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

Morrissette opened Colonel William J. Donovan's door without knocking and waved Rickabee in ahead of him.

"Colonel Donovan," he said. "I believe you know Colonel Rickabee?"

"Yes, of course," Donovan said, rising behind his desk and putting out his hand. "I see the chickens, Fritz. Well deserved, and long overdue."

"Thank you, Sir."

"What have you got for me?"

"This, Sir. Captain Haughton, Secretary Knox's assistant, hand-carried this to me this morning, with instructions to make it available to you."

He handed him the manila folder stamped TOP SECRET.

Donovan waved the two of them into the two red leather chairs in front of his desk, sat down, and opened the folder.

T O P S E C R E T

SUPREME HEADQUARTERS SWPOA 1515 HOURS 11DEC42

EYES ONLY -THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY WASH DC

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF PACIFIC PEARL HARBOR TH

VIA SPECIAL CHANNEL

DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN

ORIGINAL TO BE DESTROYED AFTER ENCRYPTION AND TRANSMITTAL

RADIO FROM BRIQGEN FLEMING PICKERING USMCR REPORTS SSN SUNFISH DEPARTED ESPIRITU SANTO 0505 LOCALTIME 11 DEC 1942 CARRYING ABOARD FERTIG CONTACT TEAM. FURTHER DETAILS WILL BE FURNISHED AS AVAILABLE. SUPREME COMMANDER SWPOA HAS BEEN ADVISED.

BRIGGEN PICKERING DESIRES CONTENTS THIS MESSAGE BE FURNISHED COL F. L. RICKABEE USMC OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS IMMEDIATELY AND STATES HE HAS NO OBJECTION TO THIS

INFORMATION BEING MADE AVAILABLE TO DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES:

A. PERSONNEL OF FERTIG CONTACT TEAM ARE AS FOLLOWS:

MCCOY, KENNETH R FIRST LIEUTENANT USMCR 489657 OFFICER-IN-COMMAND

ZIMMERMAN, ERNEST W GUNNERY SERGEANT 18909 USMC DEPUTY COMMANDER

KOFFLER, STEPHEN M STAFF SERGEANT USMC 504883 USMC RADIO OPERATOR

B. IN ADDITION, BRIGGEN PICKERING STATED SUNFISH ALSO CARRIED ABOARD LIEUTENANT CHAMBERS D. LEWIS, USN, AS PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE ADM NIMITZ. LEWIS WILL NOT GO ASHORE.

C. IN ADDITION, BRIGGEN PICKERING STATED CAPTAIN ROBERT B. MACKLIN, USMC, OF OSS QUOTE

OPERATION WINDMILL ENDQUOTB WITH WHICH HE IS NOT FAMILIAR IS ALSO ABOARD SUNFISH AND MAY

GO ASHORE AS OBSERVER. THE DECISION WILL BE MADE AT TIME OF LANDING BY LIEUTENANT MCCOY

BASED ON HIS ASSESSMENT AT THAT TIME OF MACKLINS POTENTIAL VALUE AND/OR THREAT TO MISSION.

D. CAPTAIN EDWARD SESSIONS, USMC WILL DEPART BRISBANE FOR WASH DC VIA PEARL HARBOR AND SAN

FRANCISCO 0900 12DEC42 AND IS PREPARED TO BRIEF INTERESTED PERSONNEL ON ARRIVAL.

BY DIRECTION BRIGGEN PICKERING USMCR

HON MAJOR SIGNAL CORPS USA

T O P S E C R E T

Donovan smiled as he began to read the message. By the time he was fin-ished, the smile was visibly strained.

"First rate, Fritz," he said. "We're moving."

"Yes, Sir."

"This lieutenant, McCoy. And the others. Are you familiar with them?"

"Yes, Sir. They're assigned to us."

Donovan waited until he was sure that he had gotten all he was going to get from Rickabee without prompting, then made a come on gesture with his right hand.

"Lieutenant McCoy and Gunny Zimmerman made the Makin Island raid with Captain Roosevelt, Sir. Sergeant Koffler spent some time on Buka with the Australian Coastwatchers, Sir. They're experienced in this type of opera-tion."

