Kuskovo: A Spy Novel

By Rick Marshall

Kuskovo is an international thriller set in the 1970’s at the height of the Cold War. In the midst of Russia’s drive to catch up with the West in the arms race, Dr Samantha Endel, an expert in missile technology leading a top-secret government project, is involved in a tragic accident… or is it? In his search for answers, her colleague and lover Alex Zoravar embarks upon an action-packed, transatlantic trail of intrigue in his search for the truth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bookstreaminc
• Release date: Jun 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9788834133941

Book preview

Rick Marshall

Kuskovo

A Spy Novel

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Table of contents

Author Biography

Preface

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Glossary of Terms

Characters in Order of Appearance

Author Biography

Rick Marshall is a retired international business executive and was a frequent visitor to the Soviet Union during this period. He worked in the technology industry in California, where he lived for some years, and the UK, providing the firsthand background for Kuskovo. He now lives in Buckinghamshire, England.

Rick Marshall

Preface

As the saying goes: ‘You can take a Russian out of Russia, but never Russia out of the Russian’. Ruthless, unprincipled, crude...these traits remain, evidenced most recently by the brazen nerve agent attack on the Skripals in Salisbury, England in 2018.

Despite the Russian - Western alliance formed to defeat Nazi Germany in WWII, suspicion and distrust soon followed, leading to the partitioning of Europe and the onset of The Cold War when Russia set itself against the West... partly the product of ideology, partly of fear. The hostile Cold War environment which continued through the 1970s engendered a deadly Arms Race to develop weapon superiority. The atomic bomb that was dropped from airplanes to obliterate Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 had by then evolved into the even more lethal and devastating hydrogen bomb and nuclear weapons would now be delivered by inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) to reach targets thousands of miles away in less than half an hour. Both sides were building up arsenals that could destroy the world several times over. The resulting threat of ‘mutual destruction’ kept both sides in check, a scenario in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by either side would cause the complete annihilation of both. This is the world that forms the background for this novel.

Many of the technological developments, commonplace in today’s world, were non-existent or in their infancy in the 1970s: There were no mobile phones, no cellular networks to support them, no Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to enable satellite navigation, no personal computers, no internet and micro-electronics was in its early stages. Digital photography was unknown; cameras were loaded with rolls of film which were sent away to Kodak for developing and printing. Computers had been invented and were in use professionally, but they were cumbersome, limited beasts.

Koskovo is a story of love enduring in the midst of a ruthless attempt by the Russians to steal Anglo-American missile technology, a story that ranges from London to Oxford, from Washington to San Francisco and Moscow to Hannover. At stake is the safety of the world.

I have appended a glossary of terms used which may not be familiar to all, and a list of the many characters in the book for easy reference. All names of people, events and some of the organisations here are entirely fictional, but the reader may recognize the names of several organizations that do exist and are used herein to give realism to the story; in these cases, the events portrayed by or in them are also entirely fictional.

Finally, to the many who have helped and guided me through the creation of this work – a big thank you; in particular, to Peter McKelvey, Geoff Gudgeon, John Jones, George Hall, Charles Halpin and others who wish to remain anonymous.

Rick Marshall

Buckinghamshire, England

1

Why had it failed?

The question haunted him and he had no answer.

It was 1970 and Alex Zoravar, at just 34 years of age, was head of a top-secret project at the UK Government’s Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston in Berkshire.

*

The wind whipped the cold rain into his face as he left the warmth of the building, sending a shiver through him. He turned up the collar of his raincoat and ran, shoes crunching on wet gravel, to his car. Throwing in his briefcase and hastily shed raincoat, he dived into the driving seat and pulled the door closed, suddenly surrounded by the calming quiet of the leather interior. A turn of the key brought the car to life and he made his way along the perimeter road to the barrier blocking the entrance to the barbed wire fenced compound. Acknowledging the salute from the guardhouse, the barrier was raised and he set off into the wet Friday night on the familiar route home through Thatcham, then north on the smooth dual carriageway of the A34 to Oxford.

