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

«Explain that, please?»

«Captain McCoy and Sergeant Zimmerman left a town called Yümen with a Nationalist Army supply truck convoy headed into the desert to rendezvous with a patrol—a camel patrol—the Chinese operate in the desert.»

«A

camel

patrol? Sounds like Lawrence of Arabia,» Roosevelt said.

«Yes, sir. Pickering's idea was for McCoy and the other to travel with the supply convoy as far as it was going, then head out by themselves, looking for the Americans Pickering apparently believes are out there somewhere, until, in Pickering's words, they either found them or ran out of gas, whichever comes first. At that point they would attempt to establish contact with Pearl Harbor. Once contact was established, the seaplanes would attempt a rendezvous with a submarine at sea, where they would take on fuel, as well as the meteorologists and their equipment, and then fly into the Gobi. They would then try to put themselves within a hundred miles or so of McCoy and the other Americans, and from there they hoped to find them by homing in on a radio signal.»

«Did you disapprove of this plan before Pickering put it into execution, or is this from the position of hindsight?» Roosevelt asked, not very pleasantly.

He knows and likes McCoy

, Donovan thought.

McCoy and Jimmy Roosevelt are pals. They made the Makin Island raid together. I can't forget that

.

«I thought, sir, that the plan prepared by the OSS station chief in Chungking had a greater chance of success,» Donovan said. «Unfortunately, it looks as if I was right.»

«What did Pickering find wrong with the other plan?»

«He thought it would call too much attention to the weather station, sir.»

«And what makes you think Pickering's plan has failed?»

«McCoy had orders to maintain communications with Pearl Harbor—his messages to be forwarded Special Channel to Pickering in Chungking—and he has failed to do so.»

«He hasn't been heard from at all?»

«No, Mr. President.»

«And what happens now? Plan Two is put into execution?»

«Yes, sir. Before Pickering's men started out, another two sets of meteorological equipment and the personnel to operate it were procured. The people and the equipment are at the moment en route to Chungking—they're due there April thirtieth. When they arrive, we'll put the OSS plan into execution.»

«The OSS plan versus the Pickering plan?» the President said. «Odd, Bill, I was under the impression that I had named Fleming Pickering Deputy Director of the OSS for Pacific Operations. Wouldn't that make his plan an OSS plan, too?»

«That was an unfortunate choice of words, Mr. President,» Donovan said.

«Yes, it was,» Roosevelt agreed. «And I was also under the impression that you and Pickering had put your differences aside for the duration.»

«We have, sir. I take no pleasure in the failure of his plan.»

«What exactly do you think has happened to young McCoy?»

«I have no idea, sir. There are bandits operating all over that area. That's one possibility. Another is that they had the bad luck to run into a Japanese patrol.»

«You have no idea?» Roosevelt said sarcastically. «But, Bill, I count on you to know what I want to know. You're the director of the OSS.»

«I'm sure that as soon as General Pickering hears anything, he will advise me.»

«What about the supply convoy McCoy was with? Have they been heard from? Do they know anything?»

«The convoy will return to Yümen about the thirtieth, sir.»

«Do you think that Fleming Pickering will have someone there to meet them, to see what they might know?»

«I'm sure he will, sir.»

«How can you be sure?» Roosevelt asked. «You don't seem to have much faith in his ability to run an operation like this.»

«I will recommend to General Pickering, sir, that he have someone on hand.»

«Do that,» Roosevelt said. «But don't make it a recommendation. He has a tendency, apparently, to ignore your recommendations. Tell him I said to do it.»

«Yes, Mr. President.»

«Thank you for coming in, Colonel,» the President said, and turned his wheel chair back to the window overlooking the garden.

note 91

OPERATIONAL IMMEDIATE

ALL RECEIVING USNAVAL COMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES RELAY TO CINCPAC

ATTENTION RADM WAGAM

GASSTATI0N ON STATION AS OF 0230 GREENWICH 35 APRIL 1943

PROCEEDING ACCORDING TO ORDERS

HOUSER, LTCMDR, USN COMMANDING

note 92

Kiangpeh, Chungking, China

1325 26 April 1943

Brigadier General Fleming Pickering, USMCR, was playing chess with Second Lieutenant George F. Hart—not with any interest, but rather because he could think of absolutely nothing else to do—when Lieutenant Colonel Edward Banning, USMCR, knocked at his open door.

