Zurich, Switzerland, 1965
Dr. Henri Dubois was a creature of habit. Every morning at 7:00 AM, he brewed his coffee. At 7:15 AM, he collected the mail for the Journal of Applied Physics. That morning, a single, unassuming envelope caught his eye. It had no return address and was mailed from Moscow.
Intrigued, he opened it immediately. Inside were meticulous calculations and diagrams for a radical Pogo oscillation dampening system for large rocket engines. Dubois, a brilliant physicist in his own right, recognized the elegance of the math instantly. It was genius. And it solved the exact problem the N1 and Apollo programs were notoriously struggling with.
He called his editorial board into an emergency meeting at 9:00 AM.
"This is extraordinary," Dubois announced, passing copies around the table. "It is anonymous, but if these equations hold true, this is a breakthrough that could advance space flight by years."
The board debated the ethics of publishing an anonymous submission, but the consensus was clear: science transcended politics. The world needed this information. They expedited the peer review process, finding three highly respected physicists who all verified the findings within hours.
"We publish it in the special weekend edition," Dubois declared. "We credit the submission to 'Anonymous, USSR'. Let the world deal with the politics. We deal with the physics."
The presses began to roll.
Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, USA, 1965
Captain Sterling was monitoring the scientific wire services—a fringe benefit of his intelligence job. He saw the headline: “Journal of Applied Physics Publishes Breakthrough in Rocket Dynamics: Credit ‘Anonymous, USSR’.”
He immediately called Jim Donovan.
"They published it, Jim!" Sterling said, excitement in his voice. "The correct data. The real deal."
Jim felt a wave of relief, quickly followed by fresh anxiety. "Okay, so the engineers in Russia have the right data. But what about the flawed data we delivered? Will they know which is real?"
"That’s the risk," Sterling admitted. "But the published paper is peer-reviewed and verifiable. The data we dropped for them was just raw specs from a random piece of space junk. Logic dictates they trust the published, proven science."
"Logic and the KGB don't always align," Jim said grimly. "We need eyes in the USSR. We need to know they’re changing the N1 design plans."
KGB Headquarters, Moscow, USSR, 1965
Colonel Volkov received a priority alert from his wiretap monitoring on the Swiss journal. The anonymous data was published. He retrieved the actual envelope from the mail room lockup.
He looked at the published paper and the envelope in his hand. The data was the same. The science was sound.
He summoned Sergei Kirov back to his office.
"Your anonymous benefactor was very generous, Doctor," Volkov said, tossing the journal onto the desk. "The world now has our proprietary information."
"It seems science is universal, Colonel," Sergei said calmly.
Volkov laughed. "More likely, the Americans are attempting a complex double-cross. They sent us flawed data, hoping we’d use it, and then anonymously published the correct data to confuse us, perhaps even make us doubt our own intelligence operation."
Volkov leaned in. "We will use the data you verified, Sergei. The one we 'found' in space debris. It is ours. This published data is American noise."
Sergei felt a sickening wave of despair. His attempt to save the cosmonauts had failed. Volkov was choosing the flawed data out of pride and suspicion of American motives.
"Colonel, the published data has been peer-reviewed," Sergei protested. "It is verifiable fact. The other is raw data from debris."
"Which you verified!" Volkov pounded his fist on the desk. "Get back to Fili. Ensure the engineers are only using the 'found' data. The launch is in two weeks."
Sergei left the room, defeated. He had failed the cosmonauts, the engineers, and his conscience. The Launch Window was closing and disaster seemed imminent.
The crisis deepens! The KGB chooses the wrong data. Jim and Sterling are working against time in the U.S.
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