Anomaly by Peter Cawdron Page A

This is about science. The anomaly speaks the language of science.”
    Mason was sweating, struggling to counter the ferocity of the arguments put forward by the Russians. But the President and his advisers had warned Mason, Anderson, Bates and Teller that this would probably happen. They were expecting a backlash and had warned Mason that under no circumstances would the United States surrender its access to the anomaly or in any way compromise the integrity of the research. Mason was walking a tightrope.
    The President would not weigh into this debate and Teller knew it. Mason was on his own. The President couldn't step in. His authority was absolute, the pride of a nation demanded that his comments were binding. Negotiations were for those with some room to maneuver, to posture and debate. The President had no such luxury and Mason understood that better than most. If it came to it, the President would veto any further discussion and walk out.
    “You represent a democracy,” countered the Russian, “where the majority establishes the rules and yet you say you champion science where the majority has no rights at all, where the number of people that believe in something is immaterial to reality. So which is it? You cannot have it both ways, Dr Mason. If it is science you represent, then you cannot be answerable to an American President.”
    Mason was losing the assembly. Teller sat there biting his tongue. He wanted to yell out a couple of points to help Mason, but it would have only made things worse. Mason had to wrestle the argument away from the Russian. He couldn't go on reacting to the Russian's logic. He needed to drive his own agenda forward.
    “Mr Ambassador,” he began, deliberately slowing down his response as a means of forcing the Russian to listen. “Neither the US, nor the Russians, nor any other country has a clean history when it comes to matters of state, so we should not get bogged down in such recriminations. Although you are correct when you say this is a matter of trust.”
    The President moved uneasily in his seat, as did Teller. A frank admission of American shortcomings wasn't going to help things. Mason needed to move to a different angle. Teller found himself fidgeting nervously with his pen as he listened to Mason's reply.
    “Allow me to put forward an example, if you will.”
    Mason was stalling. It was obvious to all, but it was working, taking the heat out of the Russian's argument.
    “Canned food was first invented in France, by the armies of Napoleon, but do you trust the French or the science? Powered flight was first invented in the US, but do you trust the Americans or the science?
    “Whether we like it or not, whether we are conscious of it or not, whether it supports our beliefs or grates against them, the reality is we trust science regardless of where it originates. We drive safely in cars, fly tens of thousands of feet above the Earth in airplanes, turn on light switches, eat fresh caviar imported directly from Russia, we can do all this because of advances in science.
    “This is not about America. America is merely the vessel carrying the load. This is about the science. If the most capable scientists in this regard all originated from Somalia, we would welcome them with open arms. Our goal here is not one of priority but transparency.”
    A rumble of discussion echoed around the room as the delegates talked among each other. The President seized the opportunity to close things out while they were ahead. He stood, taking his cue from Mason's words as he spoke up without a microphone, projecting his voice from the stage.
    “We are here today because we welcome debate. We are here because we are transparent, because we will not hide behind diplomatic overtures, because the anomaly is something that is to be shared by us all. The practicalities of implementing this are no small task, and so we ask for your patience and understanding, but it is our commitment to the world.