“Yes, sir. Both Colonel Supo and Major Lunsford believe this can be done. With some help from the black B-26s and T-28s presently under the control of the company. We have no choice. President Kasavubu has publicly stated he will not have an American military presence in the Congo.”
“I’d love to know how,” CNO said.
“We are going to establish small outposts at dirt strip airfields at roughly fifty-mile intervals, from Basoko, west of Stanleyville, through Stanleyville, down to Costermansville, and then down Lake Tanganyika past Albertville to the Rhodesian border. There are apparently a large number of primitive airfields in the area, built by farmers and mercenaries, and not shown on aerial charts.”
“How do you know this?” the Chief asked.
“One of the officers was formerly a pilot in the area, sir.”
“A Congolese, you mean?”
“No, sir. An American officer. One of the two white Special Forces pilots. He was recently married to General Bellmon’s daughter.”
“I’ll be damned,” the Chief said.
“At each airstrip there will be a small detachment of Congolese soldiers, a supply of avgas and lubricants, and a radio able to maintain contact with our aircraft in the area, and with at least one other airstrip on each side. At every third or fourth airstrip, there will be a Swahili-speaking Special Forces soldier, and a platoon of Congolese soldiers.
“Until aerial reconnaissance was made available, Colonel Supo’s forces have had great difficulty in locating the enemy, who can move two hundred yards off the roads and become invisible. Now they can be found, and kept under surveillance until ground forces can make contact.”
“And you don’t think the—what did you call them, Simbas?— are going to take out your outposts once they know what they’re up to?”
“Colonel Supo believes that once they come to understand that as soon as an outpost learns of their presence, either accidentally, or by having friendly natives inform the outpost—and obviously Major Lunsford believes that twenty-five thousand dollars in gold is going to buy some friendship—or, especially, by attacking an outpost, that they will thereafter immediately become the hunted, that the outposts will be avoided at all costs.”
“And how many of your outposts will have been overrun before they get that message?” the Chairman asked.
“That will probably depend, sir,” Felter said evenly, “on how fast and how hard we can react when the first one, the first two, are attacked. I suspect that it is why Major Lunsford wants access to the T-28s and the B-26s. The only aerial gun platform he has available to him is the H-13, on which he can mount a couple of air-cooled Browning .30-caliber machine guns. He plans to bomb the Simbas with a technique developed in Vietnam. You pull the pin on a fragmentation grenade, and then place it in a quart Mason jar. The walls of the jar keep the firing mechanism from operating. The Mason jar is then dropped from an L-19. If the jar shatters, the grenade is activated.”
“Jesus Christ!” the President of the United States said.
“And since the outposts are all on, or next to the few roads that pass through the bush in that area,” Felter went on, “this will also deny the roads to the enemy as supply routes.”
“You seem to be placing a hell of a lot of faith in the ability of this Major Lunsford,” the Director said.
“It’s well-placed,” the President said. “Major Lunsford ran around in the jungles for four months passing himself off as a Simba. He’s quite a character.”
“There are certain things Supo’s men cannot handle without assistance,” Felter said. “They are short of transportation. The more jeeps and three-quarter-ton trucks they have available, the quicker they can respond to the detection of the enemy, and the easier they can keep the outposts resupplied. I wasn’t aware that the agency had vehicular assets in the Congo. If I had been, I’d have asked for them. As it is now, I am flying in jeeps on our chartered 707.
“Tactically, if Supo can call on our—the agency’s—black B-26s and T-28s when they encounter a large enemy force, or to interdict boats attempting to move men and matériel across Lake Tanganyika, it will make his job that much easier.”
“I’ve heard about enough of this,” the President said.
“Sir?” Felter asked.
“When you arrived, Colonel Felter,” the President said, “we were discussing whether I should order sending the Marines or the Eighty-second Airborne Division into the Dominican Republic. In either case, we are talking about thousands of men, hundreds of transport airplanes.”
“Yes, sir?” Felter asked.
“I don’t like the picture I’m getting of one of Lunsford’s men all by himself in the middle of an African jungle, having to worry, if he’s attacked, if anybody’s going to come help him,” the President went on. “So I’ll tell you what’s going to happen.”
“Yes, sir?”
“When that satellite comes on again, Felter, you’re going to get on the horn with Major Lunsford, you’re going to give him my best regards, and you’re going to tell him I said he’s going to get everything he asked for. And then you, Paul, are going to tell your man over there that if I ever hear he didn’t give Lunsford whatever he asked for, I will stick a spear up his ass myself.”
[ THREE ]
The Office of the Ambassador
The Embassy of West Germany
Washington, D.C.
0900 2 April 1965
“Good morning, Erich,” the ambassador said to the embassy’s military attaché. “What have you got for me?”
