Does anyone remember the character of Milo in "Catch-22"? A hustler in the quartermaster corps who had set up a black market scheme on such a grand scale he was making massive deals with everyone, including the enemy. At one point it had gotten so convoluted he had to finagle Yossarians unit to bomb its own airbase as part of one of his deals. Sort of like paying your enemy not to attack you only the other way aound.