Griffin W.E.B. - The Corps 08 - In Dangers Path

«May I introduce my officers, sir?» Platt asked.

«Of course,» Pickering said.

Platt led him around the table and introduced him to the officers of OSS station Chungking.

They all look like they were stamped from the same mold as Sampson

, Pickering thought.

Nice-looking, intelligent-looking, young men

.

«I'll gratefully eat whatever is put before me,» Pickering announced when he had taken his seat.

Lieutenant Colonel Platt rang a small silver bell, and a line of houseboys marched into the room and began serving breakfast.

Lieutenant Colonel Ed Banning came through the door, noticing as he did an empty place beside Colonel Waterson. He wondered if it was left empty by coincidence or was reserved for him. He slipped into it. «Good morning, General,» he said.

«Any word on McCoy, Ed?» Pickering asked.

Banning, looking uncomfortable, shook his head, «no.»

«I did talk to the B-17 pilot, sir. He'd like to take off at four, if that fits in with Colonel Waterson's schedule.»

«You have any problem with that, Jack?»

«No, sir.»

«Okay, Ed, confirm that.»

«Aye, aye, sir,» Banning said. «And there's been another Special Channel for you.» He reached into his tunic pocket and handed Pickering a sealed envelope.

'"Special Channel'?» Captain Sampson quoted curiously. «May I ask—«

«No, you may not,» Colonel Platt said.

Well, at least Platt learns quick

, Pickering thought, suppressing a smile at the look on Captain Sampson's face. He tore open the envelope and read the Special Channel.

T O P S E C R E T

CINCPAC HAWAII

VIA SPECIAL CHANNEL

DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN

0905 GREENWICH 8 APRIL 1943

US MILITARY MISSION TO CHINA

EYES ONLY BRIGGEN FLEMING PICKERING, USMC

BEGIN PERSONAL FROM ADM NIMITZ TO BRIG GEN PICKERING

DEAR FLEMING:

REFERENCE REPORT FROM YOUR MAJOR DILLON DATED 7 APR 43:

FOR YOUR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, I HAVE BEEN ADVISED BY MAJGEN MCINERNEY THAT FULLY QUALIFIED VOLUNTEER PILOTS WILL BE ON STATION HERE WITHIN NO MORE THAN FORTY-EIGHT (48) HOURS.

SUBMARINE SUNFISH WILL BE AVAILABLE TO OPERATION GOBI AS OF 1600 GREENWICH 8 APRIL AND DRY RUN IN HAWAIIAN WATERS INVOLVING BOTH AIRCRAFT WILL BE CONDUCTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE THEREAFTER.

INASMUCH AS ESTIMATED BEST POSSIBLE SAILING TIME TO RENDEZVOUS POINT FOURTEEN (14) DAYS TWELVE (12) HOURS AND ACTUAL SAILING TIME WILL LIKELY TAKE AS MUCH AS FOUR (4) DAYS LONGER, REARADM WAGAM RECOMMENDS THAT SUNFISH SAO, FOR RENDEZVOUS POINT IMMEDIATELY AFTER CONCLUSION OF SUCCESSFUL DRY RUN AND REMAIN ON STATION UNTIL RENDEZVOUS IS MADE OR MISSION ABORTED. IN ABSENCE OF OBJECTION FROM YOU THIS WILL BE ORDERED.

AGAINST THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE FIRST RENDEZVOUS ATTEMPT MAY FAIL, WITH THE LOSS OF AIRCRAFT, AND MAY TAKE PLACE AFTER SUNFISH HAS BEEN ON STATION FOR SOME TIME WITH RESULTANT EXHAUSTION OF FUEL AND FOOD, I HAVE DIRECTED REARADM WAGAM TO HAVE TWO ADDITIONAL PBY-5A AIRCRAFT MODIFIED AT EWA IMMEDIATELY, AND TO BE PREPARED IMMEDIATELY UPON NOTIFICATION THAT THE FIRST RENDEZVOUS ATTEMPT HAS BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL AND SUNFISH IS RETURNING TO PEARL HARBOR TO DISPATCH A SECOND SUBMARINE FROM PEARL HARBOR TO EFFECT AN AT SEA RENDEZVOUS WITH SUNFISH. REARADM WAGAM ESTIMATES PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT ABOARD SUNFISH CAN BE TRANSFERRED TO SECOND SUBMARINE IN ONE HOUR.