«Ed, I hope you're going to tell me you've heard from McCoy,» Pickering said.

«No, sir. Not a peep. But this just came in, and I thought you'd better see it right away.

T O P S E C R E T

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

THE OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES

WASHINGTON

0324 GREENWICH 26 APRIL 1943

VIA SPECIAL CHANNEL

US MILITARY MISSION TO CHINA

EYES ONLY BRIG GEN FLEMING PICKERING, U8MCR

FOLLOWING PERSONAL PROM DIRECTOR OSS TO BRIG GEN PICKERING

BEGIN MESSAGE

DEAR FLEMING:

THE PRESIDENT IS NEARLY AS HEARTSICK AS I AM ABOUT THE BAD LUCK CAPTAIN MCCOY APPARENTLY HAS HAD, AND VERY ANXIOUS FOR INFORMATION OF ANY KIND REGARDING WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HIM.

BY DIRECTION OF THE PRESIDENT, IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO HAVE SOMEONE WITH THE PROPER QUALIFICATIONS MEET THE NATIONALIST ARMY SUPPLY CONVOY ON ITS RETURN TO YUMEN, WITH THE EXPRESS PURPOSE OF LEARNING WHAT IF ANYTHING THEY KNOW ABOUT CAPTAIN MCCOY'S FATE, YOU WILL IMMEDIATELY DO SO.

YOU WILL IMMEDIATELY ACKNOWLEDGE BY SPECIAL CHANNEL RECEIPT OF THIS MESSAGE. AS SOON AS POSSIBLE YOU WILL FURNISH BY SPECIAL CHANNEL THE DETAILS OF YOUR COMPLIANCE WITH THE PRESIDENT'S DIRECTIVE. ALL REPEAT ALL INFORMATION OBTAINED IN YUMEN WILL SIMILARLY BE DISPATCHED BY THE MOST EXPEDITIOUS MEANS.

SIMILARLY, YOU WELL ADVISE ARRIVAL IN CHUNGKING OF WEATHER PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT, AND PROGRESS IN EXECUTING BACK UP OPPLAN.

BEST REGARDS,

BILL

END MESSAGE

T O P S E C R E T

Pickering looked up at Banning as he handed the Special Channel to Hart. «I sent the 'we got it', sir,» Banning said.

«I'd like to go up there myself,» Pickering said. «God knows, I feel as useless as teats on a boar hog around here.»

«You can't do that, sir,» Hart said.

«I could send Colonel Platt,» Pickering said.

«I wouldn't give the sonofabitch the satisfaction, sir,» Banning said.

» 'Son of a bitch'?» Pickering quoted.

«You know the expression 'crocodile tears'?» Banning asked. «He calls twice a day to ask if we have any word from McCoy. He is always so very sorry to hear we haven't.»

«Sampson is with McCoy,» Pickering said.

«Sampson is the price he's perfectly willing to pay for having everybody know he was right in the first place.»

«I hope you have been able to keep your distaste for Colonel Platt to yourself, Colonel,» Pickering said.

«With great effort, sir.»

After a moment, Pickering went on: «Easterbrook doesn't speak Chinese, and neither does George. Moore does, but Stillwell likes to bounce ideas about the Japanese mind off him. Rutterman doesn't speak Chinese. And I don't want to send any of Platt's people up there, unsure as I am about where their loyalties lie. That leaves you, Ed.»

«Aye, aye, sir. What about getting there?»

«Send a Special Channel to Donovan over my signature. Tell him that I'm sending you. Take this Special Channel, and the one to Donovan, and show them to General Stillwell. He'll either get you on a plane, or get you your own plane. The Commander in Chief has spoken.»