Marco Polo, If You Can

Marco Polo, If You Can (Blackford Oakes, Number 4), William F. Buckley, Jr. Mysterious Press/Open Road (ISBN: 9781504018524) 2015 (first published in 1981).

Summary: Blackford Oakes awaits a death sentence in the Lubyanka as a spy, part of a plot to expose a Soviet mole.

The trial was pro forma. Oakes U-2 flamed out over Soviet territory, allowing his capture. Known as a spy, he’s sentenced to death. And appeals for reprieves or lighter sentences have failed. Uncharacteristically, Oakes is down to prayers.

Most of the book concerns how Oakes, out of the spy business for three years, has ended up in the Lubyanka. The problem is that there is a mole high in the U.S. government in the Eisenhower administration, leaking the contents of sensitive meetings. Who it is, how it is being done, and the network that gets that information to the Soviets occupies much of the book.

Initially, the CIA brings Oakes back to help expose the network. The high stakes of this operation strike home when Oakes loses of friend to save his life.

Back in the States, the investigation homes in on the source, a woman Oakes had once been intimate with. Likewise, they figure out how it is being done, despite close monitoring. A Xerox machine plays a leading role. But things take a twist because the CIA knows about the leak. They mix misinformation with credible information including a project dubbed “Marco Polo.” Instead of the Soviets embarrassing the Americans, the Americans want to do the embarrassing.

But first, the Americans must embarrass themselves. And that’s where Oakes flight comes in, paralleling the real life Gary Powers incident. But the Soviets shot down Powers, whereas Oakes stages his flameout. His landing in Soviet territory is deliberate. But you will have to read to understand why, and whether the plan works prior to Oakes execution.

Buckley’s Oakes evokes the cold war machinations of Le Carre and the sexuality of Ian Fleming’s James Bond without the flare of either author. The plot is diverting but not thrilling. The sex is ho-hum. Of greatest interest are the portrayals of Allen Dulles and J. Edgar Hoover. And we care enough about Oakes to hope he will escape with his life. There are others in this series, particularly Stained Glass and Saving the Queen that I would rate more highly. But if you like the series or just want some pleasant Cold War era diversion, give this a read.