The Fourth Protocol, Forsyth - B

             About two months ago, I read a really good Cold War novel. It reminded me what a  great genre it was, and I sought out another. This is a forty year old one written by one of the masters of the era. The Fourth Protocol was part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and prohibited the introduction of nuclear devices into another country. The setting is the mid-80's when London realizes they have a mole on their hands.  MI5 tracks down the traitor and his controller. When the traitor is confronted, he agrees to try and feed false material to the Soviets in exchange for some leniency. Simultaneously, Moscow is desperate to meddle in a UK election and targets a disruption of Thatcher's second campaign for re-election. The plan is to explode a small nuclear device near an American base, and create an anti-war movement capable of thrusting Labor to an electoral victory. As is always the case, there are plots within plots and more. The operation fails when an incompetent courier is observed and MI5 easily rolls up the whole project. It turns out the courier was sent by someone hoping to insure the failure of the operation, thus causing his boss to fail and be retired. Oh, the good old days.