai Ceramics, whether the events of last night had any relationship to the proposed sale."
He paused. He was looking at us in an intense way. It was almost as if he expected that we would know something.
Connor said, "I'm not aware of any linkage."
"Has Nakamoto done anything unfair or improper to promote the sale?"
"Not that I am aware, no."
"And your investigation is formally concluded?"
"Yes."
"I just want to be clear. Because if I back down on my opposition to this sale, I don't want to find that I've stuck my hand in a box of snakes. One could argue that the party at Nakamoto was an attempt to win over opponents to the sale. So a change of position can be worrisome. You know in Congress they can get you coming and going, with a thing like this."
Connor said, "Are you abandoning your opposition to the sale?"
From across the lawn, an aide said, "Senator? They're ready for you, sir."
"Well." Morton shrugged. "I'm out on a limb with this thing. Nobody agrees with my position on MicroCon. Personally, I think it's another Fairchild case. But if this battle can't be won, I say, let's not fight it. Plenty of other battles to be fought, anyway." He straightened, smoothed his suit.
"Senator? When you're ready, sir." And he added, "They're concerned about the light."
"They're concerned about the light," Morton said, shaking his head.
"Don't let us keep you," Connor said.
"Anyway," Morton said. "I wanted your input. I understand you to say that last night had nothing to do with MicroCon. The people involved had nothing to do with it. I'm not going to read next month that someone was working behind the scenes, trying to promote or block the sale. Nothing like that."
"Not as far as I know," Connor said.
"Gentlemen, thank you for coming," he said. He shook both of our hands, and started away. Then he came back. "I appreciate your treating this matter as confidential. Because, you know, we have to be careful. We are at war with Japan." He smiled wryly. "Loose lips sink ships."
"Yes," Connor said. "And remember Pearl Harbor."
"Christ, that too." He shook his head. He dropped his voice, becoming one of the boys. "You know, I have colleagues who say sooner or later we're going to have to drop another bomb. They think it'll come to that." He smiled. "But I don t feel that way. Usually."
Still smiling, he headed back to the camera crew. As he walked, he collected people, first a woman with script changes, then a wardrobe man, then a sound man fiddling with his microphone and adjusting the battery pack at his waist, and the makeup woman, until finally the senator had disappeared from view, and there was just a cluster of people moving awkwardly across the lawn.
¤
I said, "I like him."
I was driving back into Hollywood. The buildings were hazy in the smog.
"Why shouldn't you like him?" Connor said. "He's a politician. It's his job to make you like him."
"Then he's good at his job."
"Very good, I think."
Connor stared out the window silently. I had the sense that something was troubling him.
I said, "Didn't you like what he was saying in the commercial? It sounded like all the things you say."
"Yes. It did."
"Then what's the matter?"
"Nothing," Connor said. "I was just thinking about what he actually said."
"He mentioned Fairchild."
"Of course," Connor said. "Morton knows the real story about Fairchild, very well."
I started to ask him what it was, but he was already telling me.
"Have you ever heard of Seymour Cray? For years, he was the best designer of supercomputers in the world. Cray Research made the fastest computers in the world. The Japanese were trying to catch up with him, but they just couldn't do it. He was too brilliant. But by the mid-eighties, Japanese chip dumping had put most of Cray's domestic suppliers out of business. So Cray had to order his custom-designed chips from Japanese manufacturers. There was nobody in America to make them. And his Japanese suppliers experienced mysterious delays. At one point, it took them a yearto deliver certain chips he had ordered – and during that time, his Japanese competitors made great strides forward. There was also a question of whether they had stolen his new technology. Cray was furious. He knew they were fucking with him. He decided that he had to form a liaison with an American manufacturer, and so he chose Fairchild Semiconductor, even though the company was financially weak, far from the best. But Cray couldn't trust the Japanese anymore. He had to make do with Fairchild. So now Fairchild was making his next generation of custom chips for him – and then he learned that Fairchild was going to be sold to Fujitsu. His big competitor. It was concern about situations like that, and the national security implications, that led Congress to block the sale to Fujitsu."