Guerilla Warfare (2006) (18 page)

He walked directly over to the Centro de Mando where a quartet of convicts worked at pulling a camouflage net over the top. Tippelskirch went down to the entrance and stepped inside, saluting the Falangist leader Castillo.

"I have received a most meaningful message, mi generalisimo," Tippelskirch reported.

"Congratulations," the generalisimo said. "It would appear your Intelligence Bunker is already up to speed."

"Indeed," Tippelskirch said proudly. "It comes through a mole I have inside the national security office in Santiago. He informs me he has solid proof that the Petroleo Colmo Company here on the Gran Chaco has strong American ties. Some messages to and from them have been relayed to a known CIA facility in Colombia."

"That is a most significant and useful thing to know," the generalisimo said. "I think there are many ways we can work this to our advantage."

"I smell the Yanqui influence all over this," Tippelskirch said. "No doubt of it!"

"Now we know for sure our bandido foe is an American force," the generalisimo said. "The more knowledge one has of the enemy, the more advantageous, no?"

"Such intelligence is worth a thousand men, mi generalisimo."

.

1600 HOURS LOCAL

THE helicopter landing pad was no more than a quickly cleared area of land twenty meters north of the headquarters bunkers. The pilot could easily d unevenness of the ground, and he lowered the aircraft slowly until its wheels gently touch down. The first man off was Capitan Roberto Argento. He turned to his sargento, shouting over the noise of the engine. "Get over to the Centro de Inteligencia and tell capitan Tippelskirch to meet me at headquarters immediately!"

As the noncommissioned officer rushed off, the five men who made up the rest of the patrol disembarked, walking rapidly away from the helicopter. Casual observers could see that something was wrong from the way they stuck together, talking softly among themselves as they made their way to their unit bunker.

Within a couple of minutes Tippelskirch joined Argento at the entrance to the headquarters, and both went into the fortification to speak with Castillo. The generalisimo was concerned by the expression on Argento's face.

"Mi generalisimo," Argento said, saluting. "We have come back from a visit to the village of Novida. We found all the people dead. Men, women and children. All shot by automatic fire. Some who had survived the preliminary bursts had been dispatched by single shots to the head from pistols."

Castillo was so shocked he quickly stood up, almost bumping his head on the low bunker ceiling. "Who could have done such a thing?"

Tippelskirch smiled. "I think perhaps the CIA."

"We could see where three helicopters had landed," Argento said. "The killers must have surrounded the place."

Castillo sat back down, looking at Tippelskirch. "So! You think the CIA did it, eh?"

Tippelskirch shook his head. "Actually I doubt it," he admitted. "The villagers were illegal squatters. I imagine Bolivian police killed everyone, knowing nobody would really care." He boldly leaned on the generalisimo's desk in his enthusiasm. "But we could make it look like Americans did it. Or at least say that they did it. Of course, it would just be our word against anyone who wished to contradict us."

Argento was puzzled. "What is all this about norteamericanos?"

"We have solid information," Tippelskirch said, "that the Petroleo Colmo Company is in league with the Americans. I think they are CIA operating in South America like their Air America did in Southeast Asia."

"Of course!" Castillo exclaimed. "It all fits."

"We need to get some photographs," Tippelskirch said. "Lots of photographs. I have a journalist friend who works for a right-wing newspaper here in Bolivia. He would be more than happy to write up articles favoring the Falangist movement and its aims. Especially when he can say that Americans massacred a village of innocents."

"I'll leave that up to you, Capitan Tippelskirch," Castillo said. "Meanwhile, I'm going to turn the problem of Petroleo Colmo over to Coronel Busch. He will know how to hunt down and destroy those damn helicopters of theirs."

"We are closing in on victory," Tippelskirch said confidently.

"I have more good news," Castillo said. "We are getting in twelve more men as reinforcements. It is still just a trickle, but when the time is right, it will become a flood."

Tippelskirch turned to Argento. "I'm getting a camera. Round up your patrol for a return trip. to Novida:'

.

STATE BEPARTMENT WASHINGTON, D. C.

21 DECEMBER

0130 HOURS LOCAL

UNDERSECRETARY Carl Joplin yawned irritably as he strode down the hall. He was a creature of habit, and the early phone call that had gotten him out of bed an hour and a half early had already upset his day. He had received curt instructions to report ASAP to Secretary of State Benjamin Bellingham's office.

When he stepped into the receptionist's station, the lady generally on duty was not there. Instead Durwood Cooper, Bellingham's always uptight chief administrative assistant, was waiting for him.

"The secretary is inside," Cooper said, using the same brusque manner of the earlier phone call. He turned to lead Joplin back to the interior office.

When Joplin was ushered into Bellingham's presence, he was surprised to see the White House Chief of Staff Arlene Entienne also there. This Cajun-African-American was a beautiful green-eyed woman with dark brown hair. The features of both ethnicities blended well, giving her an exotic appearance. It was said that 90 percent of the men in Washington were love with her, while the other 10 percent were gays who nevertheless admired both her loveliness and taste in clothing.

Joplin gave her smile. "Hello, Arlene. I didn't expect to see you today. But it's a real pleasure, believe me." "Always the diplomat, hey, Carl?"

Bellingham was impatient. "Sit down, Carl. We have a real bad situation down there in that South American operation you organized."

Joplin knew it meant big trouble when the current state of affairs was dropped in his lap. When things were going well, Bellingham claimed all responsibilities. They were his projects and his alone.

Bellingham continued. "The population of a small village of illegal Brazilian immigrants was massacred by persons unknown. The crime was discovered by Bolivian Federal Police. Their intelligence-gathering apparatus has informed them that these people were sympathetic toward the Falangists." He paused, giving Joplin a meaningful look. "Those are the antagonists of the special operations group you sent down there, are they not? What do you know about it?"

