Griffin W.E.B. - Honor Bound 04 - Death and Honor

And with that in mind, Mister Ambassador, I dare to suggest that your question is something less than diplomatic.

But what von Lutzenberger had told the ambassador was that, in his opinion, once it became evident that Italy could not function without Il Duce, particularly when it came to throwing the British and the Americans off Sicily, Mussolini would be restored to power.

Von Lutzenberger also had unkind thoughts about the minister extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Argentina, who, while standing across the room under the magnificent chandeliers and before a portrait of Napoleon, had had the gall to raise his champagne stem and smile.

But, von Lutzenberger told himself, the American ambassador was nodding and smiling at Tarmero—not at von Lutzenberger.

One does not nod at the ambassador of a nation with which your nation is at war.

Von Lutzenberger glanced again at the American ambassador.

In a pig’s ass he’s smiling at Tarmero!

The sonofabitch is smirking at me!

And his gottverdammt smirk is asking, “Heard about Sicily, Mr. Ambassador of the Third Reich? Or about Il Duce getting the boot? Getting the message, are you?”

And what’s particularly galling is that he has every right not only to smirk but also to mock me and just about every other ambassador in the room by his dress. He is in white tie and tails, rather than any sort of diplomatic uniform. And there is nothing whatever—no silken sash nor ornate decorations, not even miniature medals of any kind—on his jacket or sleeves or anywhere else to suggest his rank or even his nationality.

He looks as if he could be a gigolo or a headwaiter.

But what he is—and everybody knows it, including this moron of an ambassador from Mexico—is the representative of the most powerful nation on earth, which inevitably will be the ultimate victor of the second world war to end all wars.

Von Lutzenberger drained his glass and put it on a table.

And if I have any more of this splendid champagne—which, aside from pâté de foie gras, is about the only thing the French do well—I am almost certain to make an ass of myself.

I have to think of some way to get out of here without violating any diplomatic protocol.

Now, how the devil am I going to do that?

Not quite thirty seconds later, the problem was solved.

Assistant Consul Johan Schneider—wearing civilian clothing, of course— was being led to him by a young man who was almost certainly one of his French peers—that is to say, a junior officer on the French ambassador’s staff.

I wonder if he suspects that Schneider is an SS-untersturmführer?

Schneider announced: “I regret the necessity, Excellency . . .”

Von Lutzenberger tried but failed to shut him off with a gesture.

"... of this interruption,” Schneider plunged ahead, "but there has been an important communication from—”

“I understand, Herr Schneider,” von Lutzenberger cut him off abruptly, thinking, It certainly is not Ambassador Tarmero’s business to know from whom I have an important message, and possibly none of Gradny-Sawz’s. “And where is this communication?”

“—from Berlin,” Schneider plunged on, and then patted his chest.

Von Lutzenberger gestured impatiently for Schneider to hand over the message.

Schneider took a gray manila envelope from his jacket pocket and handed it to von Lutzenberger, who then looked at Tarmero and Gradny-Sawz.

“Will you be so kind, gentlemen, as to excuse me for having to answer the call of duty?”

He didn’t wait for a response. He gestured for Schneider to follow him and went to the men’s room. He had been in the French embassy often enough to know where it was, and also that it would reek of perfume to mask the odors from the plumbing, which apparently had been installed about the time of the Franco-Prussian War and not repaired since.

It was not occupied.

Thank God. Now I won’t have to go in one of the indoor pissoirs.

“Don’t let anyone else in,” von Lutzenberger ordered.

“Jawohl, Excellency,” Schneider said, and stood beside the door, prepared to defend the men’s room with his life.

Once von Lutzenberger was inside, despite what he had originally decided not to do, he went into one of the stalls, which did indeed smell like a pissoir on the Champs-Élysées, and latched it closed before he tore open the gray manila envelope.

It contained a white letter-sized envelope stamped MOST SECRET and closed with an official stamp, not unlike a postage stamp, across which, following the protocol, Schneider had written his name.

Von Lutzenberger tore it open, took out several sheets of paper, and began to read them.

CLASSIFICATION: MOST URGENT

CONFIDENTIALITY: MOST SECRET

DATE: 4 AUGUST 1943

FROM: PARTEILEITER MARTIN BORMANN NATIONAL SOCIALIST GERMAN WORKERS PARTY BERLIN

TO: IMMEDIATE AND PERSONAL ATTENTION OF THE REICH AMBASSADOR TO ARGENTINA, BUENOS AIRES

HEIL HITLER!

