No military action was taken by Rome and no foreign intelligence services were involved to any great extent. The Italian Entente, as it was called, provided no model for the situation in Spain. And they lacked the one thing that had made Manni's efforts workable: he was only dealing with two factions, north and south. The Spanish conflict involved at least a half dozen ethnic groups who had rarely if ever been comfortable together.

The call came through ten minutes late. Hood called Rodgers in to listen on the speakerphone. As Rodgers arrived and took a seat, Manni was explaining in English that the reason he was late was because Portugal had just asked the United Nations for help.

"There has been violence along the border between Salamanca and Zamora," Manni said.

Hood glanced at the map on his computer. Salamanca was located just below Zamora in central and northwestern Spain. Together, the regions shared about two hundred miles of border with Portugal.

"The unrest began about three hours ago when anti-Castilians held a candlelight rally at the Postigo de la Traición-the Traitor's Gate. That's the spot by the city wall where the Castilian king Sancho II was assassinated in 1072. When police attempted to break up the rally, stones and bottles were thrown and the police fired several shots into the air. Someone in the crowd fired back and an officer was wounded. The police are mostly Castilian and they immediately turned on the ralliers-not as peacekeepers but as Castilians."

"With guns?" Hood asked.

"I'm afraid so," said Manni.

"Which is like dropping a lighted match on gas," said hawkish National Security advisor Burkow.

"Mr. Burkow, you are correct," said Manni. "Like a firestorm, riots spread westward to Portugal. The police called for military help from Madrid and it is being provided. But Lisbon is concerned that they may not be enough to contain the fighting and also to stop refugees from crossing the border. They've just asked the United Nations to create a buffer zone."

"How do you feel about Portugal's request, Mr. Secretary-General?" Carol Lanning asked.

"I am opposed," he replied.

"I don't blame you," said Burkow. "Lisbon's got an army, an air force, and a navy. Let them field a force."

"No, Mr. Burkow," Manni said. "I am uneasy about having any army on the border. Placing a force there would legitimize the crisis. It would acknowledge that a crisis exists."

"Doesn't it?" Lanning asked.

"It does," Manni agreed. "But to millions of Spaniards the crisis is still a highly localized one. It's a provincial matter, not a national or international one. And officially, it is still under control. If they learn that an army is gathered on the border-any army-there will be misinformation, confusion, and panic. The situation will become even worse."

"Mr. Manni," Burkow said tensely, "this may all be academic. Are you aware that Prime Minister Aznar has spoken with President Lawrence and asked for a U.S. military presence offshore?"