| Ee microfilm was old. It had been buried in CIA archives for more than twenty years.Pendleton removed the film spool from its plasticcase and slipped it onto the spindle of the film reader.He was probably the first to read the report since ithad been transferred to microfilm and filed away.Pendleton switched on the reader and turned off" hisdesk lamp, plunging his office into darkness. Work-ing by feel and the stray light spilling from theprojection-lamp housing, he threadedthe film throughthe guide path and onto the take-up spool. Pendleton liked darkness, and he had an affinityfor the night; but because he could not complete allhis work at night, his office had been designed toshut out the day. The room was fully soundproofed,and the windows were sealed with black, lighttightdrapes. It had the cloistered, secretive atmosphere ofa medieval chamber. Another man with Pendleton s idiosyncrasies mighthave been labeled an eccentric, but the more bizarreaspects of Pendleton s character only added to hismystique. Within the CIA, Pendleton, Chief of Coun-terintelligence, was a legend. Pendleton pressed the film-advance button, and aseries of introductory file codes flashed across the |
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