W E B Griffin - BoW 03 - The Majors

by The Majors(Lit)

  "Let go of me!" she said. He let go of her, surprised.

  "What are you doing?" he asked.

  "What does it look like I'm doing?" she asked, as she shrugged out of the hospital gown.

  "Jesus, Melody, what about your ankle?"

  "Fuck my ankle," she said. "Take your damned clothes off!"

  (Four)

  Extract from the Southern Star

  Volume 87, No. 42

  Ozark, Alabama

  30 September 1957

  OZARK, Sept 30ŽMayor and Mrs. Howard Percy

  Dutton announce the wedding of their daughter Melody

  Louise, to First Lieutenant Edward C. Greer, United

  States Army, in Algiers, Algeria, September 28.

  The previously scheduled nuptials, delayed because of Lieutenant Greer's reassignment from Camp Rucker, were conducted in the English Church in Algiers (Episcopal) by the Rev. Ronald I. Spiers, chaplain to the

  British Consulate General in Algiers.

  Lieutenant Greer is an assistant military attache at the

  United States Consulate General, Algiers, where the couple will reside.

  XIII

  (One)

  Washington, D.C.

  1 September 1957

  At the conclusion of his first day on the job as Deputy Chief,

  Plans and Requirements Section (Fiscal), Aviation Maintenance

  Section, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics

  (DCSLOG), Major Craig W. Lowell caught a cab at the Pentagon and had himself driven to the Park-Sheraton Hotel.

  He had arrived the night before from Frankfurt, and there were a number of things he had to do, starting with unpacking,

  Ibinking about getting a place to live, and getting an automobile.

  But the first thing he did when he got to the Park-Sheraton is walk in the bar and order a very dry martini. He had reached the conclusion within an hour of reporting for duty hat he was not going to like his new assignment at all. He m going to be a glorified clerk, despite his awesome title,

  he was surrounded with horse's asses from his immediate mperior, a Lieutenant Colonel Dillard, upward.

  He quickly downed the first martini and was halfway through the second when the inevitable thought occurred t9 him: if he was going to have to spend his time moving paper around on a desk, he had might as well do that at Craig, Powell, Kenyon and Dawes, where he at least owned half the store.

  He realized then that both the thoughtŽand martinisŽwere dangerous at the moment. He set the martini down, scribbled his name on the bar check, and walked out of the bar and to the desk, where he asked for his key.

  The desk clerk handed him a telephone message along with the key: "Please call Col. Newburgh." There was a number.

  He didn't know a Colonel Newburgh, and he wondered how

  Colonel Newburgh, whoever the hell he was, had found him at the Park-Sheraton. The temptation was to crumple the message up and forget about it, but he knew he could not afford to offend any of his new superiors. He went to his room (there had been no suites available, something else that annoyed him) and took off his tunic, pulled down his tie, and dialed the number.

  "Burning Tree," an operator announced, and for a moment,

  Lowell thought that he had dialed the wrong number. Burning

  Tree liked to refer to itself as the President's golf course.

  There were few colonels among its members.

  "Colonel Newburgh, please," he said, however, just to make sure.

  "May I ask who's calling?" the operator said.

  "Major Lowell," he said.

  "Colonel Newburgh is expecting your call, sir," the operator said. "He's in the steam room. Will you hold, please?"

  In a moment, a deep, somewhat raspy voice said, "Newburgh, here."

  "Major Lowell, sir," Lowell said. "Returning your call."

  "Glad I caught you, Lowell," Newburgh said. "What I had in mind was a couple of drinks and dinner. I hope you haven't made other plans."

  "Sir, do I know you?"

  "We've met," Newburgh mid. "And we have a number of mutual friends."

  "May I ask who, sir?"

  "Bob Bellmon, for one," Newburgh said. "Paul.liggs for another. He is, that is, Bob is going to eat with us."

  "That's very kind of you, Colonel," Lowell said. "What one?"

  "I don't suppose you've had time to get a car. So if I sent for you, that'd give you half an hour to get ready..

  "I'll just jump in a cab," Lowell said.

  "You know where it is?"

  "I'm sure the cabbie will be able to find it," Lowell said.

  "I'll leave your name at the door," Newburgh said. "Give mine, and they'll pass you right in."

  "Thank you," Lowell said, and hung up.

  He took a shower and changed into civilian clothing, a tweed t, gray flannel slacks, a dress white shirt with a foulard open collar, and loafers. Then he took a taxi to Burning

  Country Club.

  "Major Lowell, as the guest of Colonel Newburgh," he said the porter at the door.

  The porter looked confused, checked his file, and announced: "

  I don't seem to have any record of that, sir. But I

  te the colonel may be here, and if you'll be good enough nave a seat, I'll see about straightening this out."