"Nothing," Joplin replied, disturbed. "This is the first I've heard of it."

Entienne interjected, "The White House has not been fully informed on this particular mission. Does it involve Army Special Forces?"

"They are a small Navy SEAL detachment," Joplin explained. "A total of twenty-one men. One of them was wounded in the fighting and is now in the Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego."

"Would those SEALs be involved in the murders?" Bellingham asked straight out.

"Not at all!" Joplin replied testily. "That group is made up of some of the best of the best. They are not the type to go postal and turn their weapons on unarmed civilians."

Bellingham was not convinced. "God! I hope we don't have another My Lai as in Vietnam."

"I will bet my reputation on Lieutenant Brannigan and his men," Joplin said. "They did not commit that atrocity."

"I hope you're right:' Bellingham said. "This story can't be held under wraps much longer."

A knock on the door interrupted the session, and Durwood Cooper stuck his head in. "Call for Ms. Entienne on line four."

She reached over and picked up the phone as Bellingham punched the corresponding button. "Hello," Entienne said. "Yes. This early, huh? All right, I'll inform the secretary of state." She hung up and glanced over at Bellingham. "That was the White House. The Bolivian ambassador has lodged a covert protest about the massacre. Reliable sources have informed them it was done by Americans."

Joplin gritted his teeth. "Did he say what Americans?"

Entienne shook her head. "Only that the perpetrators were American. We can be thankful that the crime is not yet out in the open."

"It's only a matter of time before some journalist is contacted by an unimpeachable source," Bellingham complained. He shot a glance at Joplin. "Call in your Bolivian connection. Find out what you can from him, then get back to me."

.

FUERTE FRANCO

0830 HOURS LOCAL

TWELVE more men arrived with the resupply chopper. They were evenly divided between Argentines and Chileans. All were noncommissioned officers from combat units, and their physical appearance gave stark evidence they were veteran field soldiers, not staff milquetoasts. Sargento-Mayor Arnaud Chaubere formed them up in front of the finished headquarters bunker. He called them to attention when Generalisimo Jose Maria de Castillo y Plato appeared.

Castillo gave the men an appraising gaze, liking what he saw. "Hacan disminuir--at ease! I welcome you to the Ejercito Falangista. We are at the beginning of our struggle to liberate the people of South America from their corrupt, uncaring leftist governments and bring them into a world of order, discipline and reward for hard work. There is no room for the indolent, inferior, cowardly and nonconformist under the Falangist philosophy. You men are showing you have the moral and physical courage to be in the vanguard of the greatest revolution in the history of mankind. Your names will be etched on a great memorial to be honored by countless generations to come. A man we all admire, Adolf Hitler, said that the German Reich would last for a thousand years. We Falangists will do much better than that. Our Reich will live on through eternity!

"Our strength grows continuously as more fighting men prepare to join us. Soon air force units will be added to our organizational charts along with ships of the Argentine and Chilean Navy. No one can stop us. We are invincible!

"Our spiritual leader is the Archangel Michael, who defeated Satan and hurled him into the pits of hell. He is also the patron of all paratroopers in the Western world. Pamphlets explaining this and how to seek spiritual encouragement from the archangel will be passed out to you along with weapons and ammunition. I will now turn you over to your instructors for some short training exercises to acquaint you with our methods of combat. Archangel Miguel vosotros bendiga--may Archangel Michael bless you!"

Chaubere ordered them to attention and rendered a sharp salute to Castillo. As the generalisimo returned to his bunker, the new men were marched off to join their combat units.

.

STATE DEPARTMENT WASHINGTON, D. C.

0930 HOURS

THE classified report from the Bolivian Federal Police on the massacre in the Gran Chaco was arranged in two neat piles in front of Carl Joplin, PhD. The larger stack was what he was still carefully reading, and the small were the pages he had already perused. A notebook off to the side contained the first draft of the official memo he planned to have properly typed up as a commentary on the document.

The task was interrupted by his desk phone buzzing. He picked up the receiver and was told that Arturo Sanchez, the envoy from Bolivia, had arrived as per Joplin's request.

"Send him in, please," the undersecretary said. He hung up the phone and waited a few seconds until Sanchez came into the office. "Sit down, Arturo. I've the official file from the report of the Bolivian police in regards to the killings at Novida."

"I am familiar with it," Sanchez remarked in a cold voice.

"The police don't name names of suspects or known murderers," Joplin said. "Do you have any views on the subject?"

"I can confidently state who did not do it," Sanchez said testily. "And that would be the Falangists. After all, those unfortunate people were being helpful to the fascists. It was a misguided kindness but understandable under the circumstances."

"I agree with you," Joplin said. "What about your Border Police?"

"If they had done it, the Federal Police would have found proof?'

"Perhaps they did find proof but declined to reveal it to anyone," Joplin suggested.

"That seems a wild theory," Sanchez said. "There is no indication that the Border Police were anywhere in the vicinity of the village."

"I requested the illegals be expelled," Joplin said. "You said your Border Police would take care of it. Perhaps when they arrived to arrest the Brazilians, something untoward occurred that set off the mass executions."

Sanchez shook his head. "I think there is a good chance that your special operations people did it. After all, they would have been angry to have the Brazilians giving aid and encouragement to the Falangists?'

"Our people are highly disciplined and well led," Joplin said. "It is not only preposterous but insulting to think they would commit so horrid a crime."

"I believe American troops committed such atrocities in Vietnam," Sanchez replied.

"There are atrocities committed by both sides in any conflict," Joplin said. "Certain people, including Americans, have made claims of war crimes by U. S. forces that have never been proven." Then he added, "And never will because the allegations are false."