Despite the 30 mile each-way daily commute, he had opted to live in Oxford, familiar from his university days, in a rented flat in a converted four storey Edwardian house to the north of the city, close to The Parks. The drive was easy and it afforded him time to think in the solitude of his car; on this evening, his mind was consumed with trying to think of the reason why the first bench testing of a new design of missile control system had failed.

*

Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) development in the post-war era had burgeoned at the start of the Cold War into a deadly competition between the West, led by the United States, and the USSR. As the name implies, an inter-continental ballistic missile, propelled after launch to a velocity of almost 20,000 miles per hour, or 25 times the speed of sound, in the space of a few minutes by multi-stage booster rockets, becomes an object free of external forces except gravity and air resistance, much like a cricket ball after being thrown. Initial targeting is therefore critical if the ‘ball’ is to land at the desired point. In the case of an ICBM, that point could be up to 7000 miles away and reached in under 30 minutes, the missile rising during flight to an altitude of some 750 miles above the earth’s surface at its apogee. Targeting in early ICBMs could only be achieved during the few minutes of rocket booster burn by devices within the missile sensing its acceleration in each of three dimensions and sending a composite signal to steering mechanisms on the rocket stages to alter course. This is inertial navigation. After this, the missile is on its own and subject to the vagaries of gravitational force variations, winds and weather. Accuracy was acceptable using these methods if the target was relatively large, like a city, but not if it were smaller, like a missile silo or ship; the Circular Error Probable (CEP) was just too great. If a doubling of the accuracy could be achieved, this would statistically increase the radiation damage to the target by a factor of four and produce an eightfold increase in blast damage.

The development of several, independently targeted warheads delivered by one missile (Multiple Independent, Re-entry Vehicles - MIRVs) increased the need for better accuracy. Here, the final stage of the missile comprises a platform (termed a ‘bus’) carrying up to ten cone-shaped warheads. The bus is manoeuvred in the latter stages of the missile’s flight by thrusters directed again by data from inertial navigation sensors in the ‘bus’, to send a warhead on a preset trajectory to its target. The process is then repeated for each warhead.

The challenge to develop a system offering better accuracy fell, in America, to the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California and to the Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Both were focussing on developing more accurate inertial guidance systems using correction to trajectories derived from star sightings – so-called astro-inertial guidance.

At AWRE Aldermaston, in the UK, a research project using an entirely different approach was being developed that would use position monitoring by satellites. This approach had been rejected by the Americans for concerns that it was potentially vulnerable to being hacked into by an enemy. The British felt the risk negligible and wanted to prove the point. In the system they envisaged, radio signals from multiple satellites would be used to continuously determine the exact position in space of the missile, or more importantly, the ‘bus’ of an MIRV, and a signal derived to power its positioning thrusters. The computing challenge was huge as was the cost of the associated satellite launch program but the potential improvement in accuracy, even over the astro-inertial system, was significant.

*

Alex, still lost in thought, parked his BMW in the street outside his Oxford flat and made his way up the stairs to the third floor. It had stopped raining but the dark sky was leaden and threatening more. He lit the somewhat ineffective gas fire in the fireplace and drew the heavy curtains. Pouring himself a single malt whisky from a glass decanter on the sideboard and adding a touch of water, he slumped into an old comfortable leather armchair with a sigh, his problems at work not leaving him. It can’t be the servo-systems, he mused; After all, they are not so different from previous designs; it has to be the computer control, but where? He was not a computer expert himself and relied heavily on one of his team, the nerdish David Rathford, a Cambridge graduate in computer technology. Despite his undoubted ability, this was ground-breaking stuff, and young David was struggling. Budgets were tight and he couldn’t afford to employ another computer expert - and even if he could, he was worried about the effect it would have on the sensitive and temperamental David who might feel himself a failure and walk away... or worse. He thought of the possibilities of collaboration with another group similarly engaged but the only one he could think of that was working on anything remotely similar was the US Defence Satellite Communications System (DSCS II) programme to develop a new secure global voice and data communication system for their land and sea forces to replace their earlier Initial Defence Communications Satellite System Program (IDCSP) system. Alex had heard on the grapevine that this was to be a digital system but had no idea if it could be adapted or added to in a way that would be complimentary to the requirements of the AWRE project... ... even if the Americans would agree. Although the post-war US ban on nuclear co-operation with other countries enshrined in the McMahon Act had been amended in 1958 to allow co-operation with close allies, the US was still somewhat reticent in practice... especially if it would slow them down.

