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 This work is posted as an unpublished work in order to elicit critical assistance and other helpful comment, only.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,

Sorry, I wasn't trying to encourage you to look anyone up.

The reason I mentioned them ("The Cambridge Spies") was because, unlike Fuchs, they were British - so have even less excuse for their treason than him.

The three of them - together with their recruiter, and fellow spy, Sir Anthony Blunt (Master of the Queen's pictures) were the greatest home-grown anti-British spies ever. They operated from WWII through to the 1960s. Burgess was a radio producer with the BBC at one time and Philby MI6's representative to the US Government in Washingrton DC and, later, Head of MI6's counter-Soviet operations - and a Soviet spy.

Just thought you might dislike them a tad more? :)