W E B Griffin - Corp 08 - In Dangers Path
Page 71
Well, he's got McCoy figured correctly, Pickering thought. There really is more to the Easterbunny than at first meets the eve.
"There have been no messages for me, Bob?" Pickering asked.
"There's one, sir. I thought I'd wait until we got in the car, out of the wind. Will you drive, George?"
"Sure," Hart said.
That was an order, Pickering thought. It was phrased as a question, but it wasn't even a request, it was an order.
"I don't think you're going to like it very much, sir," Easterbrook added.
When they were in the backseat of the Studebaker together, and Pickering had read the two Special Channel messages, Pickering realized that Easterbrook was right. He didn't like what the Special Channel message said.
T O P S E C R E T
FROM ACTING STACHIEF OSS HAWAII
1115 GREENWICH 13 APRIL 1943
VIA SPECIAL CHANNEL
DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN
TO BRIGGEN FLEMING PICKERING USMCR
OSS DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR PACIFIC OPERATIONS
THRU: US MILITARY MISSION TO CHINA CHUNGKING
SUBJECT: PROGRESS REPORT NO.3
1. RECEIPT OF YOUR MESSAGE SUBJECT: IMPORTANCE OF LIAISON DATED 11 APRIL 1943 RELUCTANTLY ACKNOWLEDGED.
2. SUNFISH WITH METEOROLOGISTS, EQUIPMENT, PLUS LT CD. LEWIS AND CHIEF MCGUIRE ABOARD DEPARTED PEARL HARBOR 0600 LOCAL TIME 11 APR 43. ETA RENDEZVOUS POINT NOT SOONER THAN 28 APRIL. YOU WILL BE ADVISED DAILY AS ETA IS REVISED BASED ON POSITION REPORTS FROM SUNFISH AND OTHER FACTORS.
3. FOLLOWING VOLUNTEER USMC AVIATORS HAVE REPORTED ON TEMPORARY DUTY TO MAG-21:
WILLIAMSON, MAJ AVERY R. USMC (PENSACOLA NAS)
WESTON, CAPT JAMES B USMC (PENSACOLA NAS)
PICKERING, 1/LIEUT MALCOLM S USMCR (MEMPHIS NAS)
4. ADDITIONALLY, STEVENSON, 1/LEEUT THEODORE J. USMC CVMF-229, EWA MCAS) HAS VOLUNTEERED AND REPORTED ON TDY.
5. LT COL DAWKIN8 REPORTS THAT ALTHOUGH WILLIAMSON, WESTON AND STEVENSON HAVE EXTENSIVE CATALINA EXPERIENCE, THEIR TRAINING AT EWA WILL CONTINUE ON A DAILY BASIS UNTIL EXECUTION OP MISSION IS ORDERED. THE 6 (SIX) US NAVY AVIATORS WHO PARTICIPATED IN ONE OR BOTH RENDEZVOUS/REFUELING DRY RUNS REMAIN ON TDY TO MAG-21, AND ANY OP THEM WOULD BE AVAILABLE AS A REPLACEMENT SHOULD ANY OF THE MARINE AVIATORS REQUIRE REPLACEMENT.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED
HOMER C. DILLON
MAJOR USMCR
T O P S E C R E T
I have not yet recovered from my emotional reaction to watching Ken McCoy and Zimmerman-and Sampson-driving off into the Gobi-with that cheerful "Shave and a Haircut, Two Bits" tooting of the horn-and now this.
What motivates these young men? Don't they want to live?
"Bad news, sir?" Hart asked from the front seat.
"I'm trying to make up my mind," Pickering said. "Dillon sent us the names of the pilots who will fly the Catalinas."
"Something wrong with them?"
Good question. Yeah, there's something wrong with them. They're all crazy, the regulars, the Old Breed, McCoy, Zimmerman, and Weston, and probably this Major Williamson, and the amateurs, my son and his Harvard classmate, Sampson. They are perfectly willing, perhaps because they are Marines, and Marines are supposed to do heroic things, or perhaps because they consider that voluntarily taking enormous chances with their lives-this would apply to Pick and Sampson-is what is expected of them as members of the social elite. Or maybe just to prove to themselves that they are not only men but a special kind of men.
"There's a Major Williamson, from Pensacola, I don't know who he is."
"General, I don't know how I know this," Hart said. "But I think he's a pal of Captain Galloway," Hart offered. "He's probably all right."
That figures, both that he's a pal of Charley Galloway and "all right."
