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

"Frankly, Bill, I'd like to know how you came by that information," Knox said coldly.

"From Admiral Leahy," Donovan said. "I don't see why that should of-fend you. For God's sake, we're both on the same side in this war. I heard of that radio station on Mindanao through OSS channels. When I discussed this with the Admiral, he filled in the details of Pickering's involvement."

He's right, damn him. He is the Director of the OSS; he has every right to access to the details of this operation.

"General Pickering has great confidence in that lieutenant," Knox said. The expressions on both Colonel Donovan's and Admiral Leahy's face made it plain they had little faith in Pickering's judgment on this subject.

And they 're right, too. I didn't say anything to Pickering, but I was sur-prised when he didn't ask Colonel Rickabee for a more senior, more experi-enced, officer than his Lieutenant McCoy. And he knows there is a problem; otherwise he wouldn't have gotten into the business of arranging for that ser-geant to be transferred to go with McCoy. He even referred to Banning, a major, as the man he 'd like to send with McCoy.

"All right, Bill, what are you proposing?" Knox asked. "Among the Marines you have seconded to us are a major and a captain who I want to send in with Pickering's lieutenant," Donovan said.

"How do you suggest that this affect Pickering's role, his authority, and his responsibility in this operation?"

"Not at all. All we'll be doing is providing some assistance," Donovan said smoothly. "They will not reveal their OSS association unless and until the Operation Windmill is successful. The Major is fluent in Spanish. Good family. They have interests in the Banana Republics and Cuba, and he appar-ently has spent some time down there. He's a Princeton graduate, a reserve officer..."

There are those, Secretary Knox thought, who believe that OSS stands for Oh, So Social. And it's a fact that Donovan seems to recruit his people from the Ivy League, people whose "families have interests" in exotic places. But so what? George Patton's an aristocrat; his aide is Charley Codman of the Bos-ton Codmans. And they're both splendid soldiers. Franklin Roosevelt's son made the Makin Island raid, and by every definition I know, he's an aristocrat. And so, for God's sake, are Fleming Pickering and his son. Why am I so antag-onistic toward Donovan?

"... The Captain's a regular, an Annapolis graduate. He served in China before the war, speaks a little Japanese, which might prove helpful. He was wounded-serving with the Marine paratroops on Tulagi-during the Guadal-canal invasion. I can't see how they could be anything but helpful, Frank."

"Your thinking, obviously, is that if this operation goes well, you've got MacArthur on a spot. How can he be against the OSS if your people worked so well?"

"That's the general idea."

"What will you do, Bill, if MacArthur says, in effect, I still don't want your camel's nose under my tent?"

"Then I'll think of something else," Donovan said. "May I tell the President how you regard Director Donovan's proposal, Mr. Secretary?" Admiral Leahy asked.

"With these caveats, Admiral, I will go along with Director Donovan: First, that there is no diminution whatever of General Pickering's authority."

"Agreed," Donovan said.

"Which means that General Pickering will have the final say, once he meets these officers, about whether or not they get to go."

"I'm sure General Pickering will be delighted to get them."

"I'm not so sure. You agree that he will have the final decision? About them? About everything?"

"Agreed," Donovan said. "I'm trying to get my nose in Douglas MacArthur's tent, Mr. Secretary, not yours."

"You understand my position, Admiral?"

"Yes, Mr. Secretary."

"Then you may inform the President that I'm willing to sign on," Knox said. And then he thought of something else. "One more thing: The present schedule will not be delayed in any way by the attachment of your two offi-cers."

"As soon as I get back to my office, I will telephone the Country Club, where these two are sitting on their packed bags, and order them to report to Colonel Rickabee at eight o'clock tomorrow morning." Knox knew what he meant by the Country Club.

"I'll arrange for their air priorities, Mr. Secretary, if Colonel Rickabee encounters a problem," Admiral Leahy said. "And I will advise Admiral Nimitz, with a Special Channel Personal, of the President's interest in this opera-tion. That should ensure a submarine when and where General Pickering needs it."

Why do I feel I have just been talked into something I shouldn't be doing?

"Thank you, Admiral," Knox said.

He got out of his chair and started for the door.

