W E B Griffin - Corp 08 - In Dangers Path
Page 78
FINALLY, I NEED A FAVOR. PLEASE TELL ERNIE BOTH THAT I'M ALL RIGHT AND LOOKING FORWARD TO COMING HOME SOMEDAY, AND ALSO ASK HER TO MAKE SURE, WHEN THIS OPERATION IS RUNNING SMOOTHLY AND ZIMMERMAN AND HIS WIPE CAN LEAVE YUMEN, THAT HE HAS WHATEVER MONEY HE NEEDS TO GET HIS WIFE AND KIDS INTO THE STATES AND SET UP THERE.
BEST REGARDS AND RESPECTFULLY,
KEN
K. R. MCCOY, CAPT, USMCR
END ATTACHMENT
T O P S E C R E T
Congressman Westminister finished reading the Special Channel and looked at President Roosevelt.
"That's a lot to put on your plate at one time, Congressman," the President said.
"Yes, sir, it is," Westminister said. "But so far as my private bill is concerned, it is the law of the land. But I'm going to have to think a minute about how that applies to the child."
"My understanding of the law, Congressman," Senator Fowler said, "and I just got off the phone with the Attorney General before you came in, is that any child born outside the country to an American officer serving abroad is considered to be a native-born citizen. That clearly applies to Colonel Banning's child, and the Consul General will be directed, today, to issue him a passport."
"The Attorney General wanted to split a hair," the President said, "about whether that applied to Sergeant Zimmerman, who is a noncommissioned officer, not a commissioned officer. I told him that so far as I was concerned, an officer was an officer, noncommissioned or not, and that he was to immediately direct our Consul General in Chungking to issue passports to Sergeant Zimmerman's children, and further to issue Mrs. Zimmerman a nonquota immigration visa, to which she is entitled as the next of kin to an American citizen."
"1 believe that is the law, Mr. President," Congressman Westminister said.
"The question then was Mrs. Banning's status, whether she could come here as Mrs. Zimmerman will, or whether your private bill had become law," the President said. "You have answered that question."
"I'll have a copy of my private bill on the Attorney General's desk within the hour, Mr. President," Westminister said. "May I inform Colonel Banning's parents, Mr. President? This-this message, whatever it is, is classified Top Secret."
"I'm glad you mentioned that," the President said. "I don't think the security of the nation would be seriously imperiled if you informed the Colonel's parents that their daughter-in-law will shortly be at their door. But do not get into the circumstances."
"And their grandchild," Congressman Westminister said emotionally. "They don't know about him. Mr. President, Colonel Banning's daddy and I were classmates at The Citadel. I was best man at their wedding. This news will be very welcome in South Carolina."
"Well, then, Congressman," the President said, "why don't you get on the telephone and deliver it? Together with an expression of my gratitude for the splendid service their son is rendering to the country?"
"Yes, sir, Mr. President, that's just what I'll do," Congressman Westminister said. "Thank you, sir."
He handed the Special Channel message to the President and left the Oval Office.
The President waited until the door had closed after him.
"You know what I've always wanted to do?" he asked. "Put someone with a South Carolina accent like that one together with somebody from say, Ogonquit, Maine, and see if either of them could understand a word of what the other was saying."
There was dutiful laughter.
The President turned to Colonel Jack (NMI) Stecker. "Colonel, it should go without saying, but perhaps it would make things easier if you told the Commandant of my great interest in seeing that Captain McCoy gets whatever he wants from the Marine Corps."
"Aye, aye, sir," Colonel Stecker said.
"Sir," Major Roosevelt asked. "Where are you going to get the Marines to send to the Killer?" He paused. "I was thinking about Raiders."
"So was I," Stecker said. "I saw a personnel report a couple of days ago. There's at least that many Raiders in the States, really serious malaria cases sent here to recover. They're all right now, but the medics say it would be best if they weren't sent back to the Tropics. Whatever it is, the Gobi Desert is not the Tropics."
"Wouldn't they have to be volunteers?" the President asked.
"Dad, they're Raiders," Major Roosevelt replied, smiling. "They'll volunteer, especially if they hear the Killer's involved."
"And the promotions Captain McCoy asked for?" the President asked.
"That will be no problem, sir," Stecker said. "I think a two-stripe promotion for all the Marines would be justified."
"I'd like to decorate them," the President said, and then went off at a tangent. "What was behind that crack McCoy made about he and Banning knowing people who shouldn't have been promoted?"
Colonel Stecker looked uncomfortable.
"Let's have it, Colonel," the President said.
"Sir, Captain McCoy questions whether he has the education and experience to be a captain," Stecker said.
"He obviously has the intelligence and experience to carry off an operation that a large number of far senior officers thought couldn't be done," Roosevelt said, looking at Colonel Donovan as he spoke. "So he's wrong. Please tell the Commandant, Colonel, that the Commander in Chief feels that both Captain McCoy and Sergeant Zimmerman are deserving of promotion."
"Aye, aye, sir."
"And as far as the Killer's-excuse me, Captain McCoy's-lack of education is concerned, is there any reason he could not be sent to the Command and General Staff College when he returns?"
"No, sir," Colonel Stecker said.
"See that it happens, Colonel," the President said.
"Aye, aye, sir."
"Finally, will someone translate." The President paused and picked up the Special Channel message and found what he was looking for before going on. "Captain McCoy's reference to Captain Weston's having earned an excuse from this-what a lovely, succinct phrase- 'shit detail' because he served a year in the Philippines?"
"Sir," Colonel Stecker replied, "Captain Weston refused to surrender when the Philippines fell. He was serving as General Fertig's intelligence officer on Mindanao until he was ordered out."
"And the minute he was back here he volunteered for this 'shit detail'?" the President asked incredulously.
"That's about it, Mr. President," Colonel Stecker replied. "He's an experienced Catalina pilot, and felt it was his duty to volunteer."
"Is he married?"
"No, sir."
"Where was he stationed?"
"Pensacola, sir."
"Colonel Donovan," the President said, "immediately Special Channel General Pickering that as soon as a replacement for Captain Weston can be sent in, he is to be brought out of the Gobi Desert and returned to Pensacola."
"Yes, Mr. President."
The President put his cigarette holder in his mouth at a rakish angle and smiled mischievously.
"As I recall, the beaches of Pensacola abound with healthy young women clad in bathing costumes Eleanor finds scandalous. Perhaps Captain Weston can, so to speak, cast a line into the water and reel one-or more-of them in."
The End