Roosevelt said.
THE SECRET WARRIORS 8 el "Yes, Sir," Donovan said. "How are you going to do it?" Donovan was a little annoyed with Roosevelt's interest in details. It was, in a way, flattering, but it took time. He was often saying to his subordinates that of all the shortages that interfered with the war effort, the greatest was time. There simply wasn't enough time to do what had to be done. The few minutes it would take to tell the President how he planned to get the uraninite ore from the Belgian Congo would have to come from the total time Roosevelt was able to give him. He would have much preferred to spend this talking about other things. But Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the Commander in Chief, he reminded himself, and could not therefore be told to stop wasting time with unimportant questions. "You remember the young man who came to dinner with Jim Whittaker?" he asked. "Canidy? Something like that?"
"Richard Canidy," Donovan said.
"Ex-Flying Tiger, and more important now, an MIT-trained aeronautical engineer."
"I'm a little confused. Isn't he the chap you sent to North Africa after t mining engineer and Admiral Whatsisname? "That, too," Donovan said, impressed but not really surprised that Roosevelt had called that detail from his memory.
"At the moment, he's at Chesly's house on the Jersey shore, trying to keep the admiral happy and away from newspaper reporters. But he's also working on this. "How is he working on this)" "He has been provided with the details-weight and distance, I mean, not what has to be hauled or where the stuff is. And he has been told to recommend a way-in absolute secrecy-to move that much weight that far.
He's been getting a lot of help from Pan American Airways."
"Why not the Air Corps?" Donovan was very much aware that he had just walked out on thin ice. Pan American Airways beyond question had greater experience in long-distance transoceanic flight that anyone else-including the Army Air Corps. But their greatest expert in this area was Colonel Charles A.
Lindbergh, "Lucky Lindy," the first man to fly the Atlantic solo the great American hero who had not long before enraged Roosevelt and a large number of other important people by announcing that in his professional judgment the German Luftwaffe looked invincible.
Lindbergh had then rubbed salt in the wound by involving himself deeply in the America First movement, throwing his enormous prestige behind the notion that America should stay out of Europe's wars. Immediately after Pearl Harbor, Lindbergh, who was a colonel in the Air Corps Reserve, had volunteered for active duty. Roosevelt, predictably, had had no intention of letting that happen. Franklin Roosevelt would allow Lindbergh to serve in uniform over his dead body. Donovan and Lindbergh, however, were friends. And Lindbergh had proved eager to help when Donovan asked for flight-planning advice. When Donovan had told Roosevelt that Canidy was getting a lot of help from Pan American, he meant help from Charles A. Lindbergh personally. "Because Pan American knows more about this sort of thing than the Air Corps," Donovan said.
Roosevelt grunted, but accepted that. If he had asked if Lindbergh were involved, Donovan would not have lied to him. But he hadn't asked, which was just as well as far as Donovan was concerned. "And you think it can be done?" Roosevelt asked. "Canidy tells me it can," Donovan said. "You seem to place a good deal of trust in him, Bill," the President said.
"He seems possessed of a number of interesting secrets."
"There are two schools of thought about multiple secrets, Mr. President," Donovan said.
"If people are limited to one secret at a time, you wind up with a lot of people who have to be watched. On the other hand, if one man has a number of secrets, we only have to worry about security for him. And, right now at least, I don't intend to send Canidy himself to the Congo.
He's just setting the operation up. In the end, I think it will turn out that we'll use an Air Corps crew." Roosevelt thought that over a moment.
"They would like that, I think," he said, grinning.
"They have the responsibility, you know, of dealing with airplanes."
"Yes, I know," Donovan said, just as sarcastically, 'and as I understand things, I'm supposed to be dealing with intelligence. You win doubtless be surprised to learn that sometimes, despite our best efforts, that puts me and the Air Corps in conflict."
"Is that just a general philosophical observation, Bill? Or do you have something specific in mind?"
"German fighter aircraft propelled by jet engines," Donovan said after a pause. The President smiled very broadly, his cigarette holder cocked high between his teeth. He was enjoying the exchange. "You will doubtless be surprised, Bill," he said, "when I tell you that when I mentioned those aircraft to George Marshall, he told me that the Air Corps was not very concerned about them. In fact, they had-with great tact, of course-asked if such aircraft weren't really a tactical conern of theirs, rather than a strategic concern of yours." c "Then they're wrong about that, too, Franklin," Donovan said flatly. "Are they indeed?"
"Will you listen to me?"
"Of course," Roosevelt said.
"How can I refuse?"
"As it has been explained to me, the Air Corps tactic for Europe is massive bombing from high altitude of German military targets by heavy bombers, B-17s and B-24s. The Air Corps believes that the massed heavy armament of a large flight of carefully arranged bombers can throw up a r ativeyimpenetrablewahoffireagainstgermanfighters."
"And you don't think they can?"
"Not against German fighters, armed with cannon, that are flying three times as fast as the bombers," Donovan said. "The Air Corps disagrees with that, of course," Roosevelt said.
