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

«Anything I can do, of course,» Brigadier General Sun Chi Lon said in accent-less English, offering Pickering his hand. «It's a pleasure, General.»

note 81

Kiangpeh, Chungking, China

1700 11 April 1943

From the moment Stillwell summoned General Sun to his office, it was obvious to Pickering that the small and natty Chinese officer would have to be brought in on all the details of Operation Gobi. Otherwise, he could not bring to bear his good offices on the Chinese authorities in Yümen to solicit their support.

That was almost a classic definition of Need To Know. But for reasonspickering did not really understand, he was reluctant—unable—to bring himself to discuss Operation Gobi with Sun. either in Sun's office, where they went after leaving Stillwell, or at lunch in a private room in the General Officers' Mess.

i

want to think about this

—

maybe talk it over with Banning

—

before I start telling Sun anything

.

During their luncheon, Sun almost conspicuously avoided discussing their forthcoming —just-as-soon-as-an-aircraft-could-be-found-and-the-weather-per-mitted—trip to Yümen. Pickering suspected that the Chinese general did not want to embarrass him by asking questions Pickering would not want to answer. Sun made it subtly clear, however, that since the request for his good offices had come from General Stillwell, that was all he needed to know. He would do whatever he could for Pickering.

Later Pickering had the feeling that by not telling him what was going on, he had, if not insulted General Sun, then at least hurt his feelings.

If I

had come recommended by General Stillwell, prepared to help in any way I could, and the guy I'd been sent to help avoided telling me what he wanted and why, I'd be hurt. Insulted. Pissed

.

It was five o'clock before Banning came through the door of the house in Kiangpeh. Pickering immediately told him about General Sun, and the funny feeling he'd had that he should not divulge to him anything about Operation Gobi.

«Permission to speak freely, sir?»

«Oh, for Christ's sake, Ed!»

«That was a mistake, sir. Probably no lasting harm was done, but it was a mistake. He came recommended by Stillwell. If you didn't want this guy's help, you should have told Stillwell.»

«How do I fix the mistake?» Pickering asked once Banning had confirmed what he had already concluded.

«Have George Hart call him and ask him to dinner,» Banning began. «No, better you call him yourself, and tell him that you've gathered together all the details of what you were reluctant to discuss earlier, and would he be available to go over them with you at dinner?»

«Where do I take him to dinner?»

«Here. The cook McCoy hired is really first class. I'll make sure you're left alone.»

«If he doesn't tell me to go fuck myself,» Pickering said. «Which I would do under the circumstances. I'll want you at dinner.»

«I've got an even better idea,» Banning said. «You remember the name of his aide? The Mongolian?»

«Major Kee Lew See,» Pickering furnished.

«I'll call Major Kee, identify myself as your deputy, and ask him to ask his boss to dinner, so that the two of you can discuss what obviously you couldn't discuss in the headquarters building earlier. And I'll tell him that you would be honored if he, too, were free.»

«You think that'll do it, Ed?»

«I really hope so. We really need to stay on the right side of this guy. The last thing we want to do is piss off the Chinese.»

«I have no intention of doing that.» Pickering said, adding a little ruefully, «more than I have already.»

«I'm talking about McCoy,» Banning said.

«I don't think I follow you,» Pickering confessed.

«When McCoy gets to Yümen—and he may be there already—I don't think he's going to walk into Headquarters of the Thirty-second Military District, either as Major MeeKoy of the Nationalist Army or Captain McCoy of the U.S. Marine Corps, ask to see the General, and tell him that he wants to sneak into the Gobi with one of their supply convoys.»

«I'm still a little confused,» Pickering said.

«I know how Ken operates well enough to know what he's going to do. As inconspicuously as possible—which means in his Chinese uniform—he's going to nose around Yümen until he finds the Chinese major or lieutenant colonel who actually runs the convoys. Then he'll bribe him to take him along. That was a good idea until this Chinese general, who is a second cousin once removed or something of the Generalissimo, turned up. He flies into Yümen with you, and says he wants to make sure Captain McCoy gets what he wants, and the General there says, 'Captain who? I have seen no American captain.' Who authorized this American to put on the uniform of a major in the Nationalist Army? Et cetera, et cetera. This could get out of hand in a hurry.»

«God, I didn't even think about that.»

«Let's just hope we can convince General Sun that what McCoy was doing was necessary,» Banning said. «Have you got his telephone number?»

Pickering reached into his pocket and handed Banning the slip of paper with General Sun's number.

Banning picked up the EE-8 field telephone connected to the USMMCHI switchboard and cranked the generator on its side. He gave the extension he wanted to the operator in English, but the moment there was an answer began to speak Chinese, of which Pickering understood not a word.

What the hell am I doing here? Not being able to speak the language is a minor item on a long list of things that make me wholly unqualified to do what I'm doing.

Banning was smiling a good ninety seconds later when he cranked the phone again and said, «Break it down.»

«Don't tell me. The General regrets?» Pickering said.

«The General would be delighted to accept the General's kind offer of dinner at half past seven,» Banning said. «Keep your fingers crossed. Maybe all isn't lost.»

General Sun arrived at precisely seven-thirty, accompanied by his enormous Mongolian aide-de-camp.

The meeting went well from the beginning.

«General, may I present my deputy, Lieutenant Colonel Banning?»

Sun smiled at him. «Major Kee tells me you speak Wu like a native, Colonel.»

Banning replied in Wu.

«And obviously you do,» General Sun said, still in English.

Kee, grinning broadly, shook Banning's hand, then handed him a package.

I

don't care what Banning's doing around here, he's going to Yümen with me

, Pickering thought.

«I thought we might have a little wine with our dinner,» General Sun said.

«That's very kind of you, General,» Pickering said, taking the package from Banning.

It held two bottles of French wine—good French wine—causing Banning to wonder where Sun had gotten it in wartime Chungking, and then to wonder if there was some significance in a gift of expensive wine.

«This is very nice,» Sun said, looking around. «I didn't know about this house.»

«Captain McCoy only recently rented it. He's the officer I hope you can help get into the Gobi Desert as inconspicuously as possible.»

«I thought this might have something to do with the Gobi Desert,» Sun replied. «I couldn't imagine what other interest the OSS would have in that part of China.»

«I hope you understand why I was reluctant to talk about the operation earlier, General.»

«Completely, General,» Sun said. «Unfortunately, China is not in a position to adequately compensate its officers. That too often results in the selling of information, especially information about the actions of someone else. The Japanese would be very interested to hear about your interest in the Gobi, and would pay very well for the information.»