W.E.B. Griffin - Retreat, Hell!

RESPECTFULLY, AND WITH BEST REGARDS TO BESS

RALPH

END PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM GENERAL HOWE

TOP SECRET/PRESIDENTIAL

Pickering put the message back in the envelope and handed it back to Truman.

"Thank you, sir," he said.

"I'd hoped there would be better news about your boy," Truman said.

"Thank you, sir," Pickering said.

Truman smiled.

"Did you get the feeling that General Walker's missing airplane and the air­plane Colonel Vandenburg 'somehow acquired' are in any way connected?"

Pickering chuckled. He said, "General Howe didn't seem to share General Walker's indignation, did he?"

"Well, maybe the airplane'll be useful in trying to locate your son," the Pres­ident said.

"I hope so, sir," Pickering said. "I just hope that the airplane, and those he­licopters—that was the first I'd heard about that—aren't needed somewhere else more than—"

"I would think that right now the insertion of agents is very important. We need to know what the Chinese may be up to, and we have to make every ef­fort to get both General Dean and your son back."

"Yes, sir."

"I'm sure you're aware, General, that I've given a good deal of thought to replacing Admiral Hillencoetter at the CIA. And I'm sure you're aware you were high on my list of potential directors."

"I was afraid of that, sir. I really don't think I'm qualified to take it over."

"I do, and so does Ralph Howe, in whose judgment I place a lot of trust, but it's not going to be you, and I suppose the real reason I came over here was to tell you that face-to-face."

"Sir, you could have sent me a postcard, as long as that was the message."

Truman chuckled. "You really didn't want it, did you?"

"No, sir, I did not."

"But you would have taken it, had I asked?"

“Yes, sir.”

"Do you know General Walter Bedell Smith?"

"I know who he is, sir, but I've never met him."

"He didn't want the job, either," Truman said. "I had to work hard to con­vince him it was important to the country."

"From what I know of him, sir, he's far better qualified than I am for the job."

"That's what he said about you," Truman said, smiling. "He said that he had virtually no experience with the nuts and bolts of the intelligence business, and you had an enormous amount of practical on-the-job experience." He paused, then added: "He knew a great deal about you, General."

"Maybe he said that because he really didn't want the job, either," Picker­ing said. "I've never regarded myself as anything but an amateur who found himself in water far over his head."

"General Donovan used very much the same words to describe his own feel­ings," Truman said.

"You're talking about Wild Bill Donovan of the OSS, Mr. President?" Pick­ering asked, as if confused.

Truman nodded.

"I understand you were great friends," the President said, his smile making it clear he knew exactly the opposite to be true.

Pickering smiled back at the President and chuckled.

"I made a mistake when I disestablished the OSS," Truman said. "When I realized the country needed an organization like the OSS, I asked Donovan to come see me, to ask what he thought we needed, and how we should go about getting it."

"Despite our differences, Mr. President, I don't think anyone can fault Gen­eral Donovan's leadership of the OSS in the Second War."

"What he said, in essence, was that he could have done a far better job if he had been perceived as a member of the military establishment, rather than as 'an amateur with friends in high places in water over his head.' "

"The OSS was not very popular with the military establishment, Mr. Pres­ident. I don't think the CIA is, either." He paused as understanding dawned, and then said, "Oh."

"Uh-huh," Truman said. "I can't think of anyone who is as much a re­spected, liked, admired, proven member of the military establishment than General Eisenhower's World War Two Chief of Staff, General Walter Bedell Smith."

Pickering nodded, and said, "I completely agree, sir."

"Admiral Hillencoetter was gracious enough to offer his resignation right after this war started. When I asked him who he thought should replace him, he said I might think about bringing General Donovan back, or, failing that, to offer the job to you. General Donovan had already made it plain he wasn't interested, so your name was on my list from the beginning."

"I'm really surprised to hear that, Mr. President. I only met Admiral Hil­lencoetter that one time."

"At which meeting you handed him intelligence that the North Koreans were preparing for war, something which had not filtered up to him from his people in the field," Truman said. "The admiral is a good man, General. He had egg on his face, but he was man enough to admit it, and it never entered his mind to shoot the messenger."

Pickering considered that and nodded.

"So General Smith will be my new boss?"

Truman nodded.

"How does he feel about me? Mr. President, I would be happy to give up my position in the CIA. I would like to stay on active duty, if possible, until we see what's going to happen with my son."

"I didn't come here to ask for your resignation," the President said. "I came to tell you why I thought it best to name General Smith CIA Director. Which I will do as soon as I get back to my office. He's at the Army-Navy Club hop­ing to hear I've changed my mind. I want you to get together with him as soon as possible . . . maybe even this afternoon. The more you can tell him before we go to Wake Island, the better."

"He's going with you to Wake Island? That's a good idea, Mr. President. I think he'll mesh well with General MacArthur."

"He's not going to Wake Island, General, you are," the President said. "And after that meeting, you're going on to Tokyo, where you will implement the changes General Smith has ordered."

"Do you know what he has in mind, sir?"

"No. And neither will he until you and he get together and decide what they'll be." He paused long enough for that to sink in, then added: "But when those orders are issued, I'm sure General Smith will let it be known through­out the military establishment that they came from him, and not some 'ama­teur who finds himself in water over his head.' I'm also sure that he will make it known that he was quite pleased that you agreed to stay on."

"Because you told him that?"

"No. The ironic thing here is that he feels he is the amateur in deep water. He was really worried that you would want to leave."

The President stood up and, when Pickering got to his feet, put out his hand. Truman looked as if was going to say something but changed his mind. He nodded at Pickering, shook his hand, and walked to the door.

[TWO]

The Army-Navy Club

Washington, D.C.

1215 11 October 19SO

General Walter Bedell Smith's entire suite on the fourth floor of the Army-Navy Club would have fit, with room to spare, into Brigadier General Fleming Pick­ering's sitting room in the Foster Lafayette.

Smith, who was wearing a dark gray suit, a crisp white shirt, and a rep-striped necktie, opened the door to Pickering's knock himself and put out his hand.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, General," Smith said.

How the hell do I reply to that? "You're welcome"? "My pleasure"? This chap is a four-star general who is about to become the Director of the CIA. People like that don't have to thank underlings for coming quickly when summoned.

Smith looked at his watch.

"Fifteen minutes," he said, smiling. "That's quick."

"General, this is Captain Hart," Pickering said. "If you have no objection, I'd like him to sit in on this. He has an uncanny ability to later recall who said what and to whom."