  TMHow about this?" Lowell said, handing the porter a card. as the personal calling card of the executive vice president the Riggs National Bank, who was also chairman of the rning Tree House Committee. On it was written "Mr. C.

  Lowell. All privileges, pending action of membership comittee, yes, sir," the porter said. "We've been told to expect sir. Go right in. I'm sure our manager would like to explain facilities."

  TMiust point out the bar, please," Lowell said, with a smile.

  "Yes, sir. Up the stairs, through the double glass door."

  "Thank you," Lowell said, and found the bar.

  It was a stand-up bar and a number of leather upholstered chairs before small tables. Lowell sat down at one of tables A waiter in a white jacket appeared immediately. not much ice, and water," Lowell said.

  You're Mr. Lowell, sir?" the waiter asked.

  "That's right."

  - "Your first night with us, sir, you're a guest of the club.

  And our manager just called to say he's tied up at the moment, but he looks forward to meeting you personally in just a few minutes."

  "That's very nice," Lowell said. "Thank you very much."

  When the waiter delivered his drink, a good stiff shot in one glass, a glass with ice, a bowl of ice, a small pitcher of water, and a plate of salted almonds, Lowell asked the waiter if he knew Colonel Newburgh.

  "Yes, sir," the waiter said. "That's the colonel at the end of the bar, sir."

  "Would you give the colonel another of what he's drinking, with my compliments?" Lowell asked.

  "Yes, sir, Mr. Lowell, be happy to."

  A minute later, Colonel Carson Newburgh, a tall, ruddy- faced man in his late fifties, in a splendidly tailored glen plaid suit, walked to Lowell's table. Lowell stood up.

  "You one-upped me, Lowell," he said, offering his hand.

  "I guess I asked for it."

  "What was the little game at the door?" Lowell asked. Newburgh sat down, and motioned for Lowell to sit.

  "My intention was to teach by example," he said. "The point I was trying to make was that it is very hard for most people to gain access to these exalted premises. How'd you get in?"

  "I had lunch with the chairman of the house committee

  New York a month ago, and when he heard I was coming

  Washington...

  "You're up for membership?"

  "Yeah. He said the committee meets only once every three months.

  "And decides which of the applicants, who applied two, three years ago, is the most worthy," Newburgh said.

  "Some pigs," Lowell said, "as Mr. Orwell pointed out, more equal than other pigs."

&
nbsp; "It's nice to be rich, isn't it, Lowell?"

  "It's way ahead of whatever is in second place," LoweU said. "I gather you are comfortable' too, Colonel?"

  "I think you could say that," Newburgh said, and smiled at him.

  "I'm really curious to know what this is all about," Lowell said

  "Until you played games with me at the door, I thought my cousin was somehow involved, that he wanted me to meet some respectable people."

  "No, the only contact I've had with Porter was to find out where you were staying," Newburgh said. "I don't really know

  But we have some mutual friends."

  do we, you said," Lowell said.

  Bob Bellmon's coming over," Newburgh said. "He should be here right about now. I think the plane gets in at 5:55."

  "Don't forget to leave your name at the desk," Lowell said.

  I won't have to," Newburgh said. "Bellmon's a member. his grandfather was a member."

  "I shall have to remember to be nice to him," Lowell said.

  after his chance to drop a blackball has passed."

  "Barbara wouldn't let him do that," Newburgh said. "Barbra likes you." rust who the hell are you, Colonel?" Lowell asked. "And the hell is going on?"

  My name is Carson Newburgh," he said. "As in the Newburg

  Corporation." iben you are comfortable,"' Lowell chuckled.

  "It's also been Lieutenant Newburgh," he said. "And since did such a superb job as E. Z. Black's housekeeper in Korea,

  Newburgh."

  ?dow I know who you are," Lowell said. "Sure."

  "And I know who you are, of course," Newburgh said, and ickled. "You have been described to me as the consummate up."

  -i've heard that," Lowell said.

  "And also as a brilliant combat commander with a real for logistic planning." lbat would have to be Barbara Bellmon."

  "Actually, it was Paul Jiggs."

  "I'd love to be able to quote that to him, and use it as a to get me the hell out of the Pentagon."

  "We now get to the point," Newburgh said. "You can, if you're willing to, make a greater contribution to the army sitting on your ass in the Pentagon than you made leading Task Force

  Lowell," Newburgh said.

  Lowell's eyebrows raised in mocking disbelief.

  "In case you're wondering," Newburgh said, smiling broadly.

  "why I called this little meeting."

  Lowell chuckled, and held up his empty drink for a refill.

