by M. L. Maki
“Ma’am, yes, ma’am.” He returns to port arms.
Near the doors, Sam and the actors shake hands and direct people to tables where they can buy war bonds. The first young man to shake her hand asks, “Where is your husband?”
“I’m single.”
“Would you go out with me?”
“Thank you, no.”
In the blur of the receiving line, only the proposition stands out. A tall thin man in a tailored suit shakes her hand, “A wonderful speech. I hope to see you at dinner.”
“And you are, sir?”
He smiles a lopsided grin, “J. D. Rockefeller the third.”
“A pleasure to meet you, sir.”
When the last person has been greeted, Cooper whisks her to the dressing room, “Okay, Spike. You got about an hour before dinner, so you have time to breath. What do you want to do?”
“Is everything in order at the field?”
“It is. Geller and Jargon are actually getting along well.”
“Good. How far is my room?”
“It’s in the same hotel as the dinner.”
“Radar, the tax payers should not be paying for me to stay at an expensive hotel.”
“They aren’t. The Commodore Hotel offered the room gratis.”
“Where are the guys staying?”
“A place closer to the field.”
“I see. Cooper, are you going to get any sleep tonight?”
“Spike, I’ll be fine.” The four actresses walk into the room. “I’ll arrange a car. It’ll pick you up at the same door where the mayor dropped you off.”
“Thanks, Radar.”
He smiles, “I’m leaving ladies.” He walks out with her bags.
Myrna Loy produces a flask, “Anyone fancy an after-party drink?”
Veronica Lake, “Thank God. Thank you.” The actresses share the flask.
Sam smiles, “No, thank you. I fly tomorrow.”
Veronica, “Samantha, one drink won’t leave you hung over.”
“It’s a safety rule. And, it’s a good safety rule.”
Merle Oberon, “Thank you for what you said out there. I’ve never heard a military person be so frank.”
Sam smiles, “Thanks. Really, I don’t want to be here. There’s a war on and I’d much rather be out there fighting.”
Rita Hayworth, “After this you’re going back out?”
Sam nods, “Yes. I’ve been promised an air group. That, in theory, should come with a promotion to captain.”
Myrna, “Are there any female captains?”
Sam, “Not that I know of.”
Myrna, “Are you comfortable telling us about your ribbons now? I recognize some of them because of Mark.”
Sam explains the ribbons and devices on her uniform. Then, “Look, my car is probably here. I’ve got to go. See you at dinner.” When she arrives at the Commodore, the concierge hands her a room key. “Thank you.” When she arrives at her room, her bags are tucked into the closet and her clothes are hung up and put away.
CHAPTER 25
PSNS, BREMERTON, WASHINGTON
1230, 28 November, 1942
Commander Shawn Hughes listens as the ship yard project managers go over the list of remaining problems and jobs. “Marris, we need to pressure test the engineering spaces, and the new superstructure, if it hasn’t already been done. I don’t see it mentioned here.”
Marris, the senior project engineer says, “The superstructure does not require a leak test.”
Hughes, “You’ve modified the entire ventilation system with HEPA rooms for protection from chemical, biological, and radiological attack, but you don’t want to test the system? I don’t understand.”
Tenzar, “Thank you, XO. It’s a good point. We’ll start by testing some of the spaces. If any fail, it will be corrected, and we’ll test the others. Good enough?”
Hughes and Marris, “Yes, sir.”
Hughes, “Sir, why are we putting the teak deck back on?”
Tenzar, “Because the battleships are keeping theirs. I like it. We’ll not only keep ours; we’ll expand the teak forward around mount one now that there are no longer missile launchers on the main deck.”
“Roger that.”
BALL ROOM, COMMODORE HOTEL, NEW YORK CITY
Commander Hunt walks into the ball room in her dinner dress uniform and joins the Hollywood contingent. Major Pettigrew joins her, “You look good in a skirt.”
“Really? I only wear it because it’s required in this uniform.”
“Your dress blues have an optional skirt, don’t they?”
“It does.”
“I want you to wear the skirt during your speeches.”
“No.”
“Look, I want it. In fact, I’m requiring it.”
Sam looks at him in astonishment, “Major, I’m growing weary of this. Please do not create a scene in front of these nice people.”
Pettigrew frowns, “A woman should always wear a skirt. Anything else is inappropriate.”
“Major, an officer should wear the uniform suitable for the occasion. You are being inappropriate.”
“You don’t understand. I’m in charge of this.” He sweeps his arm out, “This is the part where I’m in charge. So, just do what you’re told.” He eyes glitter with anger.
Sam shakes her head, “Major, go mingle. We’re done.” She walks away, going to J. D. Rockefeller III, “Hello, sir. I remember you from the gauntlet.”
He grins, “Yes, indeed. Allow me to introduce my companions.” He introduces her to several people she knows from films and history books, and it includes much of New York society.
A waiter offers champagne, “No, thank you. I fly tomorrow.”
Rockefeller tilts his head, “Ginger ale?”
“Yes, that would do.”
The waiter, “Right away, sir, ma’am.”
