While Vetrov was recruited by the French, the Western counter-reaction came from the US. Safire was writing a series of hardline columns denouncing the financial backing being given to Moscow by Germany and Britain for the
Trans-Siberian Pipeline, a major natural gas pipeline from Siberia to Europe. That project would give control of European energy supplies to the Communists, as well as generate US$8 billion a year to support Soviet computer and satellite research. His handler,
Vitaly Shlykov, was arrested and subsequently imprisoned in Switzerland while attempting to meet with Gerhardt's wife, Ruth, who was acting as his courier.
Counterintelligence response According to Reed, another result was that the United States and its NATO allies later "rolled up the entire Line X collection network, both in the US and overseas." Weiss said "the heart of Soviet technology collection crumbled and would not recover". ==Discovery==