ALMOND AND SMITH FEAR THAT ANY CROSSING OF THE BORDER FOR WHATEVER REASON MIGHT TRIGGER INTERVENTION BUT THAT THE CHINESE DO NOT POSSESS EITHER SUFFICIENT FORCES OR LOGISTICS TO CAUSE A MAJOR OR LASTING PROBLEM FOR EITHER EIGHTH ARMY OR X CORPS
IN OTHER WORDS THE MOST THEY COULD DO WAS FORCE US BACK SEVERAL MILES FROM THE BORDER
SEE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS BELOW
IN RE RESCUE OF GENERAL DEAN AND MAJOR PICKERING
LT COL D J VANDENBURG SENT BY DCSOPS TO DEAL WITH DEAN ARRIVED HERE A WEEK AGO AND IMMEDIATELY MADE CONTACT WITH MAJOR MCCOY AND KOREA CIA STATION CHIEF DUNSTON
VANDENBURG IS AN IMPRESSIVE OPERATOR AND BOTH HE AND MCCOY FEEL IT HIGHLY PROBABLE THAT GENERAL DEAN HAS BEEN TAKEN TO CHINA AND THAT THEREFORE HIS RESCUE IS HIGHLY DOUBTFUL
THEY HAVE HOWEVER POOLED RESOURCES AND DIVIDED RESPONSIBILITY AND BEGUN TO ATTACK THE PROBLEM VIGOROUSLY
VANDENBURG WILL OPERATE ON WEST OF PENINSULA AND MCCOY ON EAST
MCCOY AND DUNSTON WHO HAVE THE EXPERIENCE HAVE ALREADY BEGUN THE INSERTION OF AGENTS INTO NORTH KOREA WHO WILL BOTH ATTEMPT TO LOCATE DEAN AND POSSIBLY PICKERING AND ATTEMPT TO DETERMINE STRENGTH OF BOTH REMAINING NORTH KOREAN FORCES AND CHINESE FORCES ACROSS THE BORDER
BOTH UNDERSTAND THEY ARE NOT TO STAGE ANY SORT OF A CROSS BORDER OPERATION WITHOUT YOUR SPECIFIC APPROVAL
MCCOY IS OPERATING OUT OF A SMALL FISHING VILLAGE ON EAST COAST PREVIOUSLY USED BY DUNSTON BEFORE THE WAR
VANDENBURG SOMEHOW ACQUIRED AN L-20 BEAVER SIX PLACE LIAISON AIRCRAFT AND HAS MADE IT AVAILABLE TO DUNSTON AND MCCOY FOR TRAVEL BETWEEN PUSAN SEOUL AND SOCHO RI FISHING VILLAGE
ADDITIONALLY MACARTHUR ORDERED THAT TWO SIKORSKY HELICOPTERS SENT TO KOREA BE TRANSFERRED TO THE CIA AND THEY WILL BE USED FOR INSERTION AND EXTRACTION OF AGENTS AND ALSO TO RESCUE GENERAL DEAN AND OR MAJOR PICKERING IF THEY CAN BE LOCATED
THERE HAVE BEEN NO SIGHTINGS OF THE SIGNALS PICKERING HAS BEEN LEAVING IN THE PAST SEVEN DAYS WHICH MCCOY SAYS MAY BE BECAUSE HE IS MOVING EASTWARD AND THERE ARE FEWER PLACES WHERE HE CAN MAKE THEM
BOTH MCCOY AND DUNSTON HAVE TOLD ME WITH THE CAVEAT THEY HAVE NO PROOF TO SUPPORT THEIR POSITION THAT CHINESE INTERVENTION IS VERY POSSIBLE MAYBE EVEN PROBABLE
AT THE RISK OF REPEATING MYSELF I GROW MORE AND MORE CONVINCED THAT THE PROBLEMS OF THE CIA ARE ITS BUREAUCRACY
PEOPLE LIKE MCCOY AND DUNSTON AND I THINK VANDENBURG TOO DO THEIR JOBS ONLY TO HAVE THEIR LABOR GO FOR NAUGHT BECAUSE IT DOESN'T FIT THE PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS OF SOMEBODY SITTING BEHIND A DESK FAR FROM WHAT IS HAPPENING
I DON'T KNOW HOW EFFECTIVE FLEMING PICKERING WOULD BE IN SHAPING UP THE CIA BUT I CAN'T THINK OF ANYBODY WHO COULD DO BETTER
THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING THAT I WOULD JUST BE EXCESS BAGGAGE AT WAKE ISLAND AND THAT I AM RELUCTANT TO LEAVE HERE WITH PICKERING GONE
RESPECTFULLY, AND WITH BEST REGARDS TO BESS
RALPH
END PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM GENERAL HOWE
TOP SECRET/PRESIDENTIAL
Pickering put the message back in the envelope and handed it back to Truman.