"And a fellow named Stevenson, who's in Galloway's squadron," Pickering went on.
Which means by definition. "One of Galloway's misfits?" Hart asked, surprised.
. one of Galloway's misfits.
"I don't think Galloway would volunteer this fellow for this to get rid of him," Pickering thought aloud. "Or that Colonel Dawkins, for that matter, would permit him to do that. So he's probably all right."
"Yes, sir," Hart agreed. "They both know how important this is."
"The other two officers, George, are Captain James B. Weston-"
"Our Captain Weston?" Hart asked incredulously.
"Our Captain Weston," Pickering confirmed. "And the fourth one is Pick."
"My God!" Hart said. "He didn't say anything to me when we were in Memphis."
"Or to me," Pickering said.
"You didn't say anything about Operation Gobi to him in Memphis, did you, George?"
"No, sir."
"Then I guess he just saw General Mclnerney's request for volunteers," Hart said. "And volunteered."
"What I can't understand is why they took him," Pickering thought aloud again. "I don't think he knows how to fly a Catalina."
He doesn't. That explains that business in Jake Dillon's Special Channel. Pickering picked up the Special Channel and read the last paragraph again.
. They know Pick does not have the "extensive experience" flying the Catalina that the other three have. What Jake is doing is telling me that Dawkins is doing all he can to give Pick the training he needs.
"They know what a hell of a pilot he is, General," Hart said. "That's why they took him. It won't take him long to learn how to fly a Catalina."
"And the same is presumably true of Jim Weston," Pickering said. "He was selected because he was the best man available for the job."
"Yes, sir."
And the selector was Mac Mclnerney. Who would base his decision on that alone. With no consideration of fairness, of sending someone who hadn't spent a year as a guerrilla in the Philippines instead of someone who did. Or sending someone who has never been in combat at all-or hasn't already flown an incredibly hazardous mission like Pick did with Galloway to Buka-in place of someone who has.
A general officer cannot permit himself to let his personal feelings interfere with his decisions, even when his decisions may send men to their deaths. Mac really likes Western, and he showed at Memphis-again-how much he likes Pick. But he's a Marine General, and he can't let anything get in the way of his responsibilities.
So what does that make me?
The Easterbunny is getting next to me in the backseat of this staff car because I arranged it so that he wouldn't get himself killed storming some beach in the Solomons.
It makes me-because I would trade my life for a senior officer somewhere who would make the emotion-based decision to send someone else in place of Pick and Weston-a lousy general officer.
"Pick will be all right, General," Hart said, reading Pickering's mind. "And so will Weston. They walk between raindrops."
"Well, we'll soon find out, won't we, George?" Pickering said.
[FOUR]
The White House
Washington, D.C.
2315 16 April 1943
The President was sitting in his wheelchair in his dressing gown, lighting a fresh cigarette from the butt of another, when Admiral William D. Leahy, General George C. Marshall, and Colonel William J. Donovan were shown in.
He looks tired, Donovan thought.
"Good evening, Mr. President," Admiral Leahy said.
"What do we have here?" Roosevelt said, as he stuffed his fresh cigarette into an ivory holder and flashed his famous smile. "The Army, the Navy, and he who hears all evil, sees all evil, and speaks all evil?"
"Is that how you think of me, Mr. President?" Donovan asked.
"A poor attempt at humor, Bill," the President said. "I tend to tell terrible jokes when I am forced to make decisions I would rather not make."
There was no reply.
"Would anyone like coffee?" he asked. "Or something stronger?"
There was a chorus of "No, thank you, Mr. President."
"Let me see it, please," the President
said.
Donovan reached into his interior pocket and handed the President a white blank, unsealed, letter-size envelope.
Roosevelt took two sheets of typewriter paper from it. He glanced quickly at both of them. "Oh, we've heard from Halsey, too?" he asked.
"I thought we should wait for Admiral Halsey's recommendation before coming to see you, sir," Admiral Leahy said.
Roosevelt carefully read the messages.