  "What do I have to do?"

  "One thing that will probably amuse you, and give you some satisfaction, and a number of other things that you will probably dislike intensely. Both are equally important."

  "Tell me what will amuse me," Lowell said.

  "There is an H- 19 at Fort Lewis, Washington," Newbur2h said, "that has been wrecked. Nearly totaled. You're going have to find enough money in your appropriated-for-other. purposes funds to have it rebuilt, and do so without anyone knowing about it."

  "And what happens to the H-19 when I do this? Soi general has a flying command post?"

  "Mac MacMillan gets a test bed for rocket-armed helicoc' ters," Newburgh said. When he saw the look on Lowell's he added: "I told you that it would give you some pleasure.

  "Is that why I got that paper shuffler's job?"

  "That's part of the reason."

  "Drop the other shoe, Colonel," Lowell said.

  "From what I've heard about you from the Bellmons," Ne' burgh said, "and from my personal observations, you'd mia lousy politician. That's a shame."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "Because what the army needs from you is political infi! ence.

  "Porter refers to our distinguished solon as our distinj solon," Lowell said.

  "And I have one, actually three, too," Newburgh said. "B we need more than that."

  "For what purpose?"

  "To keep army aviation alive," Newburgh said. "The force is going for the jugular."

  "I'm not good at that sort of thing," Lowell said.

  "No. But you're going to have to try. We'll help."

  "I don't really know what the hell you're talking about,"

  Lowell said.

  "This town functions over Swedish meatballs and scotch on the rocks," Newburgh said. "More power is wielded at parties than in the Capitol buildings. It's pretty revolting, but that's the way it is."

  "And where do I fit in?"

  "The way you walked in here," Newburgh said. "I made my point with a demonstration, it seems, even if it wasn't the point I had in mind."

  "I don't think I follow you."

  "You plan to play some golf while you're in Washington, do you, Major Lowell?"

  "Probably."

  "Here?"

  "Unless I can find someplace more convenient."

  "Out there, Major, in Chevy Chase and Silver Spring, in the District itself, are several hundred congressmen, and God only knows how many thousand members of their staffsŽand imderstand, Lowell, right away, that staffers are often more powerful than the men they work forŽwho can't get past the porter at the door to this place. And places like it. They would be deeply grateful to be asked to play golf with you, Lowell, and they would not risk losing your friendship by voting with the air force. Get the picture?"

  "I get it, and I don't like it. I don't think it will work."

  "It'll work."

  "I wouldn't know our senator if he walked in the door."

  "But he knows you, and you're going to be invited out by him. And you will go, and you will have a good time, and you will entertain him in return. And he will find himself sitting aexi to a very charming colonel, who will make our pitch in his ear."

  "Jesus!"

  "I don't want to wag the flag in your face," Newburgh said.

  I this sort of thing is important, Lowell. And because you

  Žwhat did you say?Ž'comfortable'? Because you are mifortable, you can afford to do it."

  Lowell looked at him for a long moment and then shrugged his shoulders.

  "How do I start?"

  "Call your friend at the Riggs Bank and tell him you want a nice little town house in Georgetown. Get one with a big kitchen and a big dining room. Nothing ostentatious, but efficient.

  Two or three in staff. Getting the picture?"

  "A well-outfitted brothel," Lowell said. "I have the picture."

  "And knock out the flip remarks. Act as if you like it."

  Lowell put up his hands in surrender.

  "That probably means drinking soda water with a squirt of bitters to give it a little color. Your guests can, and it is to be hoped, will, get drunk. You will not."

  "Will I get an R&R?"

  "Sure. Just take somebody valuable with you. Congressmen from Mobile, Alabama, love to go riding in Aero Commanders."

  Newburgh raised his own glass over his head for a refill, and then he glanced at the door, and said, "Oh, there they are."

  Lowell looked over his shoulder and saw Bob Bellmon, in uniform, walking into the bar beside a tall, muscular man in civilian clothing. He had never seen the muscular gray-haired man out of uniform before, and it was a moment before he recognized him to be General E. Z. Black, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.

  Lowell first thought that it was really very clever. Black's very presence lent credibility and authority to his new role as a lobbyist. (He had almost immediately had the irreverent thought that he was about to become the male Perle Mesta.) And Black's hands would be clean. The discussion was over. Black hadn't told him to wine and dine the provincial congressmen, or to take funds appropriated for one purpose and use them for another, probably illegal purpose. And rebuilding a wrecked H-19 with funds intended for something else, and then arming it, in violation of the Key West Agreement of 1948, which forbade the army to arm its aircraft, was certainly illegal.

  But that wasn't why General Black had come to have a little chat with an obscure major.