"Thank you, sir," he said.
"I'd hoped there would be better news about your boy," Truman said.
"Thank you, sir," Pickering said.
Truman smiled.
"Did you get the feeling that General Walker's missing airplane and the air-plane Colonel Vandenburg 'somehow acquired' are in any way connected?"
Pickering chuckled. He said, "General Howe didn't seem to share General Walker's indignation, did he?"
"Well, maybe the airplane'll be useful in trying to locate your son," the Pres-ident said.
"I hope so, sir," Pickering said. "I just hope that the airplane, and those he-licopters-that was the first I'd heard about that-aren't needed somewhere else more than-"
"I would think that right now the insertion of agents is very important. We need to know what the Chinese may be up to, and we have to make every ef-fort to get both General Dean and your son back."
"Yes, sir."
"I'm sure you're aware, General, that I've given a good deal of thought to replacing Admiral Hillencoetter at the CIA. And I'm sure you're aware you were high on my list of potential directors."
"I was afraid of that, sir. I really don't think I'm qualified to take it over."
"I do, and so does Ralph Howe, in whose judgment I place a lot of trust, but it's not going to be you, and I suppose the real reason I came over here was to tell you that face-to-face."
"Sir, you could have sent me a postcard, as long as that was the message."
Truman chuckled. "You really didn't want it, did you?"
"No, sir, I did not."
"But you would have taken it, had I asked?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you know General Walter Bedell Smith?"
"I know who he is, sir, but I've never met him."
"He didn't want the job, either," Truman said. "I had to work hard to con-vince him it was important to the country."
"From what I know of him, sir, he's far better qualified than I am for the job."
"That's what he said about you," Truman said, smiling. "He said that he had virtually no experience with the nuts and bolts of the intelligence business, and you had an enormous amount of practical on-the-job experience." He paused, then added: "He knew a great deal about you, General."
"Maybe he said that because he really didn't want the job, either," Picker-ing said. "I've never regarded myself as anything but an amateur who found himself in water far over his head."
"General Donovan used very much the same words to describe his own feel-ings," Truman said.
"You're talking about Wild Bill Donovan of the OSS, Mr. President?" Pick-ering asked, as if confused.
Truman nodded.
"I understand you were great friends," the President said, his smile making it clear he knew exactly the opposite to be true.
Pickering smiled back at the President and chuckled.
"I made a mistake when I disestablished the OSS," Truman said. "When I realized the country needed an organization like the OSS, I asked Donovan to come see me, to ask what he thought we needed, and how we should go about getting it."
"Despite our differences, Mr. President, I don't think anyone can fault Gen-eral Donovan's leadership of the OSS in the Second War."
"What he said, in essence, was that he could have done a far better job if he had been perceived as a member of the military establishment, rather than as 'an amateur with friends in high places in water over his head.' "
"The OSS was not very popular with the military establishment, Mr. Pres-ident. I don't think the CIA is, either." He paused as understanding dawned, and then said, "Oh."
"Uh-huh," Truman said. "I can't think of anyone who is as much a re-spected, liked, admired, proven member of the military establishment than General Eisenhower's World War Two Chief of Staff, General Walter Bedell Smith."
