In Danger's Path (57 page)

What is this sonofabitch doing?
Pickering wondered.
Asking questions that make me look like a fool? Trying to lay the blame on me?

“Well, there was the matter of the CIC agents, Mr. Director.”

“Tell me about that, Charley.”

“General Adamson had arranged for Army CIC agents to accompany the
MAGIC
devices. General Pickering said that his people could adequately guard the devices and declined the services of the CIC. Is that what's happened, sir? Something has happened to the devices?”

“You and General Adamson worked pretty closely on the whole thing together?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And General Adamson told you that General Pickering declined the use of CIC agents?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And he wasn't satisfied when you told him that Pickering's people were probably as well-qualified to guard the devices as CIC agents?”

“No, sir, he wasn't. And frankly, neither was I.”

“Why was that, Charley? I mean, giving General Pickering the benefit of the doubt here. He has a good deal of faith in Colonel Banning and Captain McCoy…”

“They had no real experience in transporting the devices, sir. And General Adamson has.”

“Did you discuss this with the Deputy Director (Operations)?”

“Well, I tried to, sir. But he seemed to feel that it was General Pickering's operation, and that we shouldn't interfere.”

“But you and General Adamson remained concerned?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You were afraid that the movement of the devices wasn't as secure as it could be? That perhaps there was a genuine risk that the operation to move them…”

“Operation China Clipper, sir,” the DDA furnished.

“…that Operation China Clipper would be compromised, and perhaps
MAGIC
itself?”

“Both General Adamson and I felt that was a real possibility, Mr. Director.”

“I'm surprised, Charley, that General Adamson didn't do something about it, since both of you were concerned.”

“I think he did, sir.”

“Really? What?”

“General Adamson and General Dempsey are old friends. Dempsey is the military mission to China signal officer. They were classmates at the Command and General Staff College. He sent him a heads-up.”

“So that General…Dempsey, you said?”

“Yes, sir. Major General F. T. Dempsey.”

“So that General Dempsey would be aware of the potential problem?”

“Exactly, sir. Both the potential problems with Operation China Clipper and with—I don't quite know how to phrase this—the potential problems with Lieutenant Colonel Banning.”

“A moment ago you said that you
think
General Adamson sent a heads-up to General Dempsey. Presumably by Top Secret message?”

“He showed me a copy of the heads-up, sir. And, of course, it was a Top Secret, Eyes Only, General Dempsey.”

“Does General Dempsey have a
MAGIC
clearance?” Donovan asked.

“Not at the moment, sir. But I'm sure it's in the works.”

“Okay, Charley,” Donovan said. “That's enough.”

“Sir?”

“What happens now, Charley, is that as of this moment, I have accepted your resignation.”

“Sir?”

“As of this moment, your duties will be assumed by your deputy,” Donovan said. “His first duty will be to go through your desk, gather up your personal belongings, and have them delivered to your home, where you will have been taken by our security people, and will be waiting, under guard, for my decision about what to do with you. My immediate reaction is to send you over to St. Elizabeth's in a straitjacket and keep you there until the war is over, but I know that reaction is colored by my anger, so I want to think that through.” St. Elizabeth's was the Federal government psychiatric hospital in the District of Columbia.

“Sir, I don't understand.”

“Most of my anger is directed at myself. I'm the man who put you in a position where you could do all this damage. I should have known that you couldn't take orders.”

“Sir, I was simply trying to carry out my responsibilities to the best of my ability.”

“Yeah, I know. That's what makes this so sad. I should have known that you weren't equipped to discharge those responsibilities. What you have done, Charley, and I don't think you really understand this, is put hundreds of thousands of lives at risk—and that's what the compromise of
MAGIC
would mean—by disobeying your orders. If I have to explain it to you: the moment you heard that General Adamson was even thinking of communicating anything about
MAGIC
to anyone who does not have a
MAGIC
clearance, you were supposed to bring this to my attention.”

“Sir, General Adamson is the Secretary of the Joint Chiefs of Staff….”

“That's my point, Charley, you still don't understand what you both have done,” Donovan said calmly, even sadly. “Wait here, Charley, someone will come for you.”

Donovan walked into the transcription room.

“Admiral, would you like my resignation?”

“I don't see where that would accomplish anything, Colonel,” Admiral Leahy said. “I would recommend to the President that he decline your resignation.”

“In that case, sir, what would you like me to do?”

“I think we should next talk to General Adamson, and then to Colonel Albright,” Leahy said. “To see how far down this unfortunate business has gone.”

“‘We,' sir?”

“On reflection, I will talk to General Adamson, alone,” Leahy said. “He is due here any moment. But by the time he gets here, the White Room will be available, will it not?”

“Yes, sir. Give me a moment to find the security duty officer, and to locate Charley's deputy to tell him what he has to do.”

One of the White Room guards put his head into the transcription room.

“Colonel Donovan, General Adamson is being checked into the White Room.”

“Thank you,” Donovan said, and reached for a headset. He sensed Pickering's eyes on him.

“Pickering, I guess I owe you an apology.”