"I felt sure General Pickering would select the best available men," Donovan said.

"I think he did, Sir," Rickabee replied.

"You were not familiar with 'Operation Windmill,' Fritz?"

"No, Sir."

"Our fault, obviously. Sorry. We should have made sure you, and General Pickering, were brought in on that. It is, of course, simply the name we as-signed to the Fertig operation."

"Yes, Sir."

"I would be grateful, when Captain Sessions arrives, if he could brief Mr. Morrissette and myself."

"I'll see to it that he does, Sir."

"Have you got anything else for me, Fritz?"

"No, Sir. That's about it."

"Well, thank you for bringing this so promptly to my attention."

"My pleasure, Sir."

"Well, then, Fritz, I won't keep you. Thank you very much."

"Yes, Sir."

"Mo, stick around a minute, will you?" Donovan said.

"Thank you, Colonel Rickabee," Morrissette said, and offered his hand.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Rickabee said.

Donovan waited until Rickabee had closed the door after him and then turned to Morrissette.

"What would you say are the chances that the President has already seen, or will soon see, that goddamn special channel?"

"One hundred percent, Bill. If Frank Knox doesn't show it-hasn't al-ready shown it-to him, I'm sure he'll get it back-channel. Nimitz to Leahy to FDR."

"I don't like to be sandbagged like that. I'll burn Pickering's ass for this."

"For what?

"What do you mean, for what? Did you read that?"

"General Pickering, in compliance with his orders, is making every rea-sonable effort to include our guy on the mission. He's on the submarine. If he doesn't go ashore, it will be because the officer in charge decides that his pres-ence would pose a threat to the mission."

"Our guy is a captain. This McCoy is only a lieutenant. Our guy should be the officer-in-command."

"This one made the Makin Island raid with Roosevelt's son," Morrissette said. "And if you think Pickering hasn't made sure that FDR knows that, you're underestimating him again."

"Meaning?"

"You'll have a hard time convincing FDR that Pickering's sandbagging you by putting this lieutenant in charge. This lieutenant is a Marine Raider, and Marine Raiders generally-and especially one who was on the Makin raid with young Roosevelt-are the apples of FDR's eye."

"You don't really expect me to take this lying down?"

"Are you. asking for advice?"

"Yeah. Advise me."

"Make your peace with Pickering."

Donovan looked at him for a long moment.

"Thank you, Mo," he said. "Is there anything else?"

Morrissette shook his head, no.

[ONE]

Headquarters, U.S. Forces in the Philippines

Davao Oriental Province

Mindanao, Commonwealth of the Philippines

1845 Hours 23 December 1942

It was raining, and Captain James B. Weston, USFIP, stumbled while climb-ing-and nearly slipped off-the rain-slick ladderlike stairs leading to the quarters of Brigadier General Wendell W. Fertig. He managed not to drop his Thompson submachine gun, but his campaign hat fell into the darkness, and he had to climb back down the stairs and look for it on his hands and knees under the house.

Finally, he gained the porch and walked down it to the door. Hanging over the door as a blackout device was a piece of canvas-reclaimed by United States Forces in the Philippines after six months of service to the Japanese on a captured U.S. Army ton-and-a-half truck.

Someone remembered reading that the light of a candle could be seen from an aircraft on a dark night for seven miles. It sounded a bit incredible, but Headquarters USFIP was in no position to put their incredulity to the test, and General Fertig had ordered blackout curtains over all doors and windows after nightfall, whenever lanterns or candles were alight inside.

Weston pushed aside the blackout curtain and stepped inside. The only light came from one kerosene lamp and three homemade lamps consisting of burning wicks in the necks of Coca-Cola bottles filled with coconut oil; but Weston's eyes, accustomed to the absolute blackness of the night, took a mo-ment to adjust.

After they adjusted, he saw General Fertig behind his desk, and two of the three members of the USFIP Signal Section-Second Lieutenant Robert Ball (signal officer) and Sergeant Ignacio LaMadrid (chief radio operator)-sitting on rattan chairs. Ball and LaMadrid held Coca-Cola bottles containing the getting-better-all-the-time USFIP brewed beer, and four bottles of beer, three of them empty, were on Fertig's desk.