Pickering nodded, and said, "I completely agree, sir."
"Admiral Hillencoetter was gracious enough to offer his resignation right after this war started. When I asked him who he thought should replace him, he said I might think about bringing General Donovan back, or, failing that, to offer the job to you. General Donovan had already made it plain he wasn't interested, so your name was on my list from the beginning."
"I'm really surprised to hear that, Mr. President. I only met Admiral Hil-lencoetter that one time."
"At which meeting you handed him intelligence that the North Koreans were preparing for war, something which had not filtered up to him from his people in the field," Truman said. "The admiral is a good man, General. He had egg on his face, but he was man enough to admit it, and it never entered his mind to shoot the messenger."
Pickering considered that and nodded.
"So General Smith will be my new boss?"
Truman nodded.
"How does he feel about me? Mr. President, I would be happy to give up my position in the CIA. I would like to stay on active duty, if possible, until we see what's going to
happen with my son."
"I didn't come here to ask for your resignation," the President said. "I came to tell you why I thought it best to name General Smith CIA Director. Which I will do as soon as I get back to my office. He's at the Army-Navy Club hop-ing to hear I've changed my mind. I want you to get together with him as soon as possible... maybe even this afternoon. The more you can tell him before we go to Wake Island, the better."
"He's going with you to Wake Island? That's a good idea, Mr. President. I think he'll mesh well with General MacArthur."
"He's not going to Wake Island, General, you are," the President said. "And after that meeting, you're going on to Tokyo, where you will implement the changes General Smith has ordered."
"Do you know what he has in mind, sir?"
"No. And neither will he until you and he get together and decide what they'll be." He paused long enough for that to sink in, then added: "But when those orders are issued, I'm sure General Smith will let it be known through-out the military establishment that they came from him, and not some 'ama-teur who finds himself in water over his head.' I'm also sure that he will make it known that he was quite pleased that you agreed to stay on."
"Because you told him that?"
"No. The ironic thing here is that he feels he is the amateur in deep water. He was really worried that you would want to leave."
The President stood up and, when Pickering got to his feet, put out his hand. Truman looked as if was going to say something but changed his mind. He nodded at Pickering, shook his hand, and walked to the door.
[TWO]
The Army-Navy Club
Washington, D.C.
1215 11 October 19SO
General Walter Bedell Smith's entire suite on the fourth floor of the Army-Navy Club would have fit, with room to spare, into Brigadier General Fleming Pick-ering's sitting room in the Foster Lafayette.
Smith, who was wearing a dark gray suit, a crisp white shirt, and a rep-striped necktie, opened the door to Pickering's knock himself and put out his hand.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice, General," Smith said.
How the hell do I reply to that? "You're welcome"? "My pleasure"? This chap is a four-star general who is about to become the Director of the CIA. People like that don't have to thank underlings for coming quickly when summoned.
Smith looked at his watch.
"Fifteen minutes," he said, smiling. "That's quick."
"General, this is Captain Hart," Pickering said. "If you have no objection, I'd like him to sit in on this. He has an uncanny ability to later recall who said what and to whom."
"None whatever," Smith said, and offered Hart his hand. "I suppose that 'uncanny ability' was useful to you as a policeman. Or is that an acquired skill?" Jesus, he knows all about George.
"I think I got it from my father, sir," Hart said. "He was a cop, too."
"Have you had lunch?" Smith asked.
"No, sir," Pickering said.
"Well, we could go downstairs, but if we ordered a sandwich here-they do a very nice open-faced roast beef, and a chicken club-we could talk while we eat. Your call."
"An open-faced roast beef sandwich sounds fine to me, General," Picker-ing said.
Captain?
"Roast beef's fine with me, sir."
Smith went to the telephone and ordered the sandwiches and "a very large pot of coffee." Then he turned to Pickering. "To get to the starting line, the Pres-ident will have a press conference at five o'clock, at which he will announce my appointment as Director of the CIA. I will have to be there, so we have until, say, half past four. That should be enough time, don't you think?"
