tc.redstormrising-第5节

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ar；　for　example；　accounted　for　thirty…eight　percent　of　our　oil　products；　far　more　than　planned；　due　to　past　disappointments　in　coal　and　gas　production；　which　we　had　expected　to　reduce　oil　demand。　The　coal　industry　will　require　at　least　five　years　to　restore　due　to　failures　in　modernization。　And　gas　drilling　operations　are　currently　slowed　by　environmental　conditions。　For　technical　reasons　it　is　extremely　hard　to　operate　such　equipment　in　extreme　cold　weather…〃
〃So　make　those　lazy　bastards　on　the　drilling　crews　work　harder！〃　suggested　the　chief　of　the　Moscow　Party。
〃It　is　not　the　workers；　rade。〃　Sergetov　sighed。　〃It　is　the　machines。　Cold　temperature　affects　metal　more　than　men。　Tools　and　equipment　break　simply　because　they　are　brittle　with　cold。　Weather　conditions　make　resupply　of　spare　parts　to　the　camps　more　difficult。　Marxism…Leninism　cannot　dictate　the　weather。〃
〃How　difficult　would　it　be　to　conceal　the　drilling　operations？〃　Defense　asked。
Sergetov　was　surprised。　〃Difficult？　No；　rade　Minister；　impossible。　How　can　one　conceal　several　hundred　drilling　rigs；　each　twenty　to　forty　meters　high？　One　might　as　easily　attempt　to　conceal　Plesetsk's　missile　launch　plexes。〃　Sergetov　noticed　for　the　first　time　the　glances　being　exchanged　by　Defense　and　the　General　Secretary。
〃Then　we　must　reduce　the　consumption　of　oil　by　the　electrical　industry；〃　the　General　Secretary　pronounced。
〃rades；　allow　me　to　give　you　some　rough　figures　on　the　way　in　which　we　consume　our　oil　products。　Please　understand　that　I　am　going　from　memory；　since　the　annual　departmental　report　is　in　the　process　of　formulation　at　this　time。
〃Last　year　we　produced　589　million　tons　of　crude　oil。　This　fell　short　of　planned　production　by　thirty…two　million　tons；　and　the　amount　actually　produced　was　only　possible　due　to　the　artificial　measures　that　I　have　already　discussed。　Roughly　half　of　that　production　was　semirefined　into　mazut；　or　heavy　fuel　oil；　for　use　in　electrical　power　plants；　factory　boilers；　and　the　like。　Most　of　this　oil　simply　cannot　be　used　otherwise；　since　we　have　only　three…excuse　me；　now　only　two…refineries　with　the　sophisticated　catalytic　cracking　chambers　needed　to　refine　heavy　oil　into　light　distillate　products。
〃The　fuels　we　produce　serve　our　economy　in　many　ways。　As　we　have　already　seen；　thirty…eight　percent　goes　for　electrical　and　other　forms　of　power　generation；　and　fortunately　much　of　this　is　mazut。　Of　the　lighter　fuels　…　diesel；　gasoline；　and　kerosene…　agricultural　production　and　the　food　industries；　transportation　of　goods　and　modities；　public　consumption　and　passenger　transportation；　and　finally　military　uses；　these　alone　absorbed　more　than　half　of　last　year's　production。　In　other　words；　rades；　with　the　loss　of　the　Nizhnevartovsk　field　the　end　users　I　just　mentioned　account　for　more　than　we　are　able　to　produce；　leaving　nothing　at　all　for　metallurgy；　heavy　machinery；　chemical；　and　construction　uses；　not　to　mention　what　we　customarily　export　to　our　fraternal　socialist　allies　in　Eastern　Europe　and　throughout　the　world。
〃To　answer　your　specific　question；　rade　General　Secretary；　we　can　make　perhaps　a　modest　reduction　in　the　use　of　light　oils　in　electrical　power　usage；　but　even　now　we　have　a　serious　shortfall　in　electric　power　production；　resulting　in　occasional　brownouts　and　plete　power　outages。　Further　cuts　in　power　generation　will　adversely　affect　such　crucial　State　activities　as　factory　production　and　rail　transport。　You　will　recall　that　three　years　ago　we　experimented　with　altering　the　voltage　of　generated　power　to　conserve　fuels；　and　this　resulted　in　damage　to　electric　motors　throughout　the　Donets　industrial　basin。〃
〃What　about　coal　and　gas？〃
〃rade　General　Secretary；　coal　production　is　already　sixteen　percent　below　planned　output；　and　getting　worse；　which　has　caused　conversion　of　many　coal…fired　boilers　and　power　plants　to　oil。　Moreover；　the　conversion　of　such　facilities　from　oil　back　to　coal　is　costly　and　time　consuming。　Conversion　to　gas　is　a　much　more　attractive　and　cheaper　alternative　that　we　have　been　vigorously　pursuing。　Gas　production　is　also　under…plan；　but　it　is　improving。　We　had　expected　to　exceed　planned　targets　later　this　year。　Here　we　must　also　account　for　the　fact　that　much　of　our　gas　goes　to　Western　Europe。　It　is　from　this　that　we　gain　Western　currency　with　which　to　purchase　foreign　oil；　and；　of　course；　foreign　grain。〃