A tall Navy commander walks up, “Commander, might I steal you away for a moment?”
“Commander, may I ask who you are?”
“I’m so sorry. Junius Morgan.”
She thinks for a moment, “I’m sorry. I don’t’ understand.”
“Sorry, Commander. This is important. Please bear with.” His gaze is intent, “Please?”
“Of, course. Please excuse me, Mr. Rockefeller.” Commander Morgan escorts her into a private room being guarded by a man in civilian clothes.
Morgan, “Sorry. I couldn’t say in there. I’m OSS. I hope you don’t mind. I wanted your evaluation of one of my subordinates.”
“Spooky?”
“Yes.”
Sam grins, “He may well be the best you have. I’ve only spoken to him a few times. His actions far outweigh words. His missions, on his own and with the SEALs, have all been successful. When he was sprung by the SEALs in Hail Mary, he had the discipline to do exactly what they told him to do.”
“We’re still not sure why that one went south.”
“In warfare, there are no guarantees. He did well. Papa Holtz gave him his call sign. It fits.”
“Is there any advice you could give me for the future?”
“I assume I don’t need to tell you to not trust the French underground. The problem isn’t that they’re unpatriotic, it’s that they’ve splintered and the factions do not trust each other.”
“We have a few reliable allies among them.”
“Yes, as long as our goals align. Are you familiar with the center of gravity theory of warfare?”
“Clausewitz?”
“Yes. Every nation, and really every organization, has a center of gravity. Hit it at that point, and the whole system might well fall. Italy’s is Mussolini. During the war his regime was toppled. He’s eventually killed by his own people. Italy changes sides, even though the Germans were still fighting there.”
“You think we should kill Mussolini?”
“No. Just nudge his own people. We do it, they’ll go against us. We must be careful. By the way, there’s a navy lieutenant c
ommander who escaped from Japan. He found out the Japanese people are terrified of the Army. It’s not such a monolithic society as we assumed.”
“We’ll talk with him.”
“Remember, he’s an American. Commander Hisakawa is my friend.”
“Yes, ma’am. I will remember.”
Sam smiles, “Perhaps we should rejoin the party before they have me married off to you, too.”
“You’re not married to Commander Swedenborg?”
“I’m not married to anyone.”
“I see. May I ask a professionally personal question?”
“Sure.”
“Why are you still a commander?”
“The promotion board and congress has decided no woman will be promoted above commander. We should just be thankful to serve. Admiral Lee has promised me a CAG post after I finish the tour.”
“I see. You’ve earned a promotion. It’s your due.”
They go back into the ballroom. Soon dinner is announced and everyone is seated. Sam finds herself enjoying the food, but is sandwiched between a man who is fixated on the use of carrier pigeons in warfare and the other his dogs, or was it his wife. After dinner, when the cocktails come out, Sam has another ginger ale. She soon finds herself in conversation with Morgan and Rockefeller, “The economy booms after the war, although, not at first. We had to rebuild Germany and Japan. Their infrastructure was devastated. We were virtually untouched, so we did the right thing. It was called the Marshal Plan. It worked.”
Morgan, “So, a growth period.”
Sam, “The problem was American manufacturers grew lazy about quality. They had no competition, you see, for a long time. That, and an oil problem in the middle east, caused a recession in the ‘70s. It seemed like overnight, we did have competition. The oil problem was an organization called OPEC. Saudi Arabia and a few other countries formed it and nationalized their oil fields, kicking America and Britain out. Then they flexed their economic muscle and shocked the market.”
Rockefeller, “I see. What can we do?”
Sam, “Right now it’s British territory. The Brits cannot afford to keep it after the war, we, at that point, are war weary and don’t want to help. After World War I the middle east was cut up and country boundaries cut across religious and ethnic lines. They thought it would keep any one country from becoming too powerful. We were wrong. Then, of course, the creation of Israel threw a giant monkey wrench into the works.”
Morgan, “What? Israel?”
“Yes. The Nazis murdered millions of Jews. The world turned a blind eye. Everyone, including us, denied entry to Jewish refugees before the war. They decided after the war to demand and create their own country. The problem? Britain promised Palestine to the Jews and the Palestinians. It was a horrible mess. In 1990, we were still dealing with the mess. I don’t blame them for wanting their own homeland. They deserved it.”
Rockefeller, “Did it get violent?”
Sam, “Yes, it did. All the Arab nations, supported by Russia, banded together and attacked Israel. We rightly supported Israel. They triumphed against overwhelming odds. It set up a stalemate in the middle east. The Palestinian Muslims became pawns in the conflict. The Palestinians and the Israelis wanted the same land. It didn’t go well. Their Arab neighbors want to destroy Israel and Israel wants security and peace.
“So, the Palestinians, with the help of their Arab allies, used dissimilar warfare, like suicide bombers, and kept the battle going. When the Palestinians go too far, the Israelis invade their areas and put down the problem, for a while. Then the cycle repeats.
“Also, OPEC kept the cost of oil high and made a lot of money.”
Morgan, “What can we do?”