"Here's their names, Frank," Donovan said, and handed him a three-by-five-inch card on which two names were typed.

Knox glanced at it.

Brownlee, Major James C. III

Macklin, Captain Robert B.

He recognized neither name.

[FIVE]

Office of the Secretary of the Navy

Washington, D.C.

2105 Hours 17 November 1942

Chief Petty Officer Stanley Hansen, USN, entered without knocking the office of Captain David W. Haughton, USN, Administrative Assistant to the Secre-tary of the Navy, and laid a single sheet of typewriter paper on his desk.

"The Secretary said I should run that past you, Captain, before I send it," he said.

T O P S E C R E T

THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY

WASHINGTON

VIA SPECIAL CHANNEL

DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN

ORIGINAL TO BE DESTROYED AFTER ENCRYPTION AND TRANSMITTAL

SUPREME COMMANDER SWPOA

EYES ONLY BRIG GEN F. W. PICKERING, USMCR

(TIME TIME TIME) 1? NOVEMBER 1942

FOLLOWING PERSONAL FROM SECNAV FOR BRIG GEN PICKERING

DEAR FLEMING:

I JUST CAME FROM A MEETING WITH ADMIRAL LEAHY AND COLONEL DONOVAN OF THE OSS IN WHICH THE SUBJECTS OF EVALUATING FERTIG'S GUERRILLA OPERATION AND ITS POTENTIAL AND OSS OPERATIONS IN MACARTHUR'S SWPOA CAME UP. I BELIEVE THE MEETING WAS HELD WITH EITHER THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PRESIDENT OR AT HIS DIRECTION.

COLONEL DONOVAN, WHOSE DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR OPERATION CAME FROM BOTH HIS OWN SOURCES AND FROM ADMIRAL LEAHY, PROPOSED THE FOLLOWING AS A MEANS TO OVERCOME GENERAL MACARTHUR'S RELUCTANCE TO ACCEPT OSS SERVICES.

HE WILL DETAIL TWO USMC OFFICERS PRESENTLY SECONDED TO THE OSS TO MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS TO PARTICIPATE, UNDER YOUR COMMAND, IN THE MISSION TO FERTIG. DONOVAN SAYS BOTH AGENTS, A MAJOR AND A CAPTAIN, ARE HIGHLY TRAINED IN THIS SORT OF THING. HE MADE THE POINT THAT DESPITE YOUR HIGH REGARD FOR LIEUTENANT MCCOY, GIVING A YOUNG JUNIOR OFFICER THAT LEVEL OF RESPONSIBILITY IS ASKING A GOOD DEAL OF HIM. DONOVAN'S AGENTS WILL NOT REVEAL THEIR OSS CONNECTION UNLESS AND UNTIL THE MISSION TO FERTIG PROVES SUCCESSFUL.

HAD YOU BEEN ABLE TO MAKE PROGRESS WITH MACARTHUR VIS-A-VIS SWPOA AND THE OSS AND/OR HAD COLONEL STECKER BEEN AVAILABLE, OR SOME OTHER SENIOR OFFICER, I MIGHT HAVE DECLINED DONOVAN'S OFFER TO HELP.

ONCE I AGREED TO IT, LEAHY VOLUNTEERED TO SEND A SPECIAL CHANNEL PERSONAL TO NIMITZ GUARANTEEING A SUBMARINE WHEN AND WHERE YOU NEED IT. HAUGHTON WILL COORDINATE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS, ET CETERA, VIS-A-VIS DONOVAN'S PEOPLE, WHO WELL REPORT TO RICKABEE TOMORROW.

BEST PERSONAL REGARDS FRANK

END PERSONAL SECNAV TO BRIG GEN PICKERING

HAUGHTON CAPT TJSN ADMIN ASST TO SECNAV

T O P S E C R E T

Haughton read it, then glanced at his watch, crossed out TIME TIME TIME, wrote in 2110, and handed it back to Chief Hansen.

"Is he still here?"

"He was when he gave me that, Sir."

Haughton picked up a telephone, which automatically rang a similar in-strument on Secretary Knox's desk.

"That Special Channel looks fine, Mr. Secretary," he said when Knox picked up. "May I show it to Colonel Rickabee?"