Where Were You Then Edge of Eternity features some of the biggest and most important historical events of the second half of the twentieth century, from the building of the Berlin Wall to the Cuban Missile Crisis We’re collecting your memories of where you were and what you were doing when some of these events took place as part of a major digital project We’ll publish a selection in the second edition ebook and paperback editions of Edge of Eternity, publishing in 2015 To take part and share your memory of Where You Were Then, visit: www.wherewereyouthen.com KEN FOLLETT EDGE OF ETERNITY MACMILLAN To all the freedom fighters, especially Barbara Cast of characters American Dewar Family Cameron Dewar Ursula ‘Beep’ Dewar, his sister Woody Dewar, his father Bella Dewar, his mother Peshkov-Jakes Family George Jakes Jacky Jakes, his mother Greg Peshkov, his father Lev Peshkov, his grandfather Marga, his grandmother Marquand Family Verena Marquand Percy Marquand, her father Babe Lee, her mother CIA Florence Geary Tony Savino Tim Tedder, semi-retired Keith Dorset Others Maria Summers Joseph Hugo, FBI Larry Mawhinney, Pentagon Nelly Fordham, old flame of Greg Peshkov Dennis Wilson, aide to Bobby Kennedy Skip Dickerson, aide to Lyndon Johnson Leopold ‘Lee’ Montgomery, reporter Herb Gould, television journalist on This Day Suzy Cannon, gossip reporter Frank Lindeman, television network owner Real Historical Characters John F Kennedy, 35th US President Jackie, his wife Bobby Kennedy, his brother Dave Powers, assistant to President Kennedy Pierre Salinger, President Kennedy’s press officer Revd Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Lyndon B Johnson, 36th US President Richard Nixon, 37th US President Jimmy Carter, 39th US President Ronald Reagan, 40th US President George H W Bush, 41st US President British Leckwith-Williams Family Dave Williams Evie Williams, his sister Daisy Williams, his mother Lloyd Williams, MP, his father Ethel Leckwith (née Williams), Dave’s grandmother Murray Family Jasper Murray Anna Murray, his sister Eva Murray, his mother Musicians in the Guardsmen and Plum Nellie Lenny, Dave Williams’s cousin Lew, drummer Buzz, bass player Geoffrey lead guitarist Others Earl Fitzherbert, called Fitz Sam Cakebread, friend of Jasper Murray Byron Chesterfield (real name Brian Chesnowitz), music agent Hank Remington (real name Harry Riley), pop star Eric Chapman, record company executive German Franck Family Rebecca Hoffmann Carla Franck, Rebecca’s adoptive mother Werner Franck, Rebecca’s adoptive father Walli Franck, son of Carla Lili Franck, daughter of Werner and Carla Maud von Ulrich (née Lady Maud Fitzherbert), Carla’s mother Hans Hoffmann, Rebecca’s husband Others Bernd Held, schoolteacher Karolin Koontz, folk singer Odo Vossler, clergyman Real Historical Characters Walter Ulbricht, First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party (Communist) Erich Honecker, Ulbricht’s successor Egon Krenz, successor to Honecker Polish Stanislaw ‘Staz’ Pawlak, army officer Lidka, girlfriend of Cam Dewar Danuta Gorski, Solidarity activist Real Historical Characters Anna Walentynowicz, crane driver Lech Wałȩsa, leader of the trade union Solidarity General Jaruzelski, Prime Minister Russian Dvorkin-Peshkov Family Tania Dvorkin, journalist Dimka Dvorkin, Kremlin aide, Tania’s twin brother Nina, Dimka’s girlfriend Anya Dvorkin, their mother Grigori Peshkov, their grandfather Katerina Peshkov, their grandmother Vladimir, always called Volodya, their uncle Zoya, Volodya’s wife Others Daniil Antonov, features editor at TASS Pyotr Opotkin, features editor-in-chief Vasili Yenkov, dissident Natalya Smotrov, official in the Foreign Ministry Nik Smotrov, Natalya’s husband Yevgeny Filipov, aide to Defence Minister Rodion Malinovsky Vera Pletner, Dimka’s secretary Valentin, Dimka’s friend Marshal Mikhail Pushnoy Real Historical Characters Nikita Sergeyevitch Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Andrei Gromyko, Foreign Minister under Khrushchev Rodion Malinovsky, Defence Minister under Khrushchev Alexei Kosygin, Chairman of the Council of Ministers Leonid Brezhnev, Khrushchev’s successor Yuri Andropov, successor to Brezhnev Konstantin Chernenko, successor to Andropov Mikhail Gorbachev, successor to Chernenko Other Nations Paz Oliva, Cuban general Frederik Bíró, Hungarian politician Enok Andersen, Danish accountant naturedly handed it back Rebecca looked at her wristwatch It was almost midnight * * * On the Eastern side, the people around Lili were chanting: ‘Let us go! Let us go!’ From the West side of the checkpoint, came an answering chant: ‘Come! Come! Come!’ The crowd had inched closer to the guards, minute by minute, until now they were within touching distance of the gates, and the guards had retreated inside the compound Behind Lili a throng of tens of thousands, and a line of cars, stretched along Friedrich Strasse farther than she could see Everyone knew the situation was dangerously unstable Lili feared the guards would just start firing into the crowd They did not have enough ammunition to protect themselves from ten thousand angry people But what else could they do? In the next instant, Lili found out Suddenly an officer appeared and shouted: ‘Alles auf!’ All the gates swung open at once A roar went up from the waiting crowd, and they surged forward Lili struggled to stay near her family as everyone flooded through the pedestrian and vehicle gateways Running, stumbling, shouting and screaming for joy, they passed through the compound The gates on the far side were also open They surged through, and East met West People were weeping, hugging, and kissing The waiting crowd had bunches of flowers and bottles of champagne The noise of rejoicing was deafening Lili looked around Her parents were close behind her Karolin was just in front She said: ‘I wonder where Walli and Rebecca are?’ * * * Evie Williams’s return to America was a triumph She got a standing ovation on the first night of A Doll’s House on Broadway Ibsen’s bleak, introspective drama was perfect for the brooding intensity of her best acting When at last the audience tired of applauding and left the theatre, Dave, Beep and their sixteen-year-old son, John Lee, made their way backstage to join the crowd of admirers Evie’s dressing room was full of people and flowers, and there were several bottles of champagne on ice But, strangely, the people were silent and the champagne was unopened There was a TV set in one corner, and most of the cast were crowded around it, silent, watching the news from Berlin Dave said: ‘What is it? What’s happening?’ * * * Cam was in his office at Langley with Tim Tedder, watching television and drinking Scotch Jasper Murray was on the screen, live from Berlin, yelling excitedly: ‘The gates are open and the East Germans are coming! They’re flooding through in their hundreds, in their thousands! This is a historic day! The Berlin Wall has fallen down!’ Cam muted the sound ‘Would you believe it?’ Tedder held up his glass in a toast ‘The end of Communism.’ ‘It’s what we’ve been working towards all these years.’ said Cam Tedder shook his head sceptically ‘Everything we did was completely ineffective Despite all our efforts Vietnam, Cuba and Nicaragua became Communist countries Look at other places where we tried to prevent Communism: Iran, Guatemala, Chile, Cambodia, Laos none of them does us much credit And now Eastern Europe is abandoning Communism with no help from us.’ ‘All the same, we should think of a way to take the credit Or let the President take it, at least.’ ‘Bush has been in office less than a year, and he’s been behind the curve all along,’ Tim said ‘He can’t claim to have caused this: if anything, he tried to slow it down.’ ‘Reagan, maybe?’ Cam mused ‘Be sensible,’ said Tedder ‘Reagan didn’t this Gorbachev did it Him and the price of oil And the fact that Communism never really worked anyway.’ ‘What about Star Wars?’ ‘A weapons system that was never going to get beyond the science fiction stage, as everyone knew, including the Soviets.’ ‘Reagan made that speech, though “Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Remember?’ ‘I remember Are you going to tell people that Communism collapsed because Reagan made a speech? They’ll never believe that.’ ‘Sure they will,’ said Cam * * * The first person Rebecca saw was her father, a tall man with thinning fair hair, a neatly knotted tie visible in the V of his coat He looked older ‘Look!’ she screamed at Walli ‘It’s Father!’ Walli’s face broke into a wide grin ‘So it is,’ he said ‘I didn’t think we’d find them in this multitude.’ He put his arm around Rebecca’s shoulders and together they pushed through the crush Helmut and Alice followed close behind Movement was frustratingly difficult The crowd was thick, and everyone was dancing, jumping for joy, and embracing strangers Rebecca saw her mother next to her father, then Lili and Karolin ‘They haven’t seen us yet,’ she said to Walli ‘Wave!’ There was no point in shouting Everyone was shouting Walli said: ‘This is the biggest street party in the world.’ A woman with her hair in curlers cannoned into Rebecca, and she would have fallen but for the fact that Walli’s arm supported her Then the two groups at last reached one another Rebecca threw herself into her father’s arms She felt his lips on her forehead The familiar kiss, the touch of his slightly bristly chin, the faint fragrance of his aftershave, filled her heart to bursting Walli hugged their mother Then they swapped Rebecca could not see for tears They embraced Lili and Karolin Karolin kissed Alice, saying: ‘I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon I didn’t know if I’d see you again ever.’ Rebecca looked at Walli as he greeted Karolin He took both of her hands, and they smiled at one another Walli said simply: ‘I’m so happy to see you again, Karolin So happy.’ ‘Me, too,’ she said They formed a ring, arms around each other, there in the middle of the street, in the middle of the night, in the middle of Europe ‘Here we are,’ said Carla, looking around the circle at her family, smiling broadly, happy ‘Together again, at last After all that.’ She paused, then said it again ‘After all that.’ Epilogue November 2008 63 They were a strange family group, Maria reflected, looking around the living room of Jacky Jakes’s house at a few seconds before midnight There was Jacky herself, Maria’s mother-in-law, eighty-nine years old and feistier than ever There was George, Maria’s husband for the last twelve years, now whitehaired at seventy-two Maria had been a bride for the first time at the age of sixty, which would have embarrassed her if she had not been so happy There was George’s ex-wife, Verena, undoubtedly the most beautiful sixty-nine-year-old woman in America She was with her second husband, Lee Montgomery Then there was George’s son with Verena: Jack, a lawyer, age twentyeight, with his wife and their pretty five-year-old daughter, Marga They were watching TV The broadcast was coming from a park in Chicago where 240,000 ecstatically happy people had gathered On stage was an African-American family: a handsome father, a beautiful mother, and two sweet little girls It was election night, and Barack Obama had won Michelle Obama and the girls left the stage, and the President-elect went to the microphone and said: ‘Hello, Chicago.’ Jacky, the matriarch of the Jakes family, said: ‘Hush, now, everybody Listen up.’ She turned up the volume Obama wore a dark-grey suit and a burgundy tie Behind him, rippling in a gentle breeze, were more American flags than Maria could count Speaking slowly, pausing after each phrase, Obama said: ‘If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy – tonight is your answer.’ Little Marga came up to Maria where she sat on the couch ‘Granny Maria,’ she said Maria lifted the child on to her lap and said: ‘Hush, now, baby, everyone wants to listen to the new President.’ Obama said: ‘It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals, or a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.’ ‘Granny Maria,’ Marga whispered again ‘Look at Grandad.’ Maria looked at her husband, George He was watching the television, but his lined brown face was streaming with tears He was wiping them away with a big white handkerchief, but as soon as he dried his eyes the tears came again Marga said: ‘Why is Grandad crying?’ Maria knew why He was crying for Bobby, and Martin, and Jack For four Sunday school girls For Medgar Evers For all the freedom fighters, dead and alive ‘Why?’ Marga said again ‘Honey,’ said Maria, ‘it’s a long story.’ Time’s glory is to calm contending kings, To unmask falsehood and bring truth to light, To stamp the seal of time in aged things, To wake the morn and sentinel the night, To wrong the wronger till he render right, To ruinate proud buildings with thy hours And smear with dust their glittering golden towers Shakespeare, The Rape of Lucrece Acknowledgements My principal history advisor for the Century trilogy has been Richard Overy Other academic historians who helped with this volume were Clayborne Carson, Mary Fulbrook, Claire McCallum and Matthias Reiss Numerous people who lived through the events of the era also helped me, either by checking my first draft or giving me interviews, especially: Mimi Alford on the Kennedy White House; Peter Asher on being a pop star; Jay Coburn and Howard Stringer on Vietnam; Frank Gannon on the Nixon White House, along with his colleagues Jim Cavanaugh, Tod Hullin and Geoff Shephard; Congressman John Lewis on civil rights; and Angela Spizig and Annemarie Behnke on life in Germany As always, Dan Starer of Research for Writers in New York City helped me find my advisors On my research trip to the American South my guides were: Barry McNealy in Birmingham, Alabama; Ron