“If Britain divides Palestine into two defensible areas so that the Palestinians have their own lands, that would help. The Israelis want all of what they consider their ancestral lands as delineated by the Torah. That’s a big problem. Restructuring the boundaries to take into account ethnic and religious groups would also help.”
Rockefeller, “You say OPEC has a huge impact on our economy. What about our oil?”
“We still produce oil, especially off California, northern Alaska, and in the Gulf, but we stop being an exporter in the seventies, or eighties. Oil is a finite resource.”
Morgan, “What about synthetic oil?”
“It is made, but oil lives and dies on the cost per barrel. Would you spend millions building a plant if you didn’t know what the price would be tomorrow?”
Rockefeller, “Fair point. I’m concerned about how the impoverished live. Too many live in the shadow of industries that cause negative health problems. What do you recommend?”
“You need an environmental protection agency like we had in 1990. It wasn’t easy to create it, but it’s necessary. Environmental pollution from factories and mines killed hundreds, maybe thousands of people. Even with a fund earmarked for cleanup, it was hard to get anything done. There are always legal loopholes. Always. Also, the laws were so convoluted, that it was difficult to get anything done.
“If you want to actually accomplish something, I would recommend that industry itself create multi-company advisory panels to study pollution and correct lax practices. Once the government gets involved the amount of oversight and paperwork skyrockets. It also increases the time for permitting by ten or twenty-fold. Whole industries shut down because of this, driving jobs overseas.”
Another man chimes in, “What about worker safety?”
Sam, “It’s the same. The government forms the Occupational Safety and Health Agency. Exactly the same issues. If industry would regulate itself, the government would have no reason to step in. The regulations were the right thing to do, but it became so draconian that industry moved to countries where they do not care about worker safety. Because it becomes a global marketplace, those countries were able to undercut American manufacturers costs. It was a bloodbath. The swath of the United States from Minnesota to New York became the rust belt. Industry and jobs disappeared.”
Morgan looks at Rockefeller, “Can we do better?”
“We can try.”
Sam smiles, “One other thing. Asbestos. It’s a huge lung hazard that kills a lot of workers. In the eighties even the Navy was pushing to get rid of it. It’s on your ships that are out there now as lagging and insulation. Unfortunately, in the fifties and sixties, we put it in damn near everything, even our schools. When OSHA and the EPA went after it, they levied fines and put companies out of business. Consumers sued. It was a huge mess.”
Morgan, “You’ve given us a lot to chew on. I see the theme as, if business cannot regulate itself, the government will eventually bury us in paperwork and fines, driving us out of business.”
“Yes. Banks also play a role. Not as employers, but as financers. If you rate a company based on its safety and environmental stewardship, giving the best rates and loans to the cleanest and safest companies in each sector, there would be financial incentives to improve. Companies that consider fire safety, employee safety, healthy work places, and good environmental stewardship a priority are unlikely to fail or lose money because they are well managed and motivated. Those that don’t are a higher default risk.”
Morgan, “What are you going to do after the war.”
Sam, “I want to save more lives than I have ended. Maybe someday it will be enough to know I made a positive difference.”
Morgan looks at Rockefeller, “Either of us would love to grab you up.”
“I’m flattered. But, I’m already in business. I haven’t seen it yet, but I have investments on the west coast. We’re building air cushioned landing craft.”
Morgan, “They were used to land troops in England. Any investment recommendations?”
“Get out of ship building after the war. Invest in electronics and aviation. If we can save our heavy industry, that would be great. Otherwise, get out in the early seventies.”
Rockefeller, “How do we save it?”
“You know, our competition is, interestingly enough, Germany and Japan. We rebuild their industry, yet let our own languish. We didn’t keep up with new developments and ideas. It was a huge mistake.”
Morgan, “What about shipping?”
“It’s cheaper to build where labor costs are low and environmental factors are unimportant. Most non-military ship building moves to China and Korea. You see, because of what we’ve already talked about, companies will always act irresponsibly whenever there is a financial incentive to do so. Most of the shipping companies take their fleets overseas to places where taxes and crew requirements are lax. It’s just the way it is done. Find a way to stop it, and you can fix the problem.
“Oh dear, it’s eight. I have to fly tomorrow. Sorry. Thank you. It was a pleasure, gentlemen.”
She walks to the elevators. When she gets in, Pettigrew joins her. “So, what were you and Morgan doing in that room alone?”
“Discussing something classified. You’re not cleared.”
“So, you’re worming your way into that family, too? You know he’s married.”
“Major, that’s enough.”
“I think that by the time the war is over, you’ll have screwed your way into the Morgan family.”
“Major, that is enough. What is wrong with you? You’ve just insulted the wealthiest banking family in America. You’ve insulted me. Are you drunk?”
Pettigrew backs up, “No, I’m not. I’m just telling you what I see. You’re no better than any other woman. You screw your way to the top. You just won’t admit it.” He stops, grimacing. “I don’t like you, Commander. And, I don’t believe your press. You’re hiding something and I’m going to find it. So, you better come clean with me. What does Morgan do?”