This meant that Unit 701 would be faced with a very testing task. Ten years earlier they had been left unable to hear enemy broadcasts; now they couldn’t understand them. I asked who was in charge at Unit 701 nowadays, and Li said it was Comrade Luo. I remembered her: a very competent woman. When I worked on radio intercepts, she was my Bureau Chief, but as far as I knew she knew nothing about cryptography. I pointed this out, and he smiled at me and said, ‘You’re quite right; she has always worked on radio intercepts and knows nothing about cryptography. But providing you know what you’re doing, it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t. From now on you are Deputy Director of Unit 701 and the head of the team deciphering RECOVERY.’

That really did give me a turn. ‘I’ve barely learnt the basics,’ I said. ‘How could I possibly take charge of such an important mission?’

‘It’s already been decided,’ he replied, ‘and the paperwork was completed yesterday. I may as well tell you that you will be meeting Director Tie this afternoon. He’s in a meeting right now, but he’ll be free to see you later.’ He offered formal congratulations on being promoted three grades at once, and explained that I would be the youngest Deputy Director in the whole organization. I was still stunned, and just stood there with my mouth open until he got up to go. Then I stammered out my appeal: I wanted the Party to reconsider their appointment – I couldn’t possibly do it. ‘This isn’t the kind of thing that can be done by hard work,’ I said, ‘by doing your best. You’re putting me in an impossible position.’

He said candidly, ‘You’re going to have to talk to Director Tie this afternoon; there’s no point telling me this. But I really don’t think he’s going to change his mind.’