M. Forsythe - While Rome Was Sleeping

Their eyes met as Brad stated firmly, “I will do what is necessary to further the goals of GCI; and…,” he said pausing, “I will continue to do what is necessary to further my own military career goals as well; I don’t believe these are mutually exclusive.”

“Nor do I… Yes, General,” Schneiderman said, now extending his hand, “I think we have struck a deal.”

The association with the Seattle office of Ramsey and Carr occurred shortly after Brad’s affiliation with GCI.

Brad was introduced to Harrison Carr and Lyle Ramsey and given a brief overview of the firm and its history. He and Ramsey developed an excellent rapport from the outset.

Coleman had already located funds in several government departments that with the help of one or two congressmen were easily channeled into GCI program contracts that were written in Seattle. Brad felt he was off to a good start.

Brad was now the Deputy Director at DIA and the POW issue was only one area of his responsibility. Many of his initial duties were placed on the shoulders of Air Force Major Raymond Thomas who served as his main staff liaison. All major decisions remained with Brad, however, and he purposely took time to participate in all interagency POW discussions.

The issue was becoming bogged down and layered by interagency turf wars, and becomimg more problematic as time went on. There had been recent reports that some American POWs had been seen working in chains with a road crew near Sam Neua in Laos. There were similar rumors that some American POWs had been seen in North Vietnam and Cambodia.

Word often came through refugees arriving in camps. Satellite photos were inconclusive and attempts to verify reported sightings were often frustrating and queries from congressmen following up on the reports for their constituents occupied a great deal of staff time and frustration at DIA.

When Major Thomas asked for additional help to investigate the Laotian report, Brad declined saying, “We can’t waste your time and my time investigating every damned fool rumor that comes in. We don’t have the resources or manpower to follow-up on trivia. There are specific leads and information that you should be investigating on individual sightings in North Vietnam. Stay on track!”

GCI had instructed Brad to overlook the rumors emanating from Laos as political gaffs; a way to discredit GCI’s quiet attempts to help rebuild a country in part destroyed by war. It was recommended that his office downplay any such reports.

The embargo against the three Communist governments of Laos, North Vietnam and Cambodia held little meaning for GCI’s contract intentions, although their agreements with the three governments were looked on with disfavor and by some member nations of the South East Asia Treaty Organization, the US among them. Severely weakened by internal disagreements, SEATO would finally disband in mid 1977.

In October of 1978 a message was received by the US Embassy and sent to the State Department that an American POW identified as George Kelshaw had escaped a forced labor crew of the Pathet Lao and had made his way to Bangkok. It was reported and forwarded to the DIA office that he had first been seen in Vientiane and later Bangkok, but had now dropped out of sight.

The on-site DIA investigative staff in Bangkok attempted to verify his whereabouts and confirm that it was American George Kelshaw, but they were unable to locate Kelshaw or their own sources of the reported sighting. It was posited that he could be hiding out of fear; possibly that he was ill and might have gone underground to recover or had died. Nothing more was heard about George Kelshaw.

Spring of 1980, word reached Brad that the GCI offices in Bangkok had been broken into. No thought of a connection with George Kelshaw crossed his mind until he realized that the forced labor crew from which Kelshaw had escaped, was in fact a GCI road building project guarded by Pathet Lao soldiers and that many of the laborers were prisoners of the Pathet Lao.

Coleman had over the last several years, as GCI’s Schneiderman suggested, ignored rumors of POWs being used for slave labor in Laos and North Vietnam. His office had been unable to verify such reports and the DIA had been urged to parrot the administration’s position that all live POW’s had been returned, even in the face of a growing body of evidence to the contrary.

After a call to GCI Bangkok it took a short time for Brad to verify his suspicions that it was Kelshaw who had broken into Bangkok’s GCI offices and had accessed important information. He remembered George Kelshaw and his rock hard determination.

GCI security assured Brad that steps were being taken to locate and terminate the intruder. Weeks later Coleman was notified that Kelshaw had eluded discovery and it was believed that he had escaped on a freighter bound for the United States. Her name was the Tsein-Maru and one of her destinations was the Port of Seattle, to arrive in September.

Although it was late when Brad reached home, Olivia was waiting in the den reading the newspaper. He noticed her luggage in the entryway and felt a knot in his stomach. “I’m sorry to be so late, my dear, why are your bags here, Olivia?” he asked tenuously.

“I’ll be leaving for Seattle right after George Kelshaw’s service tomorrow.”

“You’re going to his service?” He was incredulous.

“Yes, Brad. Dr. Kelshaw, George’s father asked if I would accompany him and I said yes. I won’t ask if you plan to attend.”

“Why are you going to Seattle?”

“I’m sure you know, Brad; I am going to see Charlene Thayer. I called her house today and her phone was answered by a friend, a Sister Ruth Myers, who told me that Charlene had been injured in an explosion and was going to be staying at the Episcopal Convent while she was recuperating. It seems her eyes were injured and she will need someone to be with her until she is well. I think I can be of help to her.”

“I forbid you to go…” Brad sputtered.

“What did you say? I don’t think I heard you correctly, Bradley—“

“I’m sorry, Livy, I just don’t want you to go… I need you here. Things are not good—I really want you to stay; I need you very much.”

“I’m sorry. You’ll be alright, Brad,” Olivia said wearily. “Mrs. Ridgeway will be here to see to the house. I must get away from here and you for a time; perhaps Charlene and I can help each other. I’m going to bed now, goodnight, Brad.”

He followed her forlornly up the stairs, “When will you be back?”

She turned and looked at him, “I don’t know, I have a lot of thinking to do, Brad, and some things to work through. I’ll let you know.”

Wednesday morning

Lyle Ramsey’s private line was ringing, “Hello, Lyle this is Brad. I told you I would call when I found out about Evan Scott; he works for Neil Klein at the State Department in the office of intelligence. We may have a problem, Lyle. The packet of information that George Kelshaw was carrying reached Neil Klein.”

“What was in it, Brad?” Lyle was nervous.

“I’m not certain, I’m afraid that there may be some information about GCI. We know that it was Kelshaw that burgled the Bangkok office.”

Lyle asked, “What do you want me to do, Brad?”

“Call your Tokyo office alerting them to what has happened and make certain that all of the contract information is secured. Does Carr know about the break-in?” Brad asked.

“Possibly, although we haven’t discussed it; nothing escapes him for long.”