W.E.B. Griffin - The Corps VII - Behind the Lines

He called Donovan "the Director," Knox thought. Not "Colonel." Is that because Donovan wants it that way, because "the Director" reminds peo-ple that he is not just one more recalled World War I colonel but the Director of the Office of Strategic Services-on the level off J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI, who also likes to be called "the Director"?

Or is it because he wants to remind me that Donovan ranks higher in the hierarchy than a lowly colonel? On the other hand, Secretary of War Stimson, who also served in France as a Colonel, likes to be called "Colonel."

The rank structure here is confused, almost certainly because Franklin Roosevelt wants it to be. Admiral Leahy is a serving officer of the Navy. I am Secretary of the Navy. Therefore he is legally subordinate to me. But he is also Chief of Staff to the President. If he were de facto subordinate to me, instead of de jure, this meeting would be held in my office. After he had called Haughton and asked for an appointment.

I am here. Ergo, he speaks with the authority of the President. "May we speak frankly?" Donovan asked. "Among the three of us."

"Of course," Knox said.

"I am advised by my Brisbane station chief that General MacArthur has not, as of yesterday morning, found time in his schedule to receive him-de-spite, I am sure, the best efforts of Fleming Pickering."

"You suggested we speak frankly," Knox replied. "I am advised by Gen-eral Pickering, Bill, that General MacArthur does not want-how did he put it?-'the nose of your camel under his tent.' "

"The President does," Donovan said abruptly.

"The President sent General Pickering over there with express orders to convince General MacArthur that the Office of Strategic Services has a contri-bution to make to SWPOA."

"He has apparently been unable to do so," Donovan said. "The word you used to describe General MacArthur a moment ago was 'intractable,' "

Knox said. "I have every confidence that General Pickering has done his best to comply with the President's instructions."

"I like Fleming Pickering," Donovan said.

That's not the way I heard it.

"I offered him a job in my shop, you know," Donovan went on. "He declined it."

You offered him a job at the second or third level, which was either stupid-ity on your part, or vindictiveness. He didn't like the size of the bill you sent him in a maritime case, and told you so in blunt and unmistakable terms. You are not used to being talked to like that; you didn't like it; and when he volun-teered for the OSS, you put him in his place.

Which, in the final analysis, was stupidity. He told me the first time I met him that I should have resigned after the debacle of Pearl Harbor. I was smart enough to realize that a man who not only owns, but runs, the second- or third-largest shipping fleet in the world is both accustomed to saying exactly what's on his mind and is wholly unimpressed with political titles.

I put him to work, and his performance exceeded even my high expectations.

"Did you really think, Bill, that Fleming Pickering would be willing to work two or three levels down your chain of command?" Knox asked.

"The President is determined," Admiral Leahy said, trying to change the subject, hoping to avoid a confrontation between the two powerful men, "that General MacArthur will accept the services of the OSS, for the good of the war effort."

"I wonder why the President doesn't simply send him a radio message to that effect?" Knox asked.

"Because he knows, as you know, and I know, that MacArthur would at best pay only lip service to such an order," Donovan replied. "And, at worst, with his judgment questioned, he'd threaten to resign. He did that twice when he was Chief of Staff, you know. And when it became apparent that he was about to lose the Philippines, he announced that he was going to resign his commission and go to Bataan to fight as a private soldier. Our Douglas has a flair for the dramatic."

"The President, Mr. Secretary," Admiral Leahy said, "is reluctant to issue General MacArthur an order that might-from his point of view-ques-tion his authority or his judgment to the point where he might... respond inappropriately."

Politics again. The carefully nurtured image of the President as Commander-in-Chief would be badly tarnished if any one of his senior generals or admirals resigned in protest. When that senior general was General Douglas MacArthur, the heroic defender of the Philippines, whom Roosevelt had praised so often and effusively, and had awarded the Medal of Honor, the dam-age would be enormous.

Particularly if MacArthur-still furious that the Philippines had not re-ceived supplies, and that General George Marshall had effectively taken com-mand of the Philippines away from him the moment he got on the PT boat to go to Australia-came back and started giving speeches about Roosevelt's mili-tary ineptitude. And MacArthur was fully aware he did not have to obey any orders, from anyone, that he didn't like.

"You said, Bill, you thought you have a solution to the problem?" Knox said.

"I have one that will accomplish what everybody wants," Donovan said. "One that the President finds very interesting," Admiral Leahy said.

I'm fully aware that you speak with the authority of the President, Admi-ral, thank you very much. But if this brilliant idea has Presidential approval set in concrete, I would be told about it, not asked.

"Tell me, Bill, what is it you think I want?"

"What the President wants, what Admirals Leahy and Nimitz want, what General Pickering wants."

"Which is?"

"To assist this chap Fertig in the Philippines," Donovan said. "I also sus-pect that in his heart of hearts, Douglas MacArthur would like to help him, too. But Douglas is worried about two things: He has stated publicly that guerrilla operations in the Philippines are impossible at this time; and he doesn't want to be proved wrong. Even worse than that, from his perspective, he would hate to admit that he was wrong, that this chap Fertig does indeed exist, and then have it proved that Fertig is a lunatic-that business of his promoting himself to general is more than a little strange-and that guerrilla operations are indeed not possible. That would make him wrong twice. Douglas MacArthur doesn't like to be wrong at all."

"I'm not sure I follow you," Knox said.

"The first thing I thought, frankly, was to have General Pickering assigned to the OSS. That would solve a good many problems."

"It would also cause some," Knox said. "Speaking frankly, as you sug-gested we should, not only would General Pickering rather violently object to that, but so would I."

"I made that point to the President, Mr. Secretary," Admiral Leahy said. "It is his feeling that General Pickering should be transferred to the OSS only as a last resort."

"And what are the intermediate steps? The first resort?" Watch it! You 're being sarcastic! The fact that I don't like Donovan does not make him a fool. Antagonizing him would accomplish nothing whatever.

"Best case, a team of experts is sent into the Philippines, finds that Fertig is what he says he is, that, with support, he can deliver what he promises to, and once that is accomplished, MacArthur makes the announcement, gets the credit."

"OK. What's the worst case?"

"Fertig turns out to be a disaster, a lunatic, and the team comes out and so reports. That would make MacArthur's statement that guerrilla operations in the Philippines are impossible at this time perfectly accurate."

"Bill, you're not suggesting, I hope, that the OSS take over this opera-tion?"

"Would you have problems with that, Mr. Secretary?" Donovan asked.

"Bill, they're just about ready to go."

"The colonel you were going to send in is no longer available," Donovan said. "Pickering is planning on entrusting the great responsibility of evaluating this man Fertig to a lieutenant."