Now, putting all this temporarily out of his mind, he focussed on the evening to come. He had been dating Marianne, an attractive, petite brunette who, as her name implied, had French ancestry. A few years younger than him, he had met her at a seminar in Cambridge and she was to come to him for the weekend from where she lived in the outskirts of Camberley in Surrey. He drained the last of his scotch and levered himself, somewhat reluctantly, out of the comfort of his chair and made his way to the kitchen: Nothing too complex; just fresh pasta with putanesca sauce from the Italian stall in the covered market in Oxford, topped with grated parmesan from the cheese stall, a mixed salad and a good bottle of Montepulciano. He set the table by the window, looking out across the tree-lined street of grand old houses, and completed the picture with a couple of red candles in brass antique holders. With an hour until she was due to arrive, he showered and shaved, splashed his face with Creed cologne from Harrods, one of the few luxuries he permitted himself, and put on comfortable tan slacks with white shirt and brown loafers. She was on time, unlike some others he had dated, and smiled broadly as he swept her into his arms.

I’ve missed you, she whispered into his ear.

And me you.

She pressed herself against him and he felt the inevitable stirring.

I think dinner can wait awhile

Yes, she replied huskily, and they moved slowly, still locked together, towards the door of the bedroom.

*

Over the weekend, his problem at AWRE continued to occupy him. Sunday was a fine, sunny, clear but cold October day and after breakfast Marianne suggested a walk in The Parks. As they strolled in the autumn sunshine, hand in hand, their conversation ranged over holidays, their future and inevitably to his work. She had studied aeronautical engineering at Cambridge and now worked at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in Farnborough, Hampshire so she was able to discuss technical subjects with him in general terms but she knew also that as he was employed at AWRE, he, as she, was bound by the Official Secrets Act and could not discuss the details of his work. However, she sensed his current concern was more serious for him than something purely technical and asked if he could somehow share it with her to ease the stress. Much though he wanted, this was difficult, but he tried, relating only the generality of the problem for which he had only limited resources at his disposal to resolve. He mentioned the thought of co-operating with the Americans but that he had rejected the idea as he was sure they would not want their project delayed and burdened with the complication of a project they themselves had eschewed.

" Why not try? She asked.

For a start, it would be an admission of failure on my part and my boss would not take kindly to that. He is also very anti-American and would never agree to admit to them that we were incapable.

She persisted. What have you got to lose; it sounds to me like you have no alternative and will fail anyway if you carry on as now.

Maybe you’re right, but such an idea would have to be approved at the highest level and would probably get vetoed by the politicians before ever being floated across the pond.

How can you be so sure? You’ll end up flat on your face anyway if you just do nothing.

Her enthusiasm was infectious, and despite his reservations, he promised that he would try the next day.

*

Monday dawned and with it misgivings of the promise he had made. His pride stood in the way of him wanting to admit he was in trouble with a critical project that had defined deadlines, and he was also afraid of being ridiculed and belittled by his cynical boss, Fred Crosland. But, the more he thought about it, the more the logic of the idea predominated and, by the time he drove up to the barrier at Aldermaston, he was resolved to take the plunge. To his surprise, Crosland did not react as he expected and started to question him more on the details of the project. ‘Perhaps he knows something I don’t’, thought Alex. After an hour, Crosland dismissed Alex with an, I’ll think about it.