"And they also believe that the Germans are a long way from having fighters Powered with jet engines off their drawing boards."
"The first flight of a jet-powered German aircraft took place on August 27, 1939," Donovan said, "at an airfield near Berlin. Roosevelt looked at him sharply. "The Luftwaffe will flight-test within a month or so one of the twelve Messerschmitt ME-262 fighter planes currently being built in underground, bombproof facilities in Augsburg. The ME-262 is powered by a centrifugal Junkers 004 engine, designed by a man named von Oh ain, which is supposed to be a great improvement over the radial jet engine they've used up to now." It was a moment before Roosevelt spoke. "I was about to insult you, Bill, by asking if you were sure of your information," he said.
"I won't do that, of course. But do you realize what a Spot you're putting me in with the Air Corps?"
"If the Germans get these fighters operational, Franklin, we will not be able to accept the losses they will inflict on our bomber force-either in a tactical sense or a public-relations sense. That, I respectfully submit, is indeed a strategic consideration." And how do you suggest we stop them?" Roosevelt asked. That would be the Air Corps' business," Donovan said." Once they recognize the problem, I'm sure they'll know how to handle it. My people tell me that manufacturing jet engines is considerably more difficult than building piston engines. Not only are they more complex, but they require special metals and special metallurgy. If we can take out the smelters, the special steel mills, or the machining facilities, perhaps we can slow down their development. I doubt if we can stop it, but I think we should be able to slow it."
"Damn!" Roosevelt said. "I don't think we can ignore the problem. It win not go away, Mr. President," Donovan said. Roosevelt turned and glared at him, his eyes cold, his eyebrows angrily raised.
"What exactly is it, Colonel Donovan," he asked icily, "that you wish me to do?"
"Mr. President, I respectfully suggest that you tell the Air Corps you have given COI intelligence responsibility vis-a-vis German jet aircraft, and then direct them to turn over to me what intelligence they have in their files." Roosevelt snorted.
"That's all you want, their files?"
"I want the authority to look into German jet planes," Donovan said.
"And I don't want to be in competition with them while I'm at it."
"They're not the enemy, Bill,' Roosevelt said, his temper now in check.
>
"Their intelligence, Franklin, is being evaluated by Air Corps officers who simply cannot ignore their knowledge that every one of their superiors, every one of them, is dedicated to the theory that heavy-bombardment aircraft can defend themselves. None of them wants to hear about any challenge to that devout belief." They were back to first names. The crisis had passed. "Very well," Roosevelt said.
"George Marshall's going to can at five this afternoon. I'll tell him then."
"Thank you," Donovan said. "Anything else?"
There was a just-detectable hesitation before Donovan said, "No, Sir."
Roosevelt picked up on it.
"Yes, there is," he said.
"Let's have it." Donovan shrugged.
"I'd like to know what's happened to Jim Whittaker," he said.
"Would you, now?" the President said coldly. "Cbesly and I were friends for as long as I can remember," Donovan said. "As you, and he, and a certain lady are old friends," Roosevelt's head snapped toward him.
There was fire in his eyes again.
Oh, God! He thinks I'm talking about Whatsername, his lady friend! I simply forgot about her. "And what lady would that be, Bill?"
Roosevelt asked. "Barbara Whittaker," Donovan said quickly, "Oh, yes," Roosevelt said.
"How is Barbara?" Now he thinks that the famous glower has made me hack down! "She's probably more than a little upset," Donovan said.
"She hasn't heard a word from Jimmy since he called her from San Francisco," "If you think I should," Roosevelt said, "I will call Barbara and assure her that we're doing everything possible for Jimmy," "I've already told her that. What she wants to know is where he is, so that she can go see him."
"That's going to be impossible, I'm afraid."
"Because of his condition?" Roosevelt nodded. "What exactly is his condition?" Donovan asked." Somehow, Bill, I think you know," the President said.
"I know he's being held virtually a prisoner at George Marshall's personal order in the Army hospital at Fort Knox, Kentucky. And I would like to know why."
"Where did you get the notion he's a prisoner?"
"When Barbara told me she couldn't get any information out of the hospital there, I told her that it was probably just the military system at work, and that I would call down and have Jimmy telephone her. But I couldn't get through to him. They denied all knowledge of him. So I called Georgie Patton, since He's in command there and an old friend of mine, and at first he wouldn't tell me anything either.
I pushed him hard, and he finally told me he had specific orders from @ very close to heaven' and that he simply couldn't tell me anything more."
"The orders came from me," Roosevelt said.
"Not George Marshall." Donovan's surprise registered on his face.
"Jimmy Whittaker is being given every comfort and the best of medical attention.
He was a very sick young man on the edge of physical collapse. He was forty-five pounds underweight. His teeth were about to fall out of his mouth, and he had, I have been informed, three kinds of intestinal parasites."
"Why can't he talk to Barbara-or me, for that matter-on the telephone?"
"You know what happened in the apartment, Bill," the President said.
"Canidy told me," Donovan said.
"I think Douglas MacArthur might have done the same thing. It doesn't mean that he's crazy."
