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

Pickering sensed that Albright was perfectly serious.

«The second rule of leadership,» Albright went on, «is to start out as a prick and get nice later.»

Pickering laughed. «My first sergeant told me that when I made corporal in France,» he said.

«When I get these hooked up,» Albright said, dropping to his knees by the wall, «the magnificent instrument will connect you to the Chungking telephone service. There's an extension downstairs and another in Banning's room. One of the EE-8s—on the case of which I wrote number one—is tied into the USMMCHI switchboard. Your number is 606, which I also wrote on the case. The other EE-8—marked number two—is connected to the OSS house switchboard. I put one of these in Banning's room, and there's another downstairs.»

«Hugh, what's the rule of leadership if a commander comes to believe a subordinate knows more about what he's doing than he does?»

Albright sensed that Pickering was asking the question seriously, and turned from the wall, still holding a telephone wire in needle-nose pliers. «Banning?»

«Oh, no. It's a given that Banning knows more than I do about the intelligence business. I was thinking of Platt.»

«Is there a specific problem?»

«I've spent most of the last two days reading Plan's after-action reports, and taking a look at his ongoing operations.»

«And?»

«He obviously not only knows what he's doing, but is a fine commander as well.»

«Then what's the problem?»

«Banning doesn't like him. McCoy doesn't like him. And neither do I.»

«Then get rid of him,» Albright said simply.

«I also think he's wrong—which makes McCoy right—about how to get the weather station into the Gobi, even if it means we don't make a real effort to find the Marines—and other escapees—out there.»

Albright grunted.

«I'm just not sure whether that is a judgment based on the facts, or because I don't like him—and whether I don't like him because Banning and McCoy don't.»

Albright cocked his head to one side and nodded, but didn't speak.

«This is the third operation like this I've run,» Pickering said. «The first time, I sent McCoy onto Buka Island, to make sure a Coastwatcher station stayed on the air, and to take a couple of Marines who were there—in very bad shape—out. The second time, I sent McCoy into the Philippines to establish contact with our guerrillas there.»

«And you pulled those operations off, as I recall,» Albright said.

«In neither case was there someone around who knew more than I did about how to do what had to be done. Or to tell me I was wrong. In this case, I know very little about China, and Platt knows a hell of a lot.»

«When do you have to make up your mind?»

«Soon. McCoy and Zimmerman went to Yümen to try to arrange to travel with one of the convoys the Chinese send out with supplies for their patrols in the desert. When they come back—«

«If you go along with Platt, what are you going to do about the meteorologists and their equipment?»

«The equipment, other equipment, could be sent from the States,» Pickering said. «And I suppose we could also recruit some more meteorologists.» He paused thoughtfully. «And I wonder if my ego isn't somehow involved. Bill Donovan would love to be able to report to the President that when I saw the situation here, I came to the conclusion that his people were better able to do this than I was.»

«I have one comment to make,» Albright said, «and pay attention, because it's the only comment I am going to make.»

«Okay,» Pickering said.

«Whatever you decide, you'll decide as a soldier—excuse me, a Marine— because you think it's the right thing to do, not because of your ego, or because you don't like Platt, or some other personal reason.»

«You don't think—«

«You weren't paying attention, General. I said one comment, and you have had it.»

«Okay, Hugh,» Pickering said. «Thank you.»

«For what?» Albright said, and turned back to the wall.

A moment later, he reached for one of the EE-8 field telephones and cranked the folding handle of the small generator on its side. «Unless someone has already stolen my brand-new wire, this should work,» he said. And then, his voice changing, «Ring niner zero one, please.»

«It works?» Pickering asked.

«So far,» Albright said, and then spoke into the telephone: «General Albright, Lieutenant,» he said. «Checking your boss's new telephone. How do we sound to you?» He paused, listening for a moment. «In that case, you better have somebody bring it over. He's here with me.»

He cranked the generator again, said, «Break it down, please,» and then turned to Pickering. «You have mail,» he said. «You may be sorry you spent so much effort to get the Special Channel up and running.»

Second Lieutenant George F. Hart announced the arrival of Master Gunner Harry Rutterman twenty minutes later, five minutes after General Albright had left. Rutterman had a World War I-vintage Winchester pump-action Model 97 12-gauge trench gun cradled in his arm like a bird hunter.

«Where'd you get the trench gun, Harry?» Pickering asked.

«Captain McCoy got it for me, sir,» Rutterman said, as he took a sealed envelope from an inside pocket and handed it to Pickering.

Probably from the same Chinese who sold him the ambulance and the truck

, Pickering thought.

«Stick around a minute, Harry, 'til I see what this says.»

«Aye, aye, sir. There's two of them, sir,» Rutterman said.

T O P S E C R E T

FROM ACTING STACHIEF OSS HAWAII

1005 GREENWICH 10 APRIL 1943

VIA SPECIAL CHANNEL

DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN

TO BRIGGEN FLEMING PICKERING USMCR

OSS DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR PACIFIC OPERATIONS

THRU: US MILITARY MISSION TO CHINA CHUNGKING

SUBJECT: PROGRESS REPORT NO. 2

1. RENDEZVOUS AND REFUELING DRY RUN USING SUNFISH AND TWO PBY-5A AIRCRAFT SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED 0900 LOCAL TIME THIS DATE.

2. SUNFISH WILL DEPART PEARL HARBOR 0600 LOCAL TTME 11 APR 43. LT CD. LEWIS AND CHIEF MCGUTRE WILL BE ABOARD.

3. BOTH PIL0TS-IN-C0MMAND OF DRY RUN PBY-5A AIRCRAFT HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO FLY MISSION, AND VOLUNTEER PILOTS FROM MAINLAND WILL ARRIVE HERE WITHIN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AFTER UNEXPLAINED DELAY IN TRANSIT.

4. FIRST TWO PBY-5A AIRCRAFT ARE PREPARED TO COMMENCE MISSION ON THREE (3) HOURS NOTICE, AND CAN PROBABLY DO SO IN LESS TIME.

5. CONVERSION OF TWO BACKUP PBY-5A AIRCRAFT AT EWA WILL BE COMPLETED WITHIN SEVENTY-TWO (73) HOURS.

6. INASMUCH AS UNDERSIGNED CAN MAKE NO FURTHER CONTRIBUTION TO PREPARATION OF MISSION HERE, AND BELIEVE MY SKILLS WILL BE USEFUL DURING REFUELING OPERATION, UNDERSIGNED WILL BE ABOARD FIRST FLIGHT

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED

HOMER C. DILLON

MAJOR, USMCR

T O P S E C R E T

«Goddamn him!» Brigadier General Pickering said.

«Sir?» Rutterman asked.

«Send Major Dillon a Special Channel, Rutterman,» Pickering said. «Quote. Not only no, but hell no.»

«Aye, aye, sir,» Rutterman smiled. «I saw the Major wants in on this. I was thinking I'd sort of like to go myself.»

«Then you're as crazy as Dillon,» Pickering said. «Belay the 'hell no,' Harry. Send him…« He paused to frame his thoughts. «… send him: 'In absence of Lieutenant Lewis, your liaison function between—' «

«I think I'd better write that down, General,» Rutterman interrupted him. He took a notebook and a pencil from his pocket. «Go ahead, sir.»

«In the absence of Lieutenant Lewis, your liaison function between CINCPAC and the widely scattered elements of this mission is critical to success of mission, and cannot be performed by someone else,» Pickering dictated. «And therefore your request, while deeply appreciated, to accompany the flight element is denied.»