(1980) The Second Lady by Irving Wallace

superb one. If activated, it can change the face of the world. It begins with two short pieces of film.’
    Seeing Razin hurrying down from the projection booth, Petrov sat, as Razin crossed in front of him, signalled up to the booth and settled behind the control panel.
    The lights went dark.
    The screen up front was filled with Billie Bradford gliding into the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House.
    ‘You recognize her, Mr Secretary?’ Petrov called over his shoulder.
    ‘The new American First Lady,’ replied the Premier. ‘A feast for the eyes.’
    From the screen, the image of Billie Bradford began to explain the stories behind the eight-foot rosewood bed and the American Victorian furnishings purchased by Mrs Lincoln. The footage ran on as Billie Bradford”moved from the Lincoln Bedroom to the President’s Dining Room. After ten minutes, the film clip ended, and the lights went on.
    Petrov half turned in his folding seat. ‘That was a recent television film of the United States President’s wife taking American viewers on a tour of the family headquarters of the American Executive Mansion. Now, one more showing of the film.’
    ‘Since when has my security chief become a film distributor?’ The Premier laughed, and the Politburo members laughed with him.
    ‘You shall see - you shall see my real purpose,’ said Petrov.
    The lights went out again, and the darkened projection room was instantly illuminated by a picture of Billie Bradford on the screen, entering the Lincoln Bedroom of the White
    House, pointing out the historic pieces, telling the stories behind them. As she finished, and went on to the President’s Dining Room, the Premier’s voice called down impatiently.
    ‘Petrov, what’s going on? You are running the same film again. We just saw it.’
    ‘I know,’ said Petrov. ‘Please bear with me a few more minutes. There is a reason for this.’
    The clip featuring the American First Lady ran on, repeating exactly what had been shown in the initial clip. The Premier’s mutterings of annoyance grew louder. The film ran out. It was ended. The lights came on.
    The Premier was more than annoyed. He glared at his KGB chief. ‘Petrov, are you mad? How dare you take our precious time showing the same film twice? If someone else had done that, I’d see that they were put in a mental hospital. You’d better have a good explanation.’
    Unruffled, Petrov stood up and fully turned. ‘I have,’ he said.
    ‘Well, dammit, man, out with it.’
    Petrov did not waver. He addressed the Premier softly. ‘You are sure it was the same film, Comrade Kirechenko?’
    ‘You think I am blind? The very same film shown twice.’
    ‘With the American First Lady in the first film?’
    ‘Of course.’
    ‘With the American First Lady in the second film?’
    ‘Yes, of course,’ said the Premier with exasperation.
    Petrov waited a moment, and then said, ‘Forgive me, but you are quite wrong, Comrade. The first film showed the real American First Lady - Billie Bradford. The second film showed a Soviet actress — Vera Vavilova — playing the role of the American First Lady.’
    Petrov could see shock and bewilderment in the four faces staring at him.
    The Premier broke the silence. ‘You are joking?’
    ‘I am not joking, not at all. The first film was the American President’s wife, Billie Bradford. The second film was her Soviet double, an actress, Vera Vavilova, who impersonated the First Lady against a background we constructed to
    duplicate some of the inner rooms of the American White House. My deputy here, Mr Razin, will confirm what I am telling you. You just saw the President’s wife in Washington DC. You just saw her double in Moscow.’
    Garanin looked at the Premier beside him. ‘Remarkable,’ he said.
    The Premier nodded. ‘Incredible.’ He sat up in his theatre chair. ‘All right, Petrov. A neat sleight of hand. A perfect deception. What do you have in mind?’
    ‘A bigger, more daring