"Good idea," Donovan said. "Okay. Now. I really don't know how to start this. The possible compromise occurred in connection with the shipment of magic devices to Chungking."
"When I saw General Pickering, Mr. Director, I thought that might be the case."
"Were you happy with the security arrangements, Charley? You were, of course, familiar with them?"
"Yes, sir. I was familiar with them. And no, sir, I wasn't absolutely satisfied with the security arrangements."
"In what regard, Charley?"
"It's a little embarrassing for me, sir, with General Pickering privy to this."
"That can't be helped, I'm afraid. What is it about General Pickering and the magic movement that made you uncomfortable?"
What is this sonofabitch doing? Pickering wondered. Asking questions that make me look like a fool? Trying to lay the blame on me?
"Well, there was the matter of the CIC agents, Mr. Director."
"Tell me about that, Charley."
"General Adamson had arranged for Army CIC agents to accompany the magic devices. General Pickering said that his people could adequately guard the devices and declined the services of the CIC. Is that what's happened, sir? Something has happened to the devices?"
"You and General Adamson worked pretty closely on the whole thing together?"
"Yes, sir."
"And General Adamson told you that General Pickering declined the use of CIC agents?"
"Yes, sir."
"And he wasn't satisfied when you told him that Pickering's people were probably as well-qualified to guard the devices as CIC agents?"
"No, sir, he wasn't. And frankly, neither was I."
"Why was that, Charley? I mean, giving General Pickering the benefit of the doubt here. He has a good deal of faith in Colonel Banning and Captain McCoy."
"They had no real experience in transporting the devices, sir. And General Adamson has."
"Did you discuss this with the Deputy Director (Operations)?"
"Well, I tried to, sir. But he seemed to feel that it was General Pickering's operation, and that we shouldn't interfere."
"But you and General Adamson remained concerned?"
"Yes, sir."
"You were afraid that the movement of the devices wasn't as secure as it could be? That perhaps there was a genuine risk that the operation to move them."
"Operation China Clipper, sir," the DDA furnished.
". that Operation China Clipper would be compromised, and perhaps magic itself?"
"Both General Adamson and I felt that was a real possibility, Mr. Director."
"I'm surprised, Charley, that General Adamson didn't do something about it, since both of you were concerned."
"I think he did, sir."
"Really? What?"
"General Adamson and General Dempsey are old friends. Dempsey is the military mission to China signal officer. They were classmates at the Command and General Staff College. He sent him a heads-up."
"So that General. Dempsey, you said?"
"Yes, sir. Major General F. T. Dempsey."
"So that General Dempsey would be aware of the potential problem?"
"Exactly, sir. Both the potential problems with Operation China Clipper and with-I don't quite know how to phrase this-the potential problems with Lieutenant Colonel Banning."
"A moment ago you said that you think General Adamson sent a heads-up to General Dempsey. Presumably by Top Secret message?"
"He showed me a copy of the heads-up, sir. And, of course, it was a Top Secret, Eyes Only, General Dempsey."
"Does General Dempsey have a magic clearance?" Donovan asked.
"Not at the moment, sir. But I'm sure it's in the works."
"Okay, Charley," Donovan said. "That's enough."
"Sir?"
"What happens now, Charley, is that as of this moment, I have accepted your resignation."
"Sir?"
"As of this moment, your duties will be assumed by your deputy," Donovan said. "His first duty will be to go through your desk, gather up your personal belongings, and have them delivered to your home, where you will have been taken by our security people, and will be waiting, under guard, for my decision about what to do with you. My immediate reaction is to send you over to St. Elizabeth's in a straitjacket and keep you there until the war is over, but I know that reaction is colored by my anger, so I want to think that through." St. Elizabeth's was the Federal government psychiatric hospital in the District of Columbia.
"Sir, I don't understand."
"Most of my anger is directed at myself. I'm the man who put you in a position where you could do all this damage. I should have known that you couldn't take orders."
"Sir, I was simply trying to carry out my responsibilities to the best of my ability."
"Yeah, I know. That's what makes this so sad. I should have known that you weren't equipped to discharge those responsibilities. What you have done, Charley, and I don't think you really understand this, is put hundreds of thousands of lives at risk-and that's what the compromise of magic would mean-by disobeying your orders. If I have to explain it to you: the moment you heard that General Adamson was even thinking of communicating anything about magic to anyone who does not have a magic clearance, you were supposed to bring this to my attention."
"Sir, General Adamson is the Secretary of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."