T O P S E C R E T - M A G I C
OPERATIONAL IMMEDIATE
1005 GREENWICH 16 APRIL 1943
DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN
FROM SUPREME COMMANDER SOUTH WEST PACIFIC OCEAN AREAS BRISBANE
TO CHIEF OF STAFF US ARMY
WASHINGTON
EYES ONLY GENERAL GEORGE C. MARSHALL
INFO COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF PACIFIC
PEARL HARBOR
EYES ONLY ADMIRAL CHESTER W. NIMITZ
SUBJECT: OPERATION FLYSWATTER, REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO EXECUTE
1. SUPREME HEADQUARTERS SWAPO HAS INTERCEPTED AND DECRYPTED THREE (3) MESSAGES FROM JAPANESE IMPERIAL GENERAL STAFF DEALING WITH VISIT TO BOUGAINVILLE BY ADMIRAL ISOROKU YAMAMOTO COMMANDER OF JAPANESE COMBINED FLEET BY AIR ON 18 APRIL 1943, INCLUDING DESCRIPTION OF HIS ROUTE, AIRCRAFT TYPE AND ESCORT.
2. SUBJECT MESSAGES WERE CLASSIFIED IN HIGHEST SECURITY CATEGORY. ANALYSTS ATTACHED TO THIS HEADQUARTERS BELIEVE THEM TO BE GENUINE, BUT SUGGEST THE POSSIBILITY THAT THIS MAY BE A RUSE ON THE PART OF THE JAPANESE WITH THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING WHETHER THE CODE USED HAS BEEN COMPROMISED BY US. IF IT IS A RUSE, ANY ACTION OF MINE TO INTERCEPT ADMIRAL YAMAMOTO WOULD CONFIRM THAT WE HAVE BROKEN THEIR CODE.
3. IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT MY ANALYSTS DO NOT REPEAT DO NOT BELIEVE IT IS
PROBABLE THAT THE MESSAGES ARE A RUSE, SOLELY THAT THIS IS A POSSIBILITY REPEAT POSSIBILITY WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED.
4. AT MY DIRECTION, A MISSION CODENAME FLYSWATTER INVOLVING FOUR (4) ARMY AIR CORPS LOCKHEED P-38 AIRCRAFT BASED IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS HAS BEEN PLACED IN READINESS TO INTERCEPT AND DESTROY THE YAMAMOTO AIRCRAFT OVER BOUGAINVILLE. I HAVE BEEN ASSURED THE MISSION WOULD HAVE A SEVENTY-FIVE (75) PERCENT CHANCE OF SUCCESS.
5. IN VIEW OF THE RECENT POTENTIAL BREACH OF MAGIC SECURITY AT US MILITARY MISSION TO CHINA, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THERE MAY BE A TENDENCY TO ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION IN THIS CASE, BY DENYING ME PERMISSION TO EXECUTE OPERATION FLYSWATTER IN THE BELIEF THAT SO DOING WOULD PROTECT MAGIC.
6. BRIG GEN PICKERING'S REPRESENTATIVE WHO WAS IN CHUNGKING WITH GENERAL PICKERING HAS INFORMED ME THAT BOTH HE AND GENERAL PICKERING BELIEVE MAGIC WAS NOT REPEAT NOT COMPROMISED BY THE RECENT EVENTS AT US MILITARY MISSION TO CHINA. I HAVE COMPLETE CONFIDENCE IN GENERAL PICKERING'8 JUDGMENT IN MATTERS OF THIS NATURE.
7. NEVER BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF NAVAL WARFARE HAS THERE BEEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO REMOVE A BRILLIANT AND FORMIDABLE ADVERSARY SUCH AS ADMIRAL YAMAMOTO FROM THE SCENE OF BATTLE, AND WE SHOULD NOT FAIL TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO BY TAKING COUNSEL OF OUR FEARS.
8. PERMISSION TO EXECUTE OPERATION FLYSWATTBR IS REQUESTED IN THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERMS.
DOUGLAS MACARTHUR
GENERAL, US ARMY
SUPREME COMMANDER SOUTH WEST PACIFIC OCEAN AREAS
T O P S E C R E T - M A G I C
"Douglas does have a way with words, doesn't he?" the President said, and turned to the second message, which was considerably shorter than MacArthur's.
T O P S E C R E T - M A G I C
OPERATIONAL IMMEDIATE
1635 GREENWICH 16 APRIL 1943
DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN
FROM COMMANDER IN CHIEF PACIFIC
PEARL HARBOR
TO CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
WASHINGTON
EYES ONLY ADMIRAL WILLIAM D. LEAHY
INFO SUPREME COMMANDER SOUTH WEST PACIFIC OCEAN AREAS
BRISBANE
EYES ONLY GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR
1. REFERENCE IS MADE TO TOP SECRET-MAGIC MESSAGE FROM SUPREME COMMANDER SOUTH WEST PACIFIC OCEAN AREAS TO EYES ONLY CHIEF OF STAFF US ARMY SUBJECT OPERATION FLYSWATTER, REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO EXECUTE DATED 16 APRIL 1943.
