Roaring Thunder: A Novel of the Jet Age Read Online Free Page B

reaching for the latest technology and finding the top scientists to help him. Arnold found that he could talk in lay terms to Shannon, who could translate them into the appropriate engineering phrases. As a result, Arnold called him in on almost every project, some top secret and incredibly important, others just run-of-the-mill, but of interest to Arnold.
    Shannon started slow, feeling his way. He would never willingly betray a confidence, but he knew how intelligent and well-informed Gross was and how quickly he could make the correct inference from the most casual remark. “Well, I’ve been following the developments in Germany, Italy, and England.”
    Gross knew what he meant. They all read the technical journals and had foreign reviews, such as Flugsport, translated. But the real information came chiefly from the inner circle of military attachés, all of whom carried on as much covert activity as they could. They were always closemouthed about U.S. secrets, of course, but could be depended upon to reveal what they learned about foreign technology.
    “I don’t have much on what’s happening in Germany, outside of the fact that there are two or three companies—Junkers, Heinkel, and maybe BMW—experimenting. You’ve heard that they flew a turbine jet, a Heinkel, a couple of years ago. I understand Heinkel is building a twin-engine fighter, but there’s nothing concrete about it coming in.”
    “Vance, this is something I need to talk to you about, completely off-the-record. I only do it because I trust you, and you need to know. Don’t tell anyone, not even anyone in the Air Corps, about this, please. It is quite literally a matter of life and death.”
    Shannon was impressed. Gross was clearly distressed, as if he were about to confess a fearful crime. He was noted in the industry for his integrity—when there had been a problem with his Lodestar airliners, he immediately took all responsibility and had Lockheed pay for all the necessary repairs. To see him in such a state was alarming.
    “I’m afraid that what I’ve done might tarnish Lockheed’s name. The fact is that I have a paid informant—spy, that’s the only thing you can call it—in Germany. He has kept me informed through our Swiss office about developments in German aviation. I don’t know how he does it, but he gets me material from Heinkel and even from Messerschmitt on jet engines and planes that you would not believe.”
    Vance was stunned. Just knowing this compromised him.
    Gross saw his discomfort and went on. “I’ve done only one thing to protect myself. I went directly to J. Edgar Hoover and told him about it before I began. He is fanatically anti-Nazi, and he encouraged me. But that’s my only lifeline. If something would happen to him, I know I could go to jail for employing a foreign national for something like this.”
    “How did you get in contact with him?”
    “That, I cannot tell even you, Vance. He made contact with one of our people during the Volta conference at Rome in 1935. That’s all I’ll say, except that I know enough now that we had better get started on turbine power, or we’ll be hopelessly behind. Now, tell me what you know.”
    “I guess it’s secret-trading time, Bob.” He paused, hisstomach growling as the clock neared eleven. Shannon was a big eater, and he’d missed breakfast today in his hurry to get to Gross’s office. He knew that he had to be careful with the next bit, as it dealt with his Air Corps contract. Shannon took a sip of coffee, wishing that Gross had put out his usual spread of pastries, and went on. “We know that the British Air Ministry published the patent of a jet engine by some RAF serving officer, his name escapes me for the moment, and Italy is flying a primitive jet, the Caproni Campini. I don’t think the Italian job worked out; I haven’t heard anything on it. It was in all the papers for a while, making a big to-do about flying without a propeller.”
    Gross