W.E.B. Griffin - The Corps 03 - Counterattack

"Sir?"

"I bought some maps that neither the Army nor the Navy could come up with on their own. I was happy to do it, but I want my money back. Whiskey all right?"

"I’m overwhelmed by your hospitality, Sir."

"I’m delighted that you’re here. I sometimes feel very much the lonely soul. At least I won’t have to watch what I say to you after I’ve had a couple of drinks."

"I’m carrying a message for you from Mrs. Feller, Sir, too."

"Oh. She was my secretary in Washington when I first came in the Navy. And, of course, you know what she’s doing in Hawaii."

"Yes, Sir. When I saw her there, she said to give you her best regards, and to tell you that she hopes you’ll soon have a chance to resume your interrupted conversation."

"What?"

"She sends her regards and says she hopes you’ll soon have a chance to resume your interrupted conversation."

"Oh. Yes, of course. Private joke."

My God, she’s not only not embarrassed about what happened in the Coronado Beach Hotel, but wants me to know she meant what she said Thank Christ she’s in Hawaii!

A bellman delivered a crisply pressed uniform and a pair of highly polished shoes.

Pickering followed Banning into the bedroom as Banning started to get dressed.

"Tomorrow, I’m going to take you around to meet Admiral Brewer," he said. "Australian. Deputy chief of their naval intelligence. I want you to meet him and see if we can’t get a letter of introduction for you to the man who runs the Coastwatcher operation. They’re working out of a little town called Townesville, on the northeastern coast. The man in charge is a guy named Eric Feldt, Lieutenant Commander, Australian Navy.

Nice guy. Until I met you, I was a little worried. He is not overly fond of the U.S. Navy officers he’s met. But I think he’ll get along with you."

"That’s flattering, Sir, but why?"

"Just a feeling. I think you’re two of a kind."

"Captain, I don’t know how soon, but probably within the next couple of days, the rest of my people will be coming in from Hawaii, probably in dribs and drabs. Should I make arrangements to put them into that hotel with Koffler?"

"How many?"

"One officer, a first lieutenant, and fifteen enlisted men."

"I’m not trying to tell you how to run your operation, but presumably you’ll be moving them, or at least most of them, to Townesville?"

"If that’s where the Coastwatchers are, yes, Sir."

"Open to suggestion?"

"Yes, Sir, of course."

"I think you’d better go up there alone at first. If things work out, you can rent a house for them up there."

" ‘If things work out,’ Sir?"

"Commander Feldt can be difficult," Pickering said. "Both the Army and the Navy have sent people up there. He told both groups to ‘sod off.’ Can you guess what that means?"

"I think so, Sir," Banning said, smiling.

"I’m hoping that he will see you as someone who has come to be of help, not take charge. If he does, then you can rent a house for your people up there. In the meantime, it might get a little crowded, so we’ll put them up in my house, here."

"Your house, Sir?"

"Against what I suppose is the inevitable:-my being told to vacate these quarters-I rented a house." He saw the confusion on Banning’s face. "A number, a large number, of MacArthur’s Palace Guard want me out of here; I am too close to the Divine Throne."

"I understand, Sir," Banning said, turning from the mirror where he was tying his field scarf to smile at Pickering.

"I’ll call. Right now, as a matter of fact, and have the house activated. If I had known you would have that kid with you, I would already have done it."

"Activated, Sir?"

"It comes with a small staff. Housekeeper, maids, a cook. Since I’m not in it, I put them on vacation."

"That sounds fine, but who pays for it? I’m not sure I’m authorized to put my people on per diem."

"Frank Knox’s Confidential Fund will pay for it," Pickering said, "but let me make it clear to you, Banning, that you’re authorized to do about anything you damned well please. You answer only to me."

He went to a telephone and gave the operator a number.

"Mrs. Mannshow, this is Fleming Pickering. I’m glad I caught you in. Do you think you could get those people to come off Ninety Mile Beach and start running the house starting tomorrow?"

He looked at Banning and smiled, and gestured for Banning to make himself another drink.

(Six)

top secret

Eyes Only-The Secretary of the Navy

DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN

ORIGINAL TO BE DESTROYED AFTER ENCRYPTION AND TRANSMITTAL TO SECNAVY

Menzies Hotel

Melbourne, Australia

Wednesday, 20 May 194 2

Dear Frank:

I thought it appropriate to report on the status quo here, especially the thinking of the General, insofar as the Battle of the Coral Sea and other events seem to have affected it.

But before I get to that, let me report the arrival of my own reinforcements. Major Ed Banning arrived yesterday, together with his advance party, one ferocious Marine paratrooper who must be all of seventeen. The balance of his command is still in Hawaii, trying to get on an airplane for the trip here. If it could be arranged to get them a higher priority without causing undue attention, I suggest that it be provided to them. In my judgment, it is more important to get Banning’s people here and integrated with the Australian Coastwatchers than it is to send more Army and Marine colonels and Navy captains here so they can start setting up their empires.

Banning, of course, carried your let ter, for which I thank you (and the check, for which I thank you even more; if Banning has to start chartering fishing boats, etc., his operation can become very expensive, very soon). And he brought me up to date on Albatross operations in Hawaii, in particular their effectiveness vis-a-vis what happened in the Coral Sea.

I am very impressed with Banning, but fear that he is less than pleased with me. He made it clear that he considers himself to be under my orders, which I immediately made use of by forbidding him even to think about going behind Japanese lines himself. Because of his Japanese language skills and understanding of their minds, for one thing, and for another, because I think he knows too much about Albatross, he is too valuable to risk being captured.

Now to the General:

Until he learned that the Japanese had occupied Tulagi, I really didn’t think he paid much attention to the fact that the border between his area and Nimitz‘s had been moved from 160 degrees east longitude, where the Joint Chiefs originally established it, to where it is now. But after the Japs took Tulagi, he became painfully aware that Nimitz now had responsibility for both Tulagi and Guadalcanal, the much larger island to the south.

He is now convinced that the new division of responsibility was established-the line changed-by his cabal of enemies, Marshall and King again, to deny him authority over territory he considers essential to his mission of defending Australia. I am finding it harder and harder to fault his logic and support that of the JCS.

The argument, I know, is that it is the Navy’s responsibility to maintain the sea lanes, and that was the argument for putting the border at 160 EL. MacArthur counters that this would hold water only if the Navy were occupying the land in question and using it for that purpose. And, of course, they are not, and have shown no indication that they intend to.

All of this was exacerbated when he learned that the day after he had surrendered Corregidor, General Wainwright went on the radio in Manila and ordered all forces in the Philippines to lay down their arms. This enraged him for several reasons, not necessarily in proportion to their importance to the war.