Klaus' Expensive Lunch, A poem Options

[Guest_Jox_*]

© Todd Congreve, 2005. I, Todd Congreve, do assert my right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with Sections 77 and 78 of The Copyrights, Designs And Patents Act, 1988. (Laws of Cymru & England, as recognised by international treaties). This work was simultaneously copyrighted in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. This work is posted as an unpublished work in order to elicit critical assistance and other helpful comment, only.

Upgraded from AC to AD, thanks to Nina's two suggestions and from AD to AE following Liam's call for greater clarity.

Klaus’ Expensive Lunch
by TC

Pub lunch: two men
debate political philosophy.
One creed - one country -
one loyalty - one master.

A beer; kinship?
Questions: sister? agents?
mad? bad? sane? good?
depends on perspective.

Harwell needs you -
I’m your friend, Klaus -
help me keep you there.
“We” need to convince “them.”

perspectives -
only things which matter.

Your side; my side; “our” side,
fought Nazi Germany...
today - different perspectives.

Mental-partition wall:
made of what?
Those same brain cells
with divided loyalties?
How does one cope with
neuron osmosis?
Protect job; freedom; lover?

What price a pint?
Nine years - that’s
post-war inflation.

Come on Klaus; I’m your friend.
Your welfare is my chief concern.
Now, hand me the keys
to your gaol cell...

                          ...Good man, Klaus

(end)



Ref: TC 0432 AD (Started: 25/07/2005)

Klaus’ Expensive Lunch
by TC

Pub lunch: two men
debate political philosophy.
One creed - one country -
one loyalty - one master.

A beer; kinship?
Questions: sister? agents?
mad? bad? sane? good?
depends on perspective.

Harwell needs this man -
I’m your friend, Klaus -
help me keep you there.
We need to convince them.

perspectives -
only things
which matter.

Your side; my side; our side.
Fighting Nazi Germany -
but today?
Today... different perspectives.

What price a pint?
Nine years - that’s
post-war inflation.

Mental-partition wall: made of what?
Those same brain cells which have
divided loyalties?
How does one cope with
neuron osmosis?
Protect job; freedom; lover?

Come on Klaus; I’m your friend.
Your welfare is my chief concern.
Now, hand me the keys
to your gaol cell...

                          ...Good man, Klaus.

(end)

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:

This was inspired by a BBC R4 play “Atomic Lunch” broadcast on 25/07/2005.

Here’s the BBC website comment:
Monday 25 July - Atomic Lunch - By Michael Butt

In January 1950 two men meet for lunch in an Oxfordshire pub. One is the Head of Physics at Harwell Research Laboratory. The other is a senior MI5 investigator. One of the most important spy stories of the cold war is about to be revealed.

I would add:

Klaus is Klaus Fuchs - Britain's notorious "Atom Spy" who sold UK /USA atomic secrets to the soviets. His lunch "companion" was a senior MI5 interrogator.

Here‘s a Wikipedia info page on him... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Fuchs

[Guest_Jox_*]

Hi Nina.

>N>An intriguing poem, though I'm not sure I fully understand it. I knew nothing about Klaus Fuchs, so thanks very much for the wikki link. It made fascinating reading.

Thank you for popping in, critting and reading that, Nina. At present I’m critting something of yours - so when I’m late again please understand! :)

>N>all pretence, lies, obviously Klaus turned his back on the country he adopted, had a different creed and was not in the least bit loyal.

Yes, in the first verse all is harmony. The divisions are shown later. Fuchs was German and a communist - so her retained his original loyalty, not loyalty to the UK or USA (he was Harwell’s Director and also worked on the Manhattan Project).

>N>perspectives. How differently we see and view the same questions, words, life.

Indeed.

>N>subterfuge, the MI5 Investigator pretending to be his friend to get him to talk and trip himself up into revealing that he is a spy, sealing his own fate.

That is correct. The FBI and MI5 had been working together and virtually knew the truth - but it may not have stood up in court so they needed him to self-convict.

>N>again you mention perspectives. I find Klaus' change of perspective quite hard to understand. He was welcomed into Britain in the 1930s, having fled from pre-war Nazi Germany. He got his doctorate here and apart from being interred as a German citizen, Britain was good to him. What happened to loyalty?

He retained his original loyalty - never changed it. (I’m not defending him - just trying to explain).

>N>so having the pint with the MI5 investigator cost him his freedom.

No, not at all... I think there was a steak and kidney pudding as well but that would have been too exciting to pur in the poem.

>N>very smooth operator, pretend to be Klaus' friend and get him to give himself away, thus sealing his fate and putting himself in prison

Yep.

>N>I have to say that I have no sympathy for Klaus. He should have remained loyal to the country that in effect saved him from death in a Nazi Concentration camp. What loyalty did he have to Russia? What drove him to treason? Money? Greed?

It was loyalty to both communism and Germany (his original loyalties). Russia was a “friend” of DDR. (again, explaining, not justifying).

==============================================

A couple of suggestions for you to take or leave as always your choices.
[add] {delete}

A beer; {a} kinship?

Yes, that’s good. Thanks.

help me {to} keep you there.

Ditto, thanks!

Thank you, Nina.