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

«He said his door would always be open to me. Let's see if that was just another campaign promise.»

«Keep me posted,» Rickabee said.

«Posted hell, General, you're going with me,» Pickering said.

Neither the driver of the White House Packard limousine nor the Secret Service agent in the front seat raised any objection when Rickabee climbed into the car with Pickering and Hart. But when they drove across Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, they were stopped by a determined guard at the gate. He was unimpressed with Rickabee's credentials as a Special Agent of Naval Intelligence, and immune to Pickering's announcement, «He's with me.»

«I'm sorry, sir, the gentleman is not on my list, and I can't pass him.»

«Get on the phone to either Admiral Leahy or General Marshall and tell him that General Pickering is here with General Rickabee and we have to see either of them immediately,» Pickering ordered. Then he had another thought: «Tell them I am not coming in without General Rickabee.»

The guard went into the guardhouse and returned two minutes later.

«Drive to the side entrance, please,» he said. «Someone will meet you.»

When they were met by an Army colonel wearing the insignia of an aide-decamp to a four-star general, Pickering concluded that the guard had spoken with either General George C. Marshall or someone empowered to act for him.

The colonel led them into an elevator, and they rode to the corridor outside the presidential apartments.

«I don't suppose any of you gentlemen are armed?» a Secret Service agent standing there asked politely.

«I am,» Rickabee and Hart said, almost in unison. Rickabee took his .45 pistol from his shoulder holster and handed it to the Secret Service agent. Hart retrieved a snub-nosed .38 revolver from under his tunic and handed it over.

«I'll have to see what's in the briefcase,» the Secret Service agent said.

«Not on your life,» Rickabee said.

General George C. Marshall and Admiral William Leahy, trailed by Colonel William J. Donovan, came into the corridor. Donovan was in uniform—surprising Pickering. The top ribbon on his impressive row of brightly colored pieces of cloth was that representing the Medal of Honor he had won in France in the First World War.

«General,» Leahy said.

«Admiral,» Pickering said, «there's something I think I should bring to your immediate attention.»

«A Special Channel from Chungking?»

«Yes, sir,» Pickering said.

«May I ask what your aide is doing here, General?» Leahy said. «Before we get into this matter?»

«I asked the President if I might bring him to lunch,» Pickering said. «And the President said, 'Absolutely.' «

«My God!» Donovan said in disbelief.

«Lieutenant Hart is cleared for magic, Admiral, and knows all about Operation Gobi.»

Leahy looked as if he was about to say something, but General Marshall, perhaps innocently, perhaps intentionally, shut him off before he could speak. «Colonel Donovan was just about to give us his thoughts on that when you called from the gate,» Marshall said. «You apparently have seen it?»

«Yes, sir,» Pickering said, meeting Donovan's eyes. «The Special Channel I'm referring to was addressed to me.»

«So I noticed,» Marshall said. «I also noticed it was a Duplication Forbidden message.»

«What Genera] Pickering has seen, General,» Rickabee said, «is the Joint Chiefs' file copy.»

Marshall looked at Rickabee closely, even coldly. «Which presumably you have in there?» he asked, indicating Rickabee's briefcase.

«Yes, sir,» Rickabee said.

«General Marshall and I,» Admiral Leahy said, «are agreed that despite the seriousness of the matter, it is still a matter that can be dealt with administratively. In other words, we shouldn't waste the President's time with it at luncheon. Does that pose a problem,» he asked, looking first at Pickering and then at Donovan, «for either of you?»

«No, sir,» Donovan said.

«Sir, I'm scheduled to depart from Anacostia at half past four,» Pickering said. «Should I reschedule?»

«Why would you want to do that?» Donovan asked.

«I don't want to leave before this problem is dealt with,» Pickering replied, but he looked at Leahy rather than at Donovan as he spoke.

«Once we decide who's responsible for this situation,» Admiral Leahy said, «dealing with it won't take long. But to cover all the bases, while we're lunching with the President, General Rickabee, I don't think there will be any trouble setting another place for you at lunch.»

«Aye, aye, sir,» Rickabee said.

«And now, gentlemen,» General Marshall said. «I suggest we join the President.»

The President was in his wheelchair, sitting at the head of a table set for lunch. Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox was sitting beside him, his chair pulled close. Before them on the table was a stack of eight-by-ten-inch photographs that Roosevelt was examining carefully.

«What they have been doing, Frank,» Roosevelt said, without taking his cigarette holder from his mouth, «is gathering their courage to face the lion in his den.»

«Nothing like that at all, Mr. President,» General Marshall said. «An administrative matter.»

«I wonder why I have trouble believing that,» Roosevelt said, smiling broadly.

» 'Administrative' can cover a lot of territory, Mr. President,» Secretary Knox said.

«Good to see you, Fleming,» the President said. «You're all prepared, I gather, for your trip to the mysterious East?»

«And all points in between, sir,» Pickering said.

«General Rickabee I know,» the President said. «It's good to see you, Fritz.»

«Good afternoon, Mr. President.»

«But I don't know this young fellow,» Roosevelt went on.

«Mr. President, may I present Lieutenant George F. Hart?» Pickering said. «He's both my aide-de-camp and my friend.»

Roosevelt offered his hand.

«I recognize the name,» the President said. «You must be an unusual young man. Lieutenant, if all these old fogies are agreed you can be entrusted to hold a magic clearance.»

Hart actually blushed. Leahy and Pickering exchanged looks.

«I'm honored, Mr. President,» Hart said.

A white-jacketed steward passed a tray of drinks, indicating with his head which glass the men were to take. Pickering sipped his and recognized the taste. It was Famous Grouse. He wondered if there was a card file kept somewhere with drink preferences listed on it.

«When we're finished,» Roosevelt said to the steward, «ask the photographer to take a picture of me with Lieutenant Hart. Perhaps his parents would like to have one.»

«Thank you very much, Mr. President,» Hart said.

«I have a soft spot for young Marine officers,» Roosevelt said. «Very possibly because my son Jimmy is one of you.»

«Yes, sir, I know,» Hart said.

«Let me propose a toast,» the President said. «To the success of General Pickering's mission.»

The others raised their glasses and there were murmured «Hear, hears.»

«I feel a good deal better about this,» the President said mischievously, «now that Bill and Fleming have kissed and made up.»

«I'll agree with the 'made up' part, Franklin,» Donovan said, «but I want to go on record as saying we have never kissed.»

Pickering laughed politely. None of the others did.

Roosevelt picked up on this and correctly guessed the reason.

«Bill, when you're wearing your uniform, you're supposed to call me 'Sir,' and 'Mr. President,' and bow three times before backing out of my presence.»

«No disrespect was intended, sir, if I have to say that.»

«What I think it is, Bill, is that you're nervous as the second junior officer present with all these admirals and generals.»