Flood in Atlanta, Georgia; and Ismail Naskai in Washington, DC Ray Young at Fredericksburg Greyhound station kindly dug out photographs from the sixties My friends Johnny Clare and Chris Manners read the first draft and made many useful criticisms Charlotte Quelch corrected numerous errors My family helped me in immeasurable ways Dr Kim Turner advised me on many matters, especially medical Jann Turner and Barbara Follett read the first draft and made perceptive and helpful comments Editors and agents who read the draft included Amy Berkower, Cherise Fisher, Leslie Gelbman, Phyllis Grann, Neil Nyren, Susan Opie, Jeremy Trevathan, and, as ever, Al Zuckerman About the Author Ken Follett was twenty-seven when he wrote Eye of the Needle, an awardwinning thriller that became an international bestseller He then surprised everyone with The Pillars of the Earth, about the building of a cathedral in the Middle Ages, which continues to captivate millions of readers all over the world and its long-awaited sequel, World Without End, was a number one bestseller in the US, UK and Europe Fall of Giants, the first bestselling book in the Century trilogy is followed by Winter of the World and this, Edge of Eternity Also by Ken Follett The Modigliani Scandal Paper Money Eye of the Needle Triple The Key to Rebecca The Man from St Petersburg On Wings of Eagles Lie Down with Lions The Pillars of the Earth Night Over Water A Dangerous Fortune A Place Called Freedom The Third Twin The Hammer of Eden Code to Zero Jackdaws Hornet Flight Whiteout World Without End Fall of Giants Winter of the World First published 2014 by Macmillan This electronic edition published 2014 by Macmillan an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR Basingstoke and Oxford Associated companies throughout the world www.panmacmillan.com ISBN 978-0-230-77009-6 Copyright © Ken Follett 2014 Background and endpaper map © Shutterstock 1964 Kennedy Half Dollars were struck by the United States Mint The coins were authorized by Congress a little over a month after President John F Kennedy had been assassinated Author photograph © Barbara Follett The right of Ken Follett to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All quotations from the words of Martin Luther King, Jr are reprinted by arrangement with the heirs to the Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., c/o Writers House, as agent for the proprietor, New York, New York, and are copyright © 1963, 1968, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., copyright © renewed 1991 and 1996, Coretta Scott King The Macmillan Group has no responsibility for the information provided by any author websites whose address you obtain from this book (‘author websites’) The inclusion of author website addresses in this book does not constitute an endorsement by or association with us of such sites or the content, products, advertising or other materials presented on such sites You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Family Tree illustration by Dave Hopkins, Copyright © Ken Follett Visit www.panmacmillan.com to read more about all our books and to buy them You will also find features, author interviews and news of any author events, and you can sign up for e-newsletters so that you’re always first to hear about our new releases Table of Contents Title page Dedication page Cast of characters The Families at the Beginning of Edge of Eternity Contents Part One: WALL 1961 10 Part Two: BUG 1961?1962 11 12 13 Part Three: ISLAND 1962 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Part Four: GUN 1963 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Part Five: SONG 1963?1967 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Part Six: FLOWER 1968 41 42 43 44 45 Part Seven: TAPE 1972?1974 46 47 48 49 50 Part Eight: YARD 1976?1983 51 52 53 54 Part Nine: BOMB 1984?1987 55 56 57 58 Part Ten: WALL 1988?1989 59 60 61 62 Epilogue: November 2008 63 Acknowledgements About the Author Also by Ken Follett Copyright page ...Where Were You Then Edge of Eternity features some of the biggest and most important historical events of the second half of the twentieth century, from the building of the Berlin Wall to the... and paperback editions of Edge of Eternity, publishing in 2015 To take part and share your memory of Where You Were Then, visit: www.wherewereyouthen.com KEN FOLLETT EDGE OF ETERNITY MACMILLAN To... pigeonhole at the mid-afternoon break She carried it with her into the staff room and made a cup of instant coffee before opening it When she read it she dropped her coffee The single sheet of paper was