“The shoe's on the other foot, Mr. Director,” General Pickering said. “I thought, at first, that you were trying to cover for that sonofabitch. I'm truly sorry.”

“So am I,” Donovan said, and put the earphones over his head.

“Good afternoon, Admiral,” the voice of Major General Charles M. Adamson, USA, came clearly over the transcription system headsets. “I came as quickly as I could.”

Admiral William D. Leahy, USN, Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, did not respond to the greeting.

“It has been alleged, General,” Leahy began, “that you sent a Top Secret message to the signal officer of the U.S. military mission to China which made reference to Operation China Clipper. Is this true?”

There was a perceptible hesitation before General Adamson replied.

“Yes, sir.”

“Specifically, to Major General F. T. Dempsey?”

“Yes, sir, the message was addressed, Eyes Only, General Dempsey.”

“I'm really sorry to hear that, General,” Admiral Leahy said.

“Admiral, may I explain the circumstances?”

Leahy ignored the question.

“General Dempsey apparently believes that both he and his deputy will shortly be granted
MAGIC
security clearances. Do you have any idea where he got that idea?”

“Yes, sir. Sir, I presumed that it would only be a matter of time before General Dempsey would be granted access to
MAGIC
. I don't see how he could perform his duties in connection with
MAGIC
without such clearance.”

“And you therefore told him you believed he, and presumably his deputy as well, would shortly have
MAGIC
clearance?”

“Yes, sir. And I also cautioned him that the
MAGIC
cryptographic officer who was being sent to military mission China in charge of the devices did not enjoy the full confidence of either myself or the OSS, and that he—”

“Who told you, General, that Colonel Banning does not enjoy the full confidence of the OSS?”

“Sir, that information was given to me in confidence. I'm reluctant—”

“Was it the OSS Deputy Director (Administration)?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I regret to inform you, sir, that you stand relieved of your duties at JCS. You will proceed directly from this room to your quarters, where you will hold yourself available for orders from General Marshall. I inform you, sir, that when I speak to General Marshall, I shall recommend to him that you be immediately reduced to whatever permanent grade you hold.”

There was a long silence.

“That will be all,” Admiral Leahy said. “You are dismissed.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Donovan,” Admiral Leahy said, as he walked into the transcription room, “we have to make sure that nothing like this can ever happen again in the future.”

“Yes, sir,” Donovan said.

“I think you'd do better talking to Colonel Albright than I would, Colonel.”

“Yes, sir,” Donovan said, handed his headset to the Admiral, and walked into the White Room.

“I don't like to think, Pickering,” Admiral Leahy said, “what would have happened if your Colonel Banning had been cowed by General Dempsey.”

“What's going to happen to General Adamson, sir?”

“In any army but ours, he would be handed a pistol and expected to do the right thing. I'm not sure if he's a colonel or a lieutenant colonel in the regular army. I suppose he'll wind up as commanding officer, or executive officer, of a POW camp. Something like that.”

“That's sad.”

“Yes, it is,” Leahy said. “Eisenhower has already reduced six general officers to their permanent grade and sent them home for not being able to keep their mouths shut.”

“I didn't know that.”

“General, it's not the sort of thing they issue press releases about,” Leahy said, and put his headset on.

“To get right to the point, Colonel Albright,” Donovan's voice came over the earphones, “it has come to my attention that a back-channel message was sent to the signal officer, Eyes Only, Major General Dempsey, of the military mission to China, which among other things announced the imminent arrival of
MAGIC
devices and personnel to operate the Special Channel. Did you have anything to do with that message?”

“No, sir,” Colonel H. A. Albright said immediately.

“Do you know anything about such a message?”

“No, sir,” Albright said immediately.

“Have you any idea who could have sent such a message.”

Colonel Albright did not reply.

“Colonel, do you have any idea who could have sent such a message?” Donovan asked, impatience in his voice.

“I don't like to speculate about that sort of thing, Colonel.”

“Let me rephrase, Colonel. I am not asking for a name. Do you have any private suspicions about who would have sent such a message?”

Again Albright didn't reply.

“Yes or no, Colonel?” Donovan asked, not unkindly.

After a perceptible hesitation, Albright replied, “Colonel, to repeat myself, I don't like to speculate about such matters.”

“Yes or no?”

“If I have your word, Colonel, that you will not ask me for a name?”

“You have my word.”

“Yes, sir, I think I could make a good guess who would send such a message.”

“But you won't give me the name?”

“That's correct.”

“I could get General Adamson in here and have him order you to give a name. For God's sake, Albright, we're talking about the compromise of
MAGIC
.”

Albright didn't reply.

“If you refused a legal order from General Adamson, you would, as I'm sure you realize, be opening yourself up for disciplinary action?”

“Any accusation—and that's what it would be—I would make without knowledge of the facts would ruin someone's career, even if I was wrong. In that circumstance…”

“Wait here, please, Colonel,” Donovan said. “I'll be back in a moment.”

“If you're going for General Adamson, Colonel,” Colonel Albright said, “I can probably save you time. I won't answer the question from him, either.”