"I'm the President," Roosevelt said. "And you were playing the role of Uncle Franklin," Donovan said. "In Jimmy's condition, I can see where the two roles might be blurred in his mind."
"That's Eleanor's argument," Roosevelt said.
"George Marshall argues-after taking into consideration that Jimmy probably knows what MacArthur wrote-that keeping him at Knox is the prudent thing to do."
"What did MacArthur write?" Donovan said. "You don't know?"
Roosevelt said.
"I'm a little surprised."
"I only intercept enemy mail, Mr. President," Donovan said. "Touche, Bill," Roosevelt said.
"General Marshall thought you might be-what shall I say?-more efficient."
"And according to Canidy, Jim Whittaker said he had no idea what the letter said."
"Then far be it from me to violate Douglas MacArthur's confidence, the President said.
"Suffice it to say that when I showed Douglas's letter to George, he wanted MacArthur to be given the chance to resign. And if he didn't, George wanted me to court-martial him."
"It was that bad?" Donovan asked. "One of the kinder things Douglas said was that he has had no reason to reconsider his opinion that George Marshall is only marginally fit to command a regiment, and that giving him the authority I have seen fit to give him borders on an impeachable offense. Oh, how the Chicago Tribune would love to have that letter."
"And because George Marshall thinks Jimmy Whittaker may know THE SECRET WARRIORS M ST the contents of that letter, you intend to hold him incommunicado indefinitely?" Donovan asked. "You obviously don't think that's necessary?"
"For one thing, it presumes-and this presumes he knows what the letter said, and I don't think he does-that the moment he has the chance, he would rush to Colonel McCormick with it. But really, Franklin, I don't think he'd do that to you-not as an officer, and certainly not as a friend."
"Marshall believes that Mac Arthur, in his usual MacHiavellian way, hopes Jimmy would do just that."
"Bologna!" Donovan said. "Eleanor's word, exactly," the President said.
"All right, Bill, tell me what you would do."
"Assign him to me," Donovan said. "And what would you do with him?"
"He's entitled to a thirty-day home leave," Donovan said.
"I'd give it to him-at Summer Place in Deal. Canidy's going to be there, and he's privy to much of this anyway. I can tell him enough more to make sure that Jimmy doesn't do anything to embarrass George Marshall."
"George would argue that Jimmy requires psychiatric care," Roosevelt said. George is saying Jimmy's crazy?" Donovan snapped.
"I don't think he's mad. I think he was under a terrible strain. And besides, I don't think he's the only officer who would like to do to George Marshall what he did."
"You don't think his actually doing it raises the question of his mental health?" Roosevelt asked. "He's as sane as you or I," Donovan said.
"Christ, Franklin, you've got Putzi von Hanfstaengel,' a certified Nazi, in the Hotel Washington, and you have him for dinner here. How can you keep that boy under what amounts to arrest?"
"Putzi is an ex-Nazi," the President said coldly.
"And you know, Bill, how valuable he's been to us."
"Ernst "Putzi" von Hanfstaengel, a classmate and close friend of Roosevelt at Harvard, was one of the early aristocratic supporters of Hider and the Nazi party Later, his disillusionment with Nazism became known to Heinrich Himmler, who ordered von Hanfstaengel murdered. He learned of the plot and managed to escape 'with his family through Spain. Roosevelt established him in an apartment in the Hotel Washington, where von Hanfstaengel spent the war offering his knowledge of the Nazi inner circle to Roosevelt and the several intelligence services.
Though he let his displeasure show, Donovan didn't back down. "I would say that Jim Whittaker has done his fair share of being valuable to us," Donovan said.
"At the very least, if he has to be-what shall I say?-restrained, then we can do that as well at Summer Place as Fort Knox."
"You may have a point," the President said. "There's one more thing," Donovan said.
"Jim Whittaker's name has come up in connection with the North African invasion, in connection with a man named Eric Fulmar. "Who's he?"
"Another valuable-to-our-cause German, Franklin," Donovan said. When Roosevelt glared at him, Donovan went on: "We used him to help us get the mining engineer out of Morocco. He's close to the pasha of Ksar es Souk, who, Holds worth Martin suggests, might just be able to arrange for a rebellion when we invade."
"What's his connection with Jimmy?
"He, Jimmy, and Canidy were in boarding school together. St. Mark's," Donovan said.
"We used Canidy to get to him in the Grunier operation, but that burned Canidy out for Fulmar after we decided to leave Fulmar in Morocco although we'd promised to take him out. If we go ahead with the idea of stirring up the Berbers, we'll need another contact. Among the names that the researchers came up with, absolutely independently, was James M. B. Whittaker." Roosevelt didn't reply for a moment. Finally he asked, "Again, Bill, exactly what is it you want me to do? " "Turn Jimmy over to me," Donovan said.
"I'll guarantee his silence. "I'll discuss it with George," Roosevelt said. "We both know what he'll say," Donovan protested. "As I've told you, George doesn't always get what George wants," the President said.
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