1984

           Heknewthatinthecubiclenexttohimthelittlewomanwithsandyhair toileddayindayout,simplyattrackingdownanddeletingfromthePressthenamesofpeoplewhohadbeenvaporizedandwerethereforeconsiderednevertohaveexisted. Therewasacertainfitnessinthis,sinceherownhusbandhadbeenvaporizedacoupleofyearsearlier. Andafewcubiclesawayamild,ineffectual,dreamycreaturenamedAmpleforth, withveryhairyearsandasurprisingtalentforjugglingwithrhymesandmetres, wasengagedinproducinggarbledversions—definitivetexts,theywerecalled—ofpoemswhichhadbecomeideologicallyoffensive, butwhichforonereasonoranotherweretoberetainedintheanthologies. Andthishall,withitsfiftyworkersorthereabouts,wasonlyonesub-section,asinglecell,asitwere,inthehugecomplexityoftheRecordsDepartment. Beyond,above,below,wereotherswarmsofworkersengagedinanunimaginablemultitudeofjobs. Therewerethehugeprinting-shopswiththeirsub-editors,theirtypographyexperts,andtheirelaboratelyequippedstudiosforthefakingofphotographs. Therewasthetele-programmessectionwithitsengineers,itsproducers,anditsteamsofactorsspeciallychosenfortheirskillinimitatingvoices. Therewerethearmiesofreferenceclerkswhosejobwassimplytodrawuplistsofbooksandperiodicalswhichweredueforrecall. Therewerethevastrepositorieswherethecorrecteddocumentswerestored,andthehiddenfurnaceswheretheoriginalcopiesweredestroyed. Andsomewhereorother,quiteanonymous,therewerethedirectingbrainswhoco-ordinatedthewholeeffortandlaiddownthelinesofpolicy whichmadeitnecessarythatthisfragmentofthepastshouldbepreserved,thatonefalsified,andtheotherrubbedoutofexistence.