Mr. Swift nodded. “Yes. Fernand Zerbski. Carried a big chip on his shoulder.
Accused those two atomic physicists from Los Alamos of cribbing his work for their research paper. A most unfortunate attitude for a scientist!”
Moments later, Mr. Swift turned to a photograph of a thin-faced, swarthy man with a high, bulging forehead. “This is Achmet Rahj!” he murmured.
“He was mixed up in some stock swindle with a DISTURBING REPORTS 77
Middle East oil company, wasn’t he?” Tom asked his father.
“Yes. A brilliant rocket-fuel chemist, but rather a warped character, I’m afraid.
Evidently he was more interested in money than science.”
Many of the others also were known to the Swifts by name or reputation.
Both Tom Sr. and Tom Jr. had met several of them at scientific gatherings.
Some, like Achmet Rahj, had become involved in scandal which had cut short their professional careers.
“Quite an interesting assortment of scientific brains, eh?” Ahlgren commented when the Swifts finished looking at the book. “As you’ve noticed, a good many of them are temperamental and eccentric types.”
“With a definite anti-American bias-at least in several cases,” Mr. Swift added.
“That’s true,” Dr. Palfrey agreed thoughtfully. “Since you mention it, I can see how most of them were either totalitarian-minded to begin with, or might have acquired a grudge against this country.”
“Like Achmet Rahj,” Mr. Swift pointed out. “It was American investigators who exposed his stock swindle.”
Thurston and the other CIA men seemed highly disturbed by this line of thought.