2. THE REFERENCED MESSAGES CONCERNING ADMIRAL YAMAMOTO WERE INDEPENDENTLY INTERCEPTED, DECRYPTED AND ANALYZED HERE. ANALYSTS HERE CONCUR THAT MESSAGES ARE GENUINE, AND SHARE CONCERN THAT THEY MAY BE A RUSE.
3. THE UNDERSIGNED SHARES GENERAL MACARTHURS CONFIDENCE IN BRIG GENERAL PICKERING'S DAMAGE ASSESSMENT REGARDING POTENTIAL BREECH OF MAGIC AT USMMCHI.
4. THE REMOVAL OF ADMIRAL YAMAMOTO FROM COMMAND OF THE JAPANESE COMBINED FLEET WOULD BE CATASTROPHIC TO JAPANESE MILITARY AND NAVAL OPERATIONS, AND HIS LOSS PER SE TO UNITED STATES ACTION WOULD SERIOUSLY DAMAGE JAPANESE NAVAL PRESTIGE AMONG THE JAPANESE PEOPLE.
5. THE UNDERSIGNED STRONGLY URGES THAT THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS RECOMMEND TO THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF THAT GENERAL MACARTHUR BE GIVEN AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE OPERATION FLYSWATTER.
CHESTER W. NIMITZ
ADMIRAL, US NAVY
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, PACIFIC
T O P S E C R E T - M A G I C
"Halsey thinks MacArthur is right," the President said. "Is that a unanimous feeling here, too?"
He looked at Donovan, who was the junior man present, for an answer.
"Mr. President, I don't think I should second-guess either Douglas MacArthur or Admiral Nimitz," Donovan said.
"Go ahead, Bill, second-guess them."
"It boils down to a choice between a chance to eliminate Admiral Yamamoto or possibly, I emphasize possibly, compromise magic."
"No, it doesn't," the President said. "The choice is between sharing Fleming Pickering's belief that magic has not been compromised by those people in Chungking, or not believing him. I don't think we're in a position to cavalierly dismiss the possibility that the Japanese at least suspect we're reading their mail. A deception like this would be entirely appropriate if they did."
"We have no reason to believe we have given them any reason to be suspicious, except for the Chungking business," Donovan said.
"Do you think Pickering's right, or don't you?" Roosevelt asked, a tone of impatience in his voice.
"I'll go with Pickering's judgment, Mr. President," Donovan said after a perceptible pause.
Roosevelt nodded and looked at General Marshall.
"If we didn't take advantage of the opportunity, Mr. President-" General Marshall began.
"Even at the risk of confirming to the Japanese that we've broken their codes?" Roosevelt interrupted.
"Yes, Mr. President," General Marshall said.
"Admiral?" Roosevelt asked, turning to Leahy.
"This seems to be one of those very rare instances, Mr. President, where Admiral Nimitz and General MacArthur seem to be in complete agreement. I don't want to challenge their judgment."
"But, truth to tell, out of school, everybody's more than a little nervous with this, right?" Roosevelt said.
There were nods, and Donovan said, "Yes, sir, I am."
"And so am I," Roosevelt said. His cigarette had burned down close to his ivory holder. He snatched it out, dropped it into an ashtray, and stuffed a fresh cigarette into the holder.
"Okay," he said, as Donovan walked up to him with a cigarette lighter. "We'll do it. Admiral Leahy, send Douglas MacArthur the following: Direction of the President. Execute Operation Flyswatter."
"Aye, aye, sir." Admiral Leahy said.
"If that offer of a drink is still open, Mr. President?" Donovan said.
"Of course it is, Bill," the President said. "Now that we each can tell ourselves that when we made this decision we were stone sober."
Chapter Twenty-Three
[ONE]
Somewhere in the Gobi Desert
Mongolia
1115 20 April 1943
The 32nd Military District supply column, sent to supply the patrols it was operating in the Gobi Desert, consisted of two jeeps (one at the head of the line of vehicles, the other bringing up the rear); two GMC six-by-six two-and-a-half-ton trucks, both towing
five-hundred-gallon trailers; three Studebaker open-bodied trucks carrying, four to a truck, a dozen Mongolian ponies; and two Dodge three-quarter-ton weapons carriers.