They were both slight, trim, bald men of the same age who wore spectacles. They looked so much alike that when both were to attend a diplomatic reception, Colonel Erich Steitz, if at all appropriate, tried to wear his uniform, to preclude his being called “Your Excellency” and/or “Mr. Ambassador,” and the ambassador being called “Colonel.”
“A von Greiffenberg-gram, Your Excellency,” Steitz said with a smile, and held out to him two sheets of paper.
“These things drive poor Dieter up the wall, you know,” the ambassador said with a chuckle, making reference to Dieter von und zu Schaaf, the second secretary, who was in charge of administration, and liked to have two copies, preferably more, of everything.
“Yes, sir, I know,” Steitz said. “But I would rather have Schaaf angry with me for not having copies of these than von Greiffenberg angry with me for giving him one.”
“Me, too,” the ambassador said, and took the two sheets of paper and read them.
CLASSIFICATION MOST SECRET
TRANSMISSION PRIORITY ONE
FROM MINISTRY OF SECURITY BONN #65-4003
1300 BONN TIME 2 APRIL 1965
FOR ARMY ATTACHÉ
PERSONAL ATTENTION ONLY COLONEL STEITZ
WEST GERMAN EMBASSY
WASHINGTON DC
ON RECEIPT ATTACHMENT 1 WILL BE IMMEDIATELY DECRYPTED USING CODE HEINRICH SIX AND DELIVERED BY YOU PERSONALLY TO COLONEL SANFORD T. FELTER, COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON. YOU WILL SHOW COLONEL FELTER THIS MESSAGE OF TRANSMITTAL, WHEREUPON HE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH A CODE WORD INDICATING ITS RECEIPT WHICH YOU WILL THEN TRANSMIT TO ME. IT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN TO MAKE ANY COPIES OF EITHER MESSAGE OTHER THAN THE ONE COPY TO BE DELIVERED TO COLONEL FELTER.
VON GREIFFENBERG GENERALLEUTNANT DIRECTOR
ATTACHMENT 1 TO MINISTRY OF SECURITY #65- 4003 (DECRYPTED)
COPY 1 OF 1 DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN
BONN 2 APRIL 1965
MY DEAR FRIEND SANDY:
THE URUGUAYAN CITIZENS SENOR RAMÓN BENÍTEZ AND SENOR ROBERTO SUÁREZ MILÍAN ARRIVED IN PRAGUE, TOGETHER WITH SIX OF THEIR COUNTRYMEN, WHOSE NAMES I REGRETFULLY CANNOT FURNISH AT THIS TIME, AT 2205 GREENWICH 1 APRIL 1965 ABOARD AEROLINEAS CUBANA FLIGHT 9880 FROM HAVANA, WHICH STOPPED AT GANDER, NEWFOUNDLAND EN ROUTE.
THEY WERE IMMEDIATELY TAKEN UNDER UNUSUAL CONDITIONS OF SECURITY TO A HOUSE AT 407 ULBRECHTSTR, NOT FAR FROM THE AIRPORT, WHICH IS A SAFE
HOUSE OPERATED BY STASI, AND HERETOFORE MADE AVAILABLE ONLY FOR EAST GERMAN AND SOVIET ACTIVITIES. I WOULD SUGGEST THIS TO BE CONFIRMATION OF SOVIET INVOLVEMENT IN THE OPERATION IN WHICH WE ARE INTERESTED.
BENÍTEZ AND MILÍAN HAVE RESERVATIONS ON CZECHOSLOVAK AIR FLIGHT 2332 PRAGUE/CAIRO/DAR ES SALAAM 2300 3 APRIL 1965.
I WILL ATTEMPT TO CONFIRM DEPARTURE, PASSAGE CAIRO AND ARRIVAL DAR ES SALAAM.
I AM SENDING THIS INFORMATION TO OUR FRIENDS IN BUENOS AIRES.
IT IS A PLEASURE FOR ME TO BE OF ASSISTANCE, AND HOPE YOU FIND THIS USEFUL. WITH THE WARMEST REGARDS TO YOU AND SHARON AND THE CHILDREN, AND OF COURSE CRAIG.
VON GREIFFENBERG
“I don’t suppose you have any idea what this is all about?” the ambassador asked.
“This is apparently another of those cases where the good Generalleutnant feels he can trust Oberst Felter with something we really don’t have to know.”
“I think one would naturally trust someone who plucked you from a Siberian labor camp more than most other people,” the ambassador said. “What I don’t really understand is why von Greiffenberg insists that I read these things.”
“Von Greiffenberg, Mr. Ambassador, like the Lord, moves in mysterious ways.”
The ambassador chuckled, and handed the sheets of paper back to Steitz.
