“Moving in from opposite ends to the same conclusion”
The IPCRESS File“Moving in from opposite ends to the same conclusion” is a remark by Dalby that becomes an unresolved interpretive refrain for the narrator. Its significance lies in the narrator’s repeated association of the words with Jay, coupled with his doubt that Jay was their intended subject.
The Remark and Its Context
Dalby once said, “Moving in from opposite ends to the same conclusion.” The narrator recalls the line after the IPCRESS story, when he is seeing Jay at monthly conferences with Ross to prepare the Army Intelligence Memoranda Sheet. Jay appears content and efficient, and the narrator notes that he does not let Jay handle reports that might otherwise pass through him to a foreign power.
Recurrence and Ambiguity
The narrator thinks of Dalby’s remark whenever he is with Jay, but does not settle its meaning: he doubts Jay was what Dalby had in mind. That qualification keeps the phrase open rather than turning it into a definite explanation of their dealings. Its repeated return connects Dalby’s words to the narrator’s present encounters with Jay, while preserving uncertainty about what the words originally referred to.
