Settling in to his room, his first task was to break his promise to Borisov, something he should have done in the first instance.

A couple of calls located Allen Dulles in Wiesbaden. The OSS chief was impressed by what Wilde told him.

‘Minsky’s defected, eh? That’s quite a coup, Professor Wilde. But why does he want to go to England – why not America?’

‘He likes England. In particular, he likes Cambridge.’

‘I take it you haven’t told Richard Helms about this otherwise he would already have passed on the message.’

‘No, I’m already breaking my promise to Minsky by telling you.’

‘Why would you keep a promise to a damned Commie, Wilde?’

It was a good question. Why had he? ‘I guess it’s because he helped me. But you’re right, Mr Dulles, and that’s why I’m telling you now. I’ve got Minsky holed up in a small hotel well away from the comings and goings around here.’

‘Keep in touch then. I want to keep an eye on Comrade Minsky. I’m not as dewy eyed about the Russians as some of our friends back in Washington DC. Who else have you told about this?’

‘Only Philip Eaton.’

‘Ah yes, Eaton. Can’t say I warmed to him. Old-fashioned British public school snob. But you know the guy going back a long way. Do you trust him?’

‘That’s another difficult question. He has helped me in the past but I’m not sure it’s possible to trust anyone in the British secret service. Happy to talk at length about him when we meet. For the moment, though, I need your help on this other matter. I want access to one of the top-level prisoners held here: Baldur von Schirach. Preferably today or first thing tomorrow.’

‘Shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll get on to commandant Andrus and come back to you soonest.’

*

Colonel Andrus walked Wilde through the echoing silence of the four-storey prison attached to the damaged grey-stoned walls of the Palace of Justice. The only sounds were their footsteps and the clanging of doors and keys as they climbed the stone steps to the upper storey, but from a distance they could hear the muffled hammering of workmen – former SS men mostly – repairing and refurbishing the main building to house the courts where their recent masters would stand trial for their lives.

‘Here we are,’ Burton Andrus said when they reached a range of identical cell doors, each with a GI standing to attention outside. To Wilde, the guards all looked bored witless. ‘Just a reminder, Professor Wilde. We don’t give these prisoners an inch. No cigarettes, no extra food, no privileges.’

‘Understood.’