ANSWER
General Smit was a new person in the branch,relatively a new person.   As in any organisation there were largerand smaller people and there were all sorts of rumours.   It waswidely known that General Smit was someone who easily steppedon those under him in order to rise in the organisation, I wasnot entirely happy at that time to
4. take /...
315 J HECHTER
take instructions of this nature from or to carry out such instructions,and I did not trust him sufficiently.