“Thank you, Erich,” the ambassador said. “When you see Felter, give him my best regards.”
“I’ll do that, sir.”
[FOUR]
The Oval Office
The White House
Washington, D.C.
1045 2 April 1965
The President, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Chairman of the National Security Council, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were discussing what the President twice in the last ten minutes had called “the goddamned Dominican Commies” when the door opened and the President’s secretary stood waiting for the President’s attention.
“What?” the President asked, somewhat abruptly.
“Mr. Finton has a memo for you, Mr. President.”
Everyone in the room knew that Mr. Finton worked for Colonel Sanford T. Felter. The Director of the CIA also knew that Finton was a bishop of the Church of Latter-Day Saints.
The President gestured for Finton to be admitted.
“Good morning,” the President said, and held out his hand for the memorandum.
“Good morning, Mr. President,” Finton said, and handed the President a White House interoffice memorandum.
The White House
WASHINGTON, D.C.
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
CLASSIFICATION: Top Secret
DATE AND TIME: 1020 Washington Time 2 April 1965
FROM: Sanford T. Felter
TO: Eyes Only The President of the United States Eyes Only The Director, CIA
By Hand
I have good reason to believe the following should be regarded as Reliability Scale Five.
Ernesto Guevara (traveling as Ramón Benítez) and Victor Dreke, his deputy, (traveling as Roberto Suárez Milían) both using Uruguayan passports, arrived in Prague, together with six other Cubans, names not presently known, at 2205 Zulu 1 April 1965 aboard Aerolineas Cubana flight 9880 from Havana, via Gander, Newfoundland.
They were immediately taken under unusual conditions of security to a house at 407 Ulbrechtstr, not far from the airport. This is known to be a safe house operated by STASI, the East German State Security Service, and heretofore has been made available only for East German and Soviet activities. This would tend to confirm Soviet involvement in Guevara’s operation.
Guevara and Dreke, traveling as Benítez and Milían, have reservations on Czechoslovak Air flight 2332 Prague/Cairo/Dar es Salaam 2300 3 April 1965.
Respectfully submitted,
Sanford T. Felter
SANFORD T. FELTER
COLONEL, GSC, U.S. ARMY
As the President was reading it, Mr. Finton reached into his pocket and handed a carbon copy of the memorandum to the Director of the CIA.
“Thank you,” the President said to Mr. Finton when he had finished reading the memorandum. “And thank Colonel Felter.”
“Yes, Mr. President,” Mr. Finton said.
“You got anything for Felter?” the President asked when he saw that the Director of the CIA had finished reading his copy of the memorandum.
“No, sir,” the director said.
“Thank you,” the President said to Finton, dismissing him.
The President waited until the door closed.
“Well, do you still have doubts that Guevara is going to the Congo?” he asked.
“This would seem to suggest, if this can be relied on, Mr. President, that Guevara is going at least to Dar es Salaam,” the Director said.
“Maybe you know something I don’t,” the President said. “Why do you think, since he’s already been to Dar es Salaam as Che Guevara, that he’s going back there with a phony name, on a phony passport, via Prague?”
“I just don’t know, Mr. President,” the Director said.
“Yeah,” the President said. “That’s what I thought.”
[ FIVE ]
SECRET
URGENT
FROM: CIA LANGLEY 2 APRIL 1965 1310 GMT
TO: STATION CHIEFS:
ALGIERS, ALGERIA
BERLIN, GERMANY
CAIRO, EGYPT
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA
MONTREAL, CANADA
PARIS, FRANCE
PRAGUE, CZECHOSLOVAKIA
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
SUBJECT: POSSIBLE MOVEMENT OF ERNESTO “CHE” GUEVERA AND OTHERS REFERENCE MY 03/5788 SUBJECT AS ABOVE.
INASMUCH AS THERE HAS BEEN ZERO RESPONSE TO REFERENCED MESSAGE, THE DIRECTOR PERSONALLY SENDS THE FOLLOWING FOR THE GENERAL INFORMATION OF ALL CONCERNED:
GUEVERA AND DREKE AND OTHERS ARE IN PRAGUE, SPECIFICALLY AT 407 ULBRECHTSTR.
THEREFORE, ATTEMPTED SURVEILLANCE AT GANDER, BERLIN, ALGIERS AND VIENNA MAY BE DISCONTINUED.
IT IS STRONGLY SUGGESTED THAT STATION CHIEF PRAGUE OBTAIN PASSAGE ABOARD CZECHOSLAVAK AIR FLIGHT 2332 DEPARTING PRAGUE 2300 3 MARCH 1965, ON WHICH GUEVERA, DREKE, AND POSSIBLY OTHERS WILL TRAVEL TO DAR ES SALAAM ON URUGUAYAN PASSPORTS. STATION CHIEF CAIRO SIMILARLY SHOULD SURVEILLE CAIRO/DAR ES SALAAM LEG OF THIS FLIGHT.
IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT STATION CHIEF DAR ES SALAAM MEET THE AIRCRAFT AND, PRESUMING PRAGUE AND CAIRO PERSONNEL ARE ABOARD, WITH THEIR ASSISTANCE ATTEMPT TO KEEP GUEVERA, DREKE, AND POSSIBLY OTHERS UNDER SURVEILLANCE.
ALL CONCERNED ARE REMINDED IT IS THE FUNCTION OF THE AGENCY TO DEVELOP AND DELIVER INTELLIGENCE OF THIS NATURE, NOT RECEIVE IT FROM OTHERS.
CONFIRMING OR DISPROVING REPORTS PLUS ANY OTHER INTEL THAT CAN BE GENERATED IN RE MOVEMENT OR LOCATION OF GUEVARA AND/DREKE WILL BE TRANSMITTED BY THE MOST EXPEDITIOUS MEANS, INCLUDING SATELLITE, TO CIA LANGLEY EYES ONLY DIRECTOR CIA AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR /ADMIN.
FOR THE DIRECTOR
O’CONNOR ASST DIR/ADMIN
SECRET
[ SIX ]
TOP SECRET
Central Intelligence Agency Langley, Virginia
FROM: Assistant Director For Administration
FROM: 4 April 1965 1530 GMT
SUBJECT: Guevara, Ernesto (Memorandum #69.)
TO: The President
Copy TO: Mr. Sanford T. Felter
Counselor To The President
Room 637, The Executive Office
Building
Washington, D.C.
By Officer Courier
The Director believed The President would find the CIA generated intelligence reported herein of interest. In compliance with Presidential Memorandum to The Director, Subject: “Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara,” dated 14 December 1964, the following information is being furnished to Colonel Felter. (Reliability Scale Five).
Follows verbatim satellite transmitted message from James M. Foster, CIA Station Chief, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania:
TOP SECRET
&n
bsp; 1445 GREENWICH 4 APRIL 1965
FROM STATION CHIEF, DAR ES SALAAM
TO (EYES ONLY) DIRECTOR, CIA, LANGLEY (EYES ONLY) DEPDIR ADMIN, CIA LANGLEY
TWO INDIVIDUALS BEARING URUGUAYAN PASSPORTS AND MEETING DESCRIPTION OF GUEVERA/BENÍTEZ AND DREKE/MILÍAN (YOUR 03/5788) ARRIVED DAR ES SALAAM ABOARD CZECHOSLOVAK AIR FLIGHT 2332 1550 4 APRIL 1965. TOGETHER WITH SIX OTHERS THEY WERE OFFLOADED UNDER CONDITIONS OF UNUSUAL SECURITY AND TRUCKED TO A FARM IN THE VICINITY OF MOROGORO, APPROXIMATELY 75 MILES WEST OF DAR ES SALAAM.
THE SITE IS UNDER SURVEILLANCE. INITIAL INFORMATION INDICATES THE NOW DESERTED FARM, OWNED BY WHITES WHO HAVE LEFT THE COUNTRY, WAS RENTED BY AN EAST GERMAN FIRM BELIEVED TO BE CONTROLLED BY STASI. PROVINCIAL TANZANIAN POLICE HAVE ESTABLISHED ROAD BLOCKS ON NATIONAL ROUTE A7.
INASMUCH AS THIS STATION IS PREPARED TO MAINTAIN AROUND THE CLOCK SURVEILLANCE OF THE SITE, ASSISTANCE OF PERSONNEL FROM OTHER STATIONS IS NOT REQUIRED, AND IN THE ABSENCE OF SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS TO THE CONTRARY, THEY WILL DEPART THE COUNTRY NLT 7 APRIL 1965.
JAMES M. FOSTER
STATION CHIEF DAR ES SALAAM
TOP SECRET
END CIA Dar es Salaam Message
Additional intelligence generated by CIA Dar es Salaam will be furnished immediately on receipt.
Howard W. O’Connor
HOWARD W. O’CONNOR
TOP SECRET
[SEVEN]
The Hotel du Lac
Costermansville, Kivu Province
Republic of the Congo
0900 5 April 1965
“I was worried sick about you,” Mrs. Marjorie B. Portet greeted her husband when he, Major George W. Lunsford, Spec7 William Peters (in the uniforms of a Congolese lieutenant colonel and captain, respectively), and Lieutenant Geoffrey Craig walked into the dining room of the hotel.
“The weather was lousy,” Jack replied. “We had to spend the night.”
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