Review S02E06- Operation Kingmaker ( upgraded review)

[michaellevenson]

C , James Greenlee has a heart attack, is in hospital and isn't coming back. A new C must be appointed. The Foreign Secretary will make the final decision, but Wellingham's recommendation will be crucial.
Caine " I tell you who it might be. John Tower-Gibbs. An SIS man with good connections, previously head of station at Bonn and Washington, now on the powerful Intelligence Committee"
Burnside" yes I forgot about him, I'm sure he hasn't forgotten me. If he became C he'll probably transfer me to Antarctica"
C " argument you had when you were a Sandbagger ?"
B " yep, damn! I'd rather have Peele, at least we can handle him"
Later in Burnside's office with both Willie and Mike,
B " this is an unofficial job, but I want as much professionalism from from you as if it was a normal assignment. A man named Tower -Gibbs is in the running to be the new C, it's important to me he doesn't get it, so we'll put an obstacle or two in his way and give a boost to Peele. Willie get over to the F.O. find out discreetly what Wellingham is into at present, if there's something we can use, I'll invite Peele to dinner this evening with Wellingham and coach Peele on it on the way over in the taxi, without him realising of course. Mike find out all you can about Tower-Gibbs, dig in security archives in the basement"
Mike Wallace. " what am I looking for sir?"
B " preferably that in his youth he did a bank job and blew away an old lady! Failing that any misdemeanor we could use"
There's going to be another change of personnel, Diane , Neil's trusty secretary announces she's leaving to get married.She personally found her replacement though, Marianne Straker, a girl who works in security archives, the only one brave enough to volunteer for the job of Burnside's gofer/secretary.
All these manoeuvrings of course a sackable offence, if Burnside gets caught.
Previous episode
https://www.imdforums.com/threads/s02e05-it-couldnt-happen-here.4956/
Next episode;

( New Version)The Sandbaggers s03e01 -All In A Good Cause

 

[michaellevenson]

Peele saunters into Burnside's office looking perky and in good spirits.
P " ah Neil, I was thinking, perhaps we ought to try and get on better, how about dinner at my club tonight?"
B " okay Sir, perhaps I can call Wellingham to join us"
P " fine, that would be wonderful , I'll pay"
B " presentationally I think I better pay, in case Wellingham thinks you're angling for a new job"
P " the new C? Hadn't crossed my mind!"
B " but it would have crossed Wellingham's"
P " okay Neil, I'll leave it to you"
After Peele leaves Willie comes in.
B" Peele just invited me to dinner ostensibly to bury the hatchet"
W " sounds unlikely"
B " I suggested inviting Wellingham, Peele almost wet himself at the thought"
W " ah, if he really wanted to bury the hatchet he wouldn't want Wellingham there"
Willie reveals he found out that Wellingham is worried about Malta, in respect of Russian manoeuvrings in the Mediterranean.
B " okay I think I can teach that to Peele, if I speak slowly enough"
W " Wellingham will know what you're up to "
B " of course! But he is evil enough to come along for the sheer hell of it"
Mike comes up trumps too, apparently Tower-Gibbs first posting in Denmark ended abruptly after three months, he was sent home in disgrace. The new secretary impresses on her first day by revealing her knowledge of top secret files in the archive section, apparently Tower -Gibbs had an affair with a Danish politician's wife. Burnside ecstatic with developments. In the taxi that evening with Peele,

B " sir you must be as worried as I am about Malta?"
P " in what way?"
B " if the Russians topple Mintoff in Malta they get their hands on the Med"
P " and if they take over Portsmouth they get their hands on the English Channel, but it won't happen"
B " I'm disappointed you feel like that sir, Wellingham doesn't agree"
Peele's ears prick up, " oh Wellingham, I see"
Sure enough at dinner Peele pipes up with " of course Sir Geoffrey we must keep tabs on Malta the Russians have their eye on that"
W " how perceptive of you Matthew"
Burnside can hardly contain a little smile. Things are going well.
The next day outside HQ as Burnside enters the building John Tower-Gibbs is leaving.

TG " Burnside, funny I was talking about you last night with Sir Geoffrey Wellingham"
B " I thought I felt my ears burning"
TG " well they wouldn't have burnt for very long, you're not exactly what I call a lasting topic of conversation"
B " funny, haven't heard anyone talking about you in years, I thought you were dead"
TG " you'll find I'm very much alive, good day to you"
In Burnside's office Willie Caine is waiting.
B " just bumped into Tower-Gibbs outside, we exchanged unpleasantries, I waited a moment or two to see if he'd get run down, never a bus around when you need one"
Edward Tyler the intelligence director comes in.
T " you wanted to see me Neil?"
B " that paper on Finlandization you're doing?"
W " on what!!?"
T " Russian and Finish joint military manoeuvres. The Scandinavians, including some in the Finish parliament getting jumpy"
B " because of the Northern flank?"
T " right. We think it's Russian psychological warfare "
B "aimed at who?"