And think he did... or had already thought. He did indeed know something more than Alex... that his overall budget was to be cut and Alex’s project was near the top of the list. This just might give me a way out and save all the work going to waste – especially when the results are beginning to show promise. He thought to himself, But it will only work if the US communications satellite programme can somehow be ‘piggy-backed’.

He knew even less than Alex about the Americans’ DSCS II project or if ‘piggy-backing’ was possible, even if the Americans would agree. Nevertheless, he escalated the suggestion to his boss, the Head of the Procurement Executive of the Ministry of Defence, from whence it was elevated to the Minister and then to the Prime Minister himself. To Crosland’s surprise, he was advised within days that an approach would be made to the Americans during a scheduled visit to Washington by the Minister of Defence the following week. His American counterpart was confidentially advised that the minister had something of unusual potential mutual benefit to discuss.

In Washington, over two days, the multitude of defence issues of concern to both countries, including a possible Soviet attack, were discussed and reviewed. Only towards the end of the second day, and with the US Secretary of Defence’s growing curiosity and impatience to know what the ‘unusual’ item entailed, did the minister suggest that they have a discussion in private. Here the idea was broached and, to the minister’s initial satisfaction, the US Secretary of Defence agreed to discuss the matter and let him know the outcome.

A couple of weeks passed before a secure communication reached the Ministry of Defence in the London confiding that the US authorities would agree to further discussions in view of ‘the potential mutual benefit from co-operation with our closest ally’. This came with the suggestion that to explore the possibilities in depth, a team of technical experts from both sides be appointed and meet in the US at Aerospace Corporation’s facility in El Segundo, close by Los Angeles International Airport. The location did not surprise Alex as Aerospace Corporation was, in fact, a government controlled organisation ̶ a so called Federally Funded Research & Development Center (FFRDC), responsible for, amongst other things, missile control systems.

The new Defence Satellite Communications System was being developed by Martin Marietta Corp. in Bethesda, Maryland. It was indeed to be a global satellite communications system for military use, replacing their Initial Defence Communication Satellite Program and would transmit digitised speech and data at very high frequency (X-band), relaying it back and forth between a control centre and portable transceivers via a transponder mounted in a satellite. This had been tested successfully on the ground and they were now developing a system whereby a transceiver would lock on to the satellite giving the strongest signal and switch seamlessly to another with a stronger signal, should the situation change – a forerunner of cellular radio and portable cellphones. Shortly, satellites would be launched and the system tested in anger.

What Alex did not know, was that as an adjunct to the DSCS II program, there was a parallel project underway at Martin Marrietta to evaluate the feasibility and viability of a system to use a combination of the same satellites to determine the position of a radio transceiver on the ground by calculating its geographic co-ordinates. The data could then be relayed back via the satellites to a control centre ̶ the basis of a Global Positioning System (GPS) which led in time to satellite navigation, or ‘satnav’, as it became known. Also, that although the Americans had put their money on developing an astro-inertial guidance system for ICBMs, there was intense interest in this project from the technologists at Aerospace Corp. who felt that much of this work could be applied to producing an even more accurate missile guidance system, and that if the feasibility could be proven, the political objections over security might be overcome.

The GPS project at Martin Marrietta had, of course, much similarity to Alex’s but his had the added complication of needing to give continual positional information, in three dimensions rather than just two, of a fast moving ICBM, high above the surface of the earth, so that it could be tracked; and using this information, its direction controlled, rather than just the position of a relatively stationary ground transceiver determined.

*

On a Monday morning in January 1971, a six strong team from AWRE, including Alex and David Rathford and led by Fred Crosland, took off from Heathrow Airport bound for Los Angeles. After landing and clearing immigration, they checked in to the Sheraton Hotel close by the airport for the night. Early the next morning, they were picked up by an Aerospace Corporation limo for the short journey to El Segundo. Arriving