The　Politburo　member　in　charge　of　agriculture　winced　at　this　reference。　How　many　men；　Sergetov　wondered；　had　been　done　in　by　their　inability　to　make　the　Soviet　agricultural　industry　perform？　Not　the　current　General　Secretary；　of　course；　who　had　somehow　managed　to　advance　despite　his　failures　there。　But　good　Marxists　weren't　supposed　to　believe　in　miracles。　His　elevation　to　the　titular　chairmanship　had　had　its　own　price；　one　which　Sergetov　was　only　beginning　to　understand。
〃So；　what　is　your　solution；　Mikhail　Eduardovich？〃　the　Defense　Minister　inquired　with　unsettling　solicitude。
〃rades；　we　must　bear　this　burden　as　best　we　can；　improving　efficiency　at　every　level　of　our　economy。〃　Sergetov　didn't　bother　talking　about　increasing　imports　of　oil。　The　shortfall　he　had　explained　would　result　in　more　than　a　thirtyfold　increase　in　imports；　and　hard　currency　reserves　would　scarcely　allow　a　doubling　of　foreign　oil　purchases。　〃We　will　need　to　increase　production　and　quality　control　at　the　Barricade　drilling　rig　factory　in　Volgograd；　and　to　purchase　more　drilling　equipment　from　the　West　so　that　we　can　expand　exploration　and　exploitation　of　known　fields。　And　we　need　to　expand　our　construction　of　nuclear　reactor　plants。　To　conserve　what　production　we　do　have；　we　can　restrict　supplies　available　to　trucks　and　personal　automobilesthere　is　much　waste　in　this　sector；　as　we　all　know；　perhaps　as　much　as　a　third　of　total　usage。　We　can　temporarily　reduce　the　amount　of　fuel　consumed　by　the　military；　and　perhaps　also　divert　some　heavy　machine　production　from　military　hardware　to　necessary　industrial　areas。　We　face　three　very　hard　years…but　only　three；〃　Sergetov　summarized　on　an　upbeat　note。
〃rade；　your　experience　in　foreign　and　defense　areas　is　slim；　no？〃　the　Defense　Minister　asked。
〃I　have　never　pretended　otherwise；　rade　Minister；〃　Sergetov　answered　warily。
〃Then　I　will　tell　you　why　this　situation　is　unacceptable。　If　we　do　what　you　suggest；　the　West　will　learn　of　our　crisis。　Increased　purchases　of　oil　production　equipment　and　unconcealable　signs　of　activity　at　Nizhnevartovsk　will　demonstrate　to　them　all　too　clearly　what　is　happening　here。　That　will　make　us　vulnerable　in　their　eyes。　Such　vulnerability　will　be　exploited。　And；　at　the　same　time〃…he　pounded　his　fist　on　the　heavy　oak　table…　〃you　propose　reducing　the　fuel　available　to　the　forces　who　defend　us　against　the　West！〃
〃rade　Defense　Minister；　I　am　an　engineer；　not　a　soldier。　You　asked　me　for　a　technical　evaluation；　and　I　gave　it。〃　Sergetov　kept　his　voice　reasonable。　〃This　situation　is　very　serious；　but　it　does　not；　for　example；　affect　our　Strategic　Rocket　Forces。　Cannot　they　alone　shield　us　against　the　Imperialists　during　our　recovery　period？〃　Why　else　had　they　been　built？　Sergetov　asked　himself　All　that　money　sunk　into　unproductive　holes。　Wasn't　it　enough　to　be　able　to　kill　the　West　ten　times　over？　Why　twenty　times？　And　now　this　wasn't　enough？
〃And　it　has　not　occurred　to　you　that　the　West　will　not　allow　us　to　purchase　what　we　need？〃　the　Party　theoretician　asked。
〃When　have　the　capitalists　refused　to　sell　us…〃
〃When　have　the　capitalists　had　such　a　weapon　to　use　against　us？〃　the　General　Secretary　observed。　〃For　the　first　time；　the　West　has　the　ability　to　strangle　us　in　a　single　year。　What　if　now　they　also　prevent　our　purchase　of　grain？〃
Sergetov　hadn't　considered　that。　With　yet　another　disappointing　grain　harvest；　the　seventh　out　of　the　last　eleven　years；　the　Soviet　Union　needed　to　make　massive　purchases　of　wheat。　And　this　year　America　and　Canada　were　the　only　reliable　sources。　Bad　weather　in　the　Southern　Hemisphere　had　damaged　Argentina's　harvest；　and　to　a　lesser　extent　Australia's；　while　the　U。S。　and　Canada　had　enjoyed　their　customary　record　crops。　Negotiations　were　even　now　under　way　in　Washington　and　Ottawa　to　secure　such　a　purchase；　and　the　Americans　were　making　no　trouble　at　all；　except　that　the　high　value　of　the　dollar　made　their　grain　disproportionately　expensive。　But　that　grain　would　take　months　to　ship。　How　easy　would　it　be；　Sergetov　wondered；　for　〃technical　difficulties〃　in　the　grain　ports　of　New　Orleans　and　Baltimore　to　slow　or　even　stop　shipments　entirely　at　a　crucial　moment？
He　looked　around　the　table。　Twenty…two　men；　of　whom　only　thirteen　really　decided　matters…and　one　of　those　was　missing…were　silently　contemplating　the　prospect　of　over　two　hundred　fifty　million　Soviet　workers　and　peasants；　all　hungry　and　in　the　dark；　at　the　same　time　that　the　troops　of　the　Red　Army；　the　Ministry　of　the　Interior；　and　the　KGB　found　their　own　fuel　supplies…and　because　of　it；　their　training　and　mobility…restricted。
The　men　of　the　Politburo　were　among　the　most　powerful　in　the　world；　far　more　so　than　any　of　their　Western　counterparts。　They　answered　to　no　one；　not　the　Central　mittee　of　the　munist　Party；　not　the　Supreme　Soviet；　certainly　not　the　people　of　their　nation。　These　men　had　not　walke