Fiction

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Catering Service-1948
Two figures stepped off the ship in New York Harbor. A Customs official greeted them.
"Hello", he said, "May I see your passports."
"Surely", replied David and both he and Asher handed over their passports.
The officer looked, "I should like to know what your plans are?"
Asher replied, "We are foreign agents come to carry out our devious plots."
The officer laughed, "No really. "
David then said, "We have folks we know over here."
"Fine enough", came the reply.

As they walked on David said, "Really, Ash! Sometimes I don't know how you managed to survive all this time."
Asher replied, "I always wanted to try that one just once. It didn't matter. This isn't that important a mission."
David said, "Well we do have to get an inside tip on the Partition negotiations."
Asher then said, "I'm not sure it's worth the bother. Diplomats! How do they earn their pay? Everybody knows this thing is going to be decided in the way it's always been solved."
"Or not decided", put in David.
"Or not decided", agreed Asher, "But do they think anyone would hazard such stakes on a penstroke?"
David said, "Ash, you know perfectly well that you can't do that sort of thing anymore. It's not quite like Judah Maccabee's time. You need appropriate hypocrisy before getting started. Even if the effect is much the same."

A few hours later they knocked on the door of a well-appointed house. The doorkeeper came to see them. "Yes?", he asked.
Asher then said,"Hello, we need to talk to Mr Wachsmann. Tell him it's some friends desiring his services."
The doorkeeper asked,"I'm sorry, I must know who it is."
Asher handed him a slip of paper, "I think he'll know us. "
Then the doorkeeper turned about.

Mr Wachmann, appeared in a few minutes. "What is it?", he asked.
Asher then said,"We need to get inside the UN building."
Mr Wachmann said, "You wish to bug the negotiations?"
Asher replied, "My dear sir, you are a respectable person and you do not wish to know about we wish to do. Nor do we wish you to as the FBI might be a mite curious. Just find a way to get us inside the UN building."
"I understand", said Mr Wachmann, "Funny, I've been waiting for years and this is the first time you've asked this sort of thing from me."
"Well", said Asher, "This is the first time the situation has come up."
Mr Wachmann then said, "I have a friend who owns a catering service. He can get you there to do whatever it is you are going to do."
"That should be fine", said Asher.
When they parted David said,"Bug the negotiations indeed! He is just a little to good at his guesswork."
"He doesn't have to be that good", replied Asher, "You can probably walk through the entire UN building stepping on nothing but listening devices."

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