The Spy Who Loved Us_ The Vietnam War and Pham Xuan An's Dangerous Game ( PDFDrive )

The Spy Who Loved Us 101
“‘It is the noise of a toad in my garden,’ says the mandarin.
“‘But why, if a toad is making this noise, does it smell
so bad?’
“‘It is a dead toad.’
“‘How does a dead toad make this noise?’ asks the king.
“‘There are two toads,’ says the mandarin. ‘One is alive.
One is dead. The noise comes from the living one. The smell
comes from the dead one.’
“The king is happy. He thinks he knows the truth of the situation
because he has a coherent explanation for what is happening.
But really all he is getting is a ridiculous story. This is
how we describe the job of the adviser. It is the work of toads.”