"That's my point, Charley, you still don't understand what you both have done," Donovan said calmly, even sadly. "Wait here, Charley, someone will come for you."
Donovan walked into the transcription room.
"Admiral, would you like my resignation?"
"I don't see where that would accomplish anything, Colonel," Admiral Leahy said. "I would recommend to the President that he decline your resignation."
"In that case, sir, what would you like me to do?"
"I think we should next talk to General Adamson, and then to Colonel Albright," Leahy said. "To see how far down this unfortunate business has gone."
" 'We,' sir?"
"On reflection, I will talk to General Adamson, alone," Leahy said. "He is due here any moment. But by the time he gets here, the White Room will be available, will it not?"
"Yes, sir. Give me a moment to find the security duty officer, and to locate Charley's deputy to tell him what he has to do."
One of the White Room guards put his head into the transcription room.
"Colonel Donovan, General Adamson is being checked into the White Room."
"Thank you," Donovan said, and reached for a headset. He sensed Pickering's eyes on him.
"Pickering, I guess I owe you an apology."
"The shoe's on the other foot, Mr. Director," General Pickering said. "I thought, at first, that you were trying to cover for that sonofabitch. I'm truly sorry."
"So am I," Donovan said, and put the earphones over his head.
"Good afternoon, Admiral," the voice of Major General Charles M. Adamson, USA, came clearly over the transcription system headsets. "I came as quickly as I could."
Admiral William D. Leahy, USN, Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, did not respond to the greeting.
"It has been alleged, General," Leahy began, "that you sent a Top Secret message to the signal officer of the U.S. military mission to China which made reference to Operation China Clipper. Is this true?"
There was a perceptible hesitation before General Adamson replied.
"Yes, sir."
"Specifically, to Major General F. T. Dempsey?"
"Yes, sir, the message was addressed, Eyes Only, General Dempsey."
"I'm really sorry to hear that, General," Admiral Leahy said.
"Admiral, may I explain the circumstances?"
Leahy ignored the question.
"General Dempsey apparently believes that both he and his deputy will shortly be granted magic security clearances. Do you have any idea where he got that idea?"
"Yes, sir. Sir, I presumed
that it would only be a matter of time before General Dempsey would be granted access to magic. I don't see how he could perform his duties in connection with magic without such clearance."
"And you therefore told him you believed he, and presumably his deputy as well, would shortly have magic clearance?"
"Yes, sir. And I also cautioned him that the magic cryptographic officer who was being sent to military mission China in charge of the devices did not enjoy the full confidence of either myself or the OSS, and that he-"
"Who told you, General, that Colonel Banning does not enjoy the full confidence of the OSS?"
"Sir, that information was given to me in confidence. I'm reluctant-"
"Was it the OSS Deputy Director (Administration)?"
"Yes, sir."
"I regret to inform you, sir, that you stand relieved of your duties at JCS. You will proceed directly from this room to your quarters, where you will hold yourself available for orders from General Marshall. I inform you, sir, that when I speak to General Marshall, I shall recommend to him that you be immediately reduced to whatever permanent grade you hold."
There was a long silence.
"That will be all," Admiral Leahy said. "You are dismissed."
"Yes, sir."
"Donovan," Admiral Leahy said, as he walked into the transcription room, "we have to make sure that nothing like this can ever happen again in the future."
"Yes, sir," Donovan said.
"I think you'd do better talking to Colonel Albright than I would, Colonel."
"Yes, sir," Donovan said, handed his headset to the Admiral, and walked into the White Room.
"I don't like to think, Pickering," Admiral Leahy said, "what would have happened if your Colonel Banning had been cowed by General Dempsey."
"What's going to happen to General Adamson, sir?"
"In any army but ours, he would be handed a pistol and expected to do the right thing. I'm not sure if he's a colonel or a lieutenant colonel in the regular army. I suppose he'll wind up as commanding officer, or executive officer, of a POW camp. Something like that."
"That's sad."
"Yes, it is," Leahy said. "Eisenhower has already reduced six general officers to their permanent grade and sent them home for not being able to keep their mouths shut."
"I didn't know that."
"General, it's not the sort of thing they issue press releases about," Leahy said, and put his headset on.
"To get right to the point, Colonel Albright," Donovan's voice came over the earphones, "it has come to my attention that a back-channel message was sent to the signal officer, Eyes Only, Major General Dempsey, of the military mission to China, which among other things announced the imminent arrival of magic devices and personnel to operate the Special Channel. Did you have anything to do with that message?"
"No, sir," Colonel H. A. Albright said immediately.