I HAVE EVERY CONFIDENCE YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXPLAIN TO GENERAL STILLWELL THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SECURITY PROBLEMS THAT HAVE OCCURRED.

BEST PERSONAL REGARDS

CHESTER W. NIMITZ

ADMIRAL, US NAVY

CINCPAC

END PERSONAL FROM ADM NIMITZ TO BRIGGEN PICKERING

T O P S E C R E T

Pickering handed the message to Colonel Platt. «Give this to Colonel Waterson when you've read it,» Pickering ordered. «Then it goes to Hart.»

«Yes, sir.»

«Ed, several questions. Are you familiar with Platt's proposed Opplan?»

«Yes, sir. General Albright showed it to me.»

There was a look of surprise on Platt's face.

«Among Ed's other responsibilities, Colonel,» Pickering said, «is keeping me up to speed on whatever's going on. To do that, he gets to read everything.»

«Yes, sir, of course,» Platt said.

«Same thing applies to Hart,» Pickering said.

«Yes, sir.»

Pickering turned back to Banning. «Was Moore up all night, Ed?»

«No, sir, the Easterbunny had the duty.»

«General Stillwell wants to talk to you before you talk to Generals Dempsey and Newley. What I'm thinking of doing is sending you there with last night's Special Channel and this one—and Lieutenant Moore.»

«Yes, sir?»

«I don't want General Stillwell to get the idea we're not showing him everything he has every right to know,» Pickering said. «And I want him to meet Moore and to know what Moore's function is. That make sense to you?»

«Yes, sir.»

«That 'yes. sir,» Platt,» Pickering said, «was not an automatic reflex on Banning's part. If he doesn't agree with me, he says so. I want you to do the same thing.»

«Yes, sir.»

«It's not hard, Colonel,» Banning said. «The Boss is usually right.»

«Flattery will get you everywhere. Colonel Banning.» Pickering said. «And while you're with General Stillwell, Platt will show me his Opplan.»

«Makes sense, sir,» Banning said.

«And when you have finished with General Stillwell, Ed, you go find McCoy.»

«Aye, aye, sir,» Banning said. «I'll try, sir.»

«I'm really getting concerned, Ed.»

«I don't think he would take off without telling me,» Banning said.

«The operative words in that sentence, Ed. are 'I don't think.' «

«Yes, sir.»

«You have any ideas on that subject, Platt?» Pickering asked.

«Chungking is a large city, General,» Platt said. «If someone wants to make himself scarce here, it's not hard.»

«Even for two westerners with beards?» Pickering asked.

«He's right, General,» Banning began. «I'll look—«

«If the plane is leaving at four,» Pickering interrupted him. «That means Colonel Waterson will have to leave here at three. Be back here by then, Ed. Whatever you learn from Dempsey and Newley I'll want Waterson to know so that he can tell MacArthur the minute he gets to Australia.»

«Aye, aye, sir.»

note 77

OSS Station

Chungking, China

1450 8 April 1943

After breakfast, Pickering and Hart followed Platt to his office, which had been set up for a briefing. On either side of a blackboard, there were two easels, supporting maps covered with a sheet of canvas. Four armchairs faced the easels and blackboard.

«Sir,» Lieutenant Colonel Platt said to Pickering a little uneasily, «I'm aware, sir, of what you said about no more information about Operation Gobi being made available to my people without your permission…«

«But?»

«Captain Sampson has spent a good deal of time with my proposed Opplan. He knows details about it I don't.»

«And you would like him in on this?»

«The truth is, he can give you a better briefing than I can.»

«Okay,» Pickering said. «Let's get on with it.»

The briefing lasted more than an hour, and Captain Sampson did a good job, calling to Pickering's attention facts about the Gobi Desert that he had not learned in Washington. Platt's proposed Opplan—mostly written by Sampson, Pickering quickly concluded—to go into the Gobi and establish a weather station had obviously been given a good deal of thought. With one major exception, Pickering could find nothing wrong with it. The one exception: despite Platt's obvious ability and experience in China, and Sampson's intelligent attack on the problem, the two of them had no more idea how to find the Americans thought to be in the desert than he did.