T " Norway, over the disputed sovereignty on Spitsbergen Island. Russians giving a warning "
B " yes, well can you give me the paper, I want to hand it to Ross"
T " the CIA! whatever for?"
B " John Tower Gibbs, who may be our next C"
T " very likely I think"
B " he's done a paper suggesting we loosen our relationship with the CIA"
T " yes I've seen it, his arguments are persuasive"
B " they always are, but if the CIA can present the paper as theirs to the F.O..."
T " I'll have a lot of unhappy staff"
B " I'm trying to save the special relationship"
T " okay Neil, but you owe me, big time"

At the CIA headquarters Geoff Ross reads the paper.
R " okay Neil I'll get it typed out, after translating it to proper American English"
B " anything on Tower-Gibbs?"
R " I checked for you old buddy, he spent two years in Washington, nothing, not even a parking ticket. He complained a lot about the sloppy CIA, but that's it. In other words he was a right royal pain in the arse but nothing else"

 

[michaellevenson]

Next day in Wellingham 's office,
W " I was impressed with Peele, I still think Tower-Gibbs would be a good C"
Burnside" yes, pity about Copenhagen"
W " what about it"
B " there's a rumour that Tower Gibbs can't return there because of a dalliance with a politician 's wife"
W " and you want Peele because you can control him?"
B " no no, you'll find Peele is a lot tougher these days, with a mind of his own"
W " okay Neil, I have no objection to Peele, and he is the deputy"
B " exactly, good for morale in the service if he is promoted to top job"
W " okay.But are you sure? Once my recommendation goes upwards there's no turning back"
Burnside returns to HQ triumphant " the king is dead long live the king!"
Caine hands Burnside a letter from Peele , " I hope you realise what you've just done"
Burnside reads it " I'LL KILL HIM"
Burnside bursts into Peele's office waving the letter,
B " I want you to withdraw this"
P " that's no way to address me!" Peele in smug mode.
B " you're no more in favour of SIS merging with MI5 than I am"
P " if I have the good fortune to be named the new C I want to leave my mark. I'm aware they'll be opposition to the proposal but it would streamline the organization pool expertise"
B " it would destroy 70 years of hard work, create divisions inside one organization instead of rivalry between two, the Kremlin would declare you a hero of Russia!" Burnside storms out.
At the F.O,
Wellingham " this had better be important Neil, I had to cancel a meeting for this chat"
Burnside" I've made a mistake sir ,Peele can't handle being C, the thought of it is making him power drunk. "
W " I told you once my recommendation went upwards that's it, now you want me to make a fool of myself"
B " I think you ought to know, no one knows about Tower-Gibbs in Copenhagen I got that from a security file, and I found out about your interest in Malta and coached Peele on it, and there's a proposal on its way to you from Peele advocating the merger of SIS and MI5"
W " what you're saying is that through your double dealing and meddling you've saddled the service with the wrong man. And Tower-Gibbs would make the better C?"
B " I admit it Sir"
W " then remember that, the decision to appoint Tower-Gibbs was made at noon today"
B " I don't understand sir"
W " as it's a day for honesty I'll tell you this. I knew about Copenhagen because Tower-Gibbs admitted it to me personally, and I was suspicious of Peele as soon as Malta came up at dinner. But I wasn't sure, so I wanted to test Peele to make sure. So I telephoned Peele, now what is the single most outrageous thing to suggest to any SIS man, a merger with MI5,so I told him I'm in favour, which I'm not, and you told me he had a mind of his own"
B " you told him to write the proposal?"
W " he probably started writing it while still on the phone. But to avoid any damage I told him to send the original to me and copies to you and D Int,
my copy is in the wastepaper basket, I suggest you accord a similar fate to yours."
B " do you want my resignation sir?"
W " and save you from suffering under Tower -Gibbs. No, serves you right. Two things before you go Neil, one I've played this game longer than you, don't forget it in future, and two, if you try this again you will be looking for a new job"

A chastened Burnside leaves the building and walks straight into Tower -Gibbs.
TG " well well Burnside, I want to see you 10.30 tomorrow morning, in C's office"
B " oh what a pity I'll be out visiting James Greenlee in hospital"
TG " not exactly your usual image,flowers at the bedside"
B " I'm practicing. I hope one day to lay a wreathe for you!!"
TG (shouting) " Burnside, from tomorrow that sort of remark will cost you your job"
B " thanks for the warning, awfully decent of you"
10/10
Last in series 2.