"Do you know anything about such a message?"
"No, sir," Albright said immediately.
"Have you any idea who could have sent such a message."
Colonel Albright did not reply.
"Colonel, do you have any idea who could have sent such a message?" Donovan asked, impatience in his voice.
"I don't like to speculate about that sort of thing, Colonel."
"Let me rephrase, Colonel. I am not asking for a name. Do you have any private suspicions about who would have sent such a message?"
Again Albright didn't reply.
"Yes or no, Colonel?" Donovan asked, not unkindly.
After a perceptible hesitation, Albright replied, "Colonel, to repeat myself, I don't like to speculate about such matters."
"Yes or no?"
"If I have your word, Colonel, that you will not ask me for a name?"
"You have my word."
"Yes, sir, I think I could make a good guess who would send such a message."
"But you won't give me the name?"
"That's correct."
"I could get General Adamson in here and have him order you to give a name. For God's sake, Albright, we're talking about the compromise of magic."
Albright didn't reply.
"If you refused a legal order from General Adamson, you would, as I'm sure you realize, be opening yourself up for disciplinary action?"
"Any accusation-and that's what it would be-I would make without knowledge of the facts would ruin someone's career, even if I was wrong. In that circumstance."
"Wait here, please, Colonel," Donovan said. "I'll be back in a moment."
"If you're going for General Adamson, Colonel," Colonel Albright said, "I can probably save you time. I won't answer the question from him, either."
"Just wait here, please, Colonel," Donovan said.
"I feel like Diogenes," Donovan said when he walked into the transcription room. "I've just found an honest-read, ethical-man."
"In the Navy, they call that loyalty upward. It's commendable," Admiral Leahy said. "But is this the exception that proves the rule?"
"The question is," Pickering said, "did Albright know about the heads-up? If he did and didn't report it, he's wrong. If he didn't, the question is what would he have done if he did know about it."
"Do you think he knew, Pickering?" Leahy asked.
"No, I don't," Pickering said thoughtfully, and only then remembered to add, "Sir."
Leahy pointed at Second Lieutenant Hart.
"I should have asked that question of you first, son," he said. "So your answer would not be colored by hearing what General Pickering said."
"He would have told somebody, sir," Hart replied. "He guards magic like a lioness guards her cubs. And he was almost like one of us, sir. That message could have fucked up McCoy and Zimmerman. Whatever it cost him, he'd have done whatever he had to do to keep that from happening."
"General Rickabee?"
My God, I forgot he's here, Pickering thought, actually surprised to see him, and even more surprised to realize that he had been there all the time.
And he has never opened his mouth.
Does that mean he was cowed by Donovan and Leahy?
Or that he had nothing to say? With the implication he approved of the way Donovan has conducted the questioning?
"Admiral, I'd bet on Albright," Rickabee replied. "He knows when to keep his mouth shut."
So much for my theory that Fritz is cowed by Admiral Leahy.
"Colonel Donovan?" Leahy asked.
"If I had to bet on it, sir-and that's what we're doing, isn't it? Taking a chance with other people's lives?-I don't think Albright knew, and I think if he knew. he would have done whatever had to be done."
"That makes it unanimous, gentlemen," Admiral Leahy said.
"So what do we do now?" Pickering asked. "The way I read Colonel Banning's back channel, anything we send over the Special Channel to Chungking will be read by Dempsey and/or his deputy."
"Can we get something to your station chief in Chungking, Donovan, with any assurance that it won't be read by anyone else?" Leahy asked.
"I know very little about the Chungking Station, or how it operates," Pickering said coldly. "The first time I heard we have-more correctly, that I have-an OSS station in Chungking was in Banning's Special Channel."
"You have station chiefs all over the Pacific, General," Donovan said. "Including one in Chungking. You were supposed to be briefed on that. I presumed that you had been."
"Who was supposed to brief me, your Deputy Director (Administration)?" Pickering asked sarcastically.
"As a matter of fact, yes."
"Well, goddamn it, I wasn't," Pickering said. "Now I'm starting to wonder what else I should know that I haven't been told."
"Your position, Colonel Donovan," Leahy asked, "is that General Pickering's-what shall I say, 'inadequate briefing'?-was another failure on the part of your Director for Administration, and that until just now, you knew nothing about it?"
"It's a failure on my part, Admiral," Donovan said sincerely. "It was my res
ponsibility to make sure that my DDA did what he was supposed to do. And I just didn't do it."
"What's the damage assessment?" Leahy asked, looking at Pickering.
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