Summary of a meeting in the Situation Room, the Kremlin, 10:00 a.m. (Moscow time), November 9, 2016

Attending: [Redacted]

The Chairman:  You, the two of you, owe me an explanation. I expected that we would be watching Mr. Trump’s concession speech while we ate breakfast.

Attendee B:       I am sorry to say that the returns so far have been inconclusive, Comrade Colonel.

The chairman was seen to wince noticeably at this form of address. It was one thing to relive the old times on the weekend, in the dacha. It was not appropriate here in the Situation Room. The chairman looked over his shoulder to check that the recording device was turned off. In his annoyance, he may have forgotten momentarily that the backup system would be turned off only on his personal written authorization, countersigned by the head of state security. No one had thought of it.

Attendee B (realizing the error in his previous form of address): It was, as their president said, difficult to make the necessary arrangements due to the diffuse nature of their voting system. We had help in Detroit, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee. Perhaps it will yet prove to have been sufficient.

Attendee C, addressing Attendee B: What have we heard from [Code Name Redacted]?

Attendee B:       His information was that she would win by nearly three million votes.

The Chairman:  He’s reliable?

Attendee C:       He has been until now.

The Chairman:  He voted our way, I believe, years ago?

Attendee B:       So he says.

Here the chairman cocked an eyebrow. He had found over the years that by cultivating a persona with nearly no facial expression, he could communicate very effectively through small gestures. Here he was expressing skepticism over the reports of [Code Name Redacted]’s political allegiances.

Attendee C:       We can’t be sure. The secret ballot, you understand, sir.

The Chairman:  The secret ballot. Of course.

{All three laugh.}

Attendee B:       You understand, Comr . . ., You understand, sir, that they tally votes by province. The nationwide total is of technical interest only. It’s the votes in the provinces that matter. Three of them, places called Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania have not yet completed their count.

Attendee C:       And if the worst were to occur, we understand that there is the possibility of a recount.

The Chairman:  Yes, who was it who said that casting the votes is important, but counting the votes is everything?

Everyone knew the answer. No one spoke the name.

The three observe the television, where Donald Trump and his family are taking the stage somewhere in New York.

The Chairman is turning over in his mind the names of the operatives who will replace these two. B lives near the Kremlin and frequently walks to work. Convenient. C might take more time.

He watched the next American President basking in the glow of victory. Another one he had underestimated. Reagan. Then there was the pretentious cardinal, promoted above his ability, who had somehow survived a bullet. Yeltsin, who was more effective with half a bottle of vodka in him than any of the generals who had attempted a coup. A military coup to save a socialist government! The absurdity. Not Thatcher. He had never underestimated her. But this one! It was impossible. They would find a way. They always did. But it would have been so much simpler if things had gone according to plan.

Attendee C:       Sir, a suggestion if I may?

The chairman lifted an eyebrow. It is possible that his head nodded as much as a half inch.

Attendee C:       Sir, you remember the concept of “breadcrumbs”?

Here the corners of the chairman’s mouth turned down by a quarter of an inch. Anyone who knew him recognized this as a sign of intense displeasure. There was no need for C to remind the Chairman that he had never been in the operational wing of the, the Agency. He had been an administrator, a bureaucrat, a member of the nomenklatura. But who had survived? Who was in charge? If C was such a great operative, where was the government on whose behalf he had operated?

Attendee C:       We left some breadcrumbs near the WikiLeaks organization. Just in case. A few words in the right ears and we could create the illusion that we were behind all those leaks. With a little help from American reporters, we could undermine Trump before he ever gets started.

The Chairman:  And how do you put them on the trail of the breadcrumbs?

Attendee B starts to speak. This had been his idea! Attendee C cuts him off. The Chairman glares at him.

Attendee C:       [Code Name Redacted] or even better one of his low-level agents leaks a few tidbits to a reporter. Enough that the reporter can fill in the blanks without having to do much work. Once one of them has it, the rest start repeating it. It never fails.

The Chairman:  None of them asks any questions? No one is the slightest bit skeptical?

Attendee C:       Sir, the reporters from Izvestia had more intellect and more curiosity. This lot falls in line without even the threat of the Gulag. It’s actually embarrassing.

The Chairman:  (Addressing only C, ignoring B) There’s not much downside and frankly there is no better alternative. But if I don’t see results before this one is inaugurated, we’ll have another meeting. A much shorter one.

Attendee C:       Yes, sir.

Transcriber’s note:  Although Attendee C’s current status is unconfirmed, he has been observed at meetings in the Situation Room as recently as March 5, 2017.