WITH REGARD TO THE MATTER OF COMMERCIAL ATTACHÉ WILHELM FROGGER AND FRAU GERTRUDE FROGGER IT HAS BEEN DECIDED BY THE PARTEILEITER, ADMIRAL CANARIS, AND SS-BRIGADEFÜHRER VON DEITZBERG ON BEHALF OF REICHSFÜHRER-SS HIMMLER THAT THE PRESS OF DUTIES UPON OUR FÜHRER ADOLF HITLER IS SUCH THAT THIS MATTER SHOULD NOT BE BROUGHT TO HIS ATTENTION

AT THIS TIME SO THAT OUR FÜHRER CAN DEVOTE HIS FULL ATTENTION TO BRINGING GERMANY TO FINAL VICTORY.

CONFIDENTIAL AND UNOFFICIAL CONFERENCES BETWEEN CANARIS, VON DEITZBERG, AND THE UNDERSIGNED HAVE REVEALED ASPECTS OF OUR OPERATIONS IN ARGENTINA BEARING UPON OPERATION PHOENIX AND OTHER MATTERS THAT WERE NOT KNOWN, IN THE INTERESTS OF SECURITY, TO OFFICIALS OF THE GERMAN EMBASSY OR TO ALL OF THE SIGNATORIES HERETO. SPECIFICALLY:

THE UNDERSIGNED HAS FOR SOME TIME EMPLOYED FRAU GERTRUDE FROGGER AS HIS CONFIDENTIAL AGENT TO REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE UNDERSIGNED HER OBSERVATIONS OF THE ARGENTINE/GERMANS, HER HUSBAND, AND OTHERS INVOLVED OR PLANNED TO BE INVOLVED IN OPERATION PHOENIX. THIS MISSION WAS NOT TO BE REVEALED TO ANYONE, INCLUDING HER HUSBAND, BUT WITH REGARD TO THE LATTER, WE MUST PRESUME THAT SECURITY HAS BEEN BREACHED BECAUSE OF THE MARITAL RELATIONSHIP.

ADMIRAL CANARIS HAS FOR SOME TIME EMPLOYED WILHELM FROGGER AS HIS CONFIDENTIAL AGENT, CHARGING HIM WITH REPORTING ON GERMAN AND NON-GERMAN PERSONNEL WORKING IN THE EMBASSIES IN BUENOS AIRES, MONTEVIDEO, AND SANTIAGO, CHILE. FROGGER WAS SPECIFICALLY CHARGED BY CANARIS WITH DETERMINING WHICH OF THE AFOREMENTIONED INDIVIDUALS HAD BANK ACCOUNTS AND, IF SO, WHERE AND WHAT ACTIVITY THERE HAS BEEN THEREIN, AND IF ANY SUCH PERSONNEL HAD ACQUIRED PROPERTY IN ARGENTINA AND URUGUAY OR ELSEWHERE AND, IF SO, THE SOURCE OF THE FUNDS INVOLVED.

WHILE HE WAS IN ARGENTINA, VON DEITZBERG, ACTING ON THE AUTHORITY OF BOTH REICHSFÜHRER-SS HIMMLER AND FOREIGN MINISTER VON RIBBENTROP, WAS, TOGETHER WITH VON GRADNY-SAWZ, IN SUCCESSFUL CONTACT WITH COLONEL PERÓN. PERÓN WAS OFFERED SUBSTANTIAL FINANCIAL REWARDS FOR HIS ASSISTANCE TO OPERATION PHOENIX, GERMAN SUPPORT FOR HIS AMBITIONS TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF ARGENTINA, AND IMPLIED GERMAN SUPPORT FOR THE INTEGRATION OF URUGUAY, PARAGUAY, AND OTHER TERRITORIES INTO ARGENTINA FOLLOWING OUR FINAL VICTORY.

WHILE IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE FROGGERS HAVE BEEN ABDUCTED — EITHER BY BRITISH AGENTS, AS ADMIRAL CANARIS THINKS IS MOST LIKELY, OR BY THE AMERICANS, SPECIFICALLY FRADE — IT MUST BE CONSIDERED THAT FROGGER OR HIS WIFE, OR BOTH, DESERTED THEIR POST EITHER TRAITOROUSLY IN THE BELIEF THE WAR WILL BE LOST, OR THAT THEY DESERTED THEIR POSTS FOR FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS. CANARIS STATES THE BRITISH HAVE PRACTICED THE LATTER SUCCESSFULLY IN A NUMBER OF SITUATIONS.