"Yes, sir," Pickering said.
Smith took an envelope from his jacket pocket and extended it to Pickering.
"The President sent this over," Smith said. "I understand you've seen it."
Pickering opened the envelope. It held the message from General Howe that Truman had shown him earlier.
"Yes, sir, I have," Pickering said.
"Have you?" Smith asked of Hart.
"No, sir."
"I told George what I thought he should know, sir," Pickering said.
"I think it would be useful if you saw the whole thing," Smith said.
Pickering handed Hart the envelope.
"Before the waiter gets here, General," Smith said, "I'd like your opinion of why this war came as a complete surprise not only to General MacArthur but to the CIA as well."
Christ, he goes right for the jugular!
Screw it. When you don't know what to say, try telling the truth.
"When the intelligence gathered by some of MacArthur's intelligence peo-ple went against the intelligence conclusions of MacArthur's G-2, it was buried," Pickering said.
"Okay. That explains MacArthur's surprise. But why did the CIA fail so completely?"
"The CIA Tokyo station chief regarded himself as a member of MacArthur's staff," Pickering said. "And was not about to disagree with the conclusions of General Willoughby, as endorsed by General MacArthur."
"And you think he should have disagreed?"
"I think he should have drawn his own conclusions from his own sources and sent them directly to Admiral Hillencoetter without discussing them with-and certainly not allowing them to be censored by-anyone in the Dai Ichi Building."
"What you're saying, General, is that the Tokyo station chief was derelict in the performance of his duties?"
"Yes, sir, I guess I am."
"Then why didn't you relieve him when you went over there and came to this conclusion?"
"There were several reasons, sir," Pickering said. "For one thing, McCoy told me he had developed his own sources-"
"I'm really looking forward to meeting Major 'Killer' McCoy," Smith in-terrupted. "The President seems very taken with him. Where is he now?"
"Probably in North Korea-or China-looking for General Dean," Pick-ering replied, and added, "and my son."
Smith met Pickering's eyes for a long moment but did not respond directly.
"You were saying McCoy said he had his own sources?"
"Which had proven to be more reliable than those of General Willoughby," Pickering went on, "so I didn't need the station chief's intel... which, pre-sumably, he was already furnishing to Willoughby and Hillencoetter anyway. I didn't know if I had the authority to relieve him, or whether that had to be cleared with the CIA, and the moment I started to relieve him, Willoughby would learn of it, possibly cause trouble here, and certainly make him keep a closer eye on me than he already was."
"The President's right," Smith said. "You do have a loose-cannon tendency, don't you?"
"Is that what he said?" Pickering said.
This is not going well. If I were this man, I would not want me working for me.
So what do I do now?
Ask the Marine Corps to keep me on at least until we find out what happened to Pick?
Ask for immediate release from active duty and just stay in Tokyo? If I do that, I probably wouldn't be able to get permission to go to Korea.
"That's what he said," Smith replied, evenly, with a little smile, then asked: "What do you want to do about the Tokyo Station Chief?" Smith asked.
"If I were to become your deputy for Asia..."
"Please don't tell me you're having second thoughts about that," Smith said. "I need you over there."
Jesus, I didn't expect that!
"We don't know how well we would work together," Pickering said.
"I think I'll be considerably easier for you to work with than General Donovan was," Smith said. "I understand that your personal relationship with him..."
"Was about as bad as a relationship can be," Pickering said.
"You are taking the job, right?"
"I'm surprised it's still being offered," Pickering said.
"What are you doing, General, fishing for a compliment? Yes, it's still being offered, because both the President and I think you're the best man to do what has
to be done."
They locked eyes for a moment.
"Yes, sir, I'll take the job," Pickering said. "Thank you."
"Okay. Now, what do you want to do about the Tokyo station chief?"
"One of the reasons I didn't relieve him when I first got to Tokyo was that I was afraid he'd go to Washington and spend all his time throwing monkey wrenches into my gears."
W E B Griffin - Corp 10 - Retreat, Hell! Page 29
