Top Secret Part 28

"The OSS funds remaining are just about exhausted, so one of the problems we are going to have to deal with here today is funding SAA so that we can keep it as long as possible. And then decide what to do when, inevitably, and most likely sooner than later, Peron takes it over.

"General Eisenhower, I think I have said everything I have to say right now. Is there anything you wish to add, sir?"

Eisenhower stood. He put a Chesterfield to his lips and his aide-de-camp produced the Zippo. Ike took a deep drag.

"Gentlemen," he said, "I think I can sum this up in a few words. The exigencies of the current political situation vis--vis the Soviets have laid on your shoulders one h.e.l.l of a burden. I have every confidence that you will successfully deal with it, because I have, as the President does, absolute confidence in Admiral Souers and every officer in this room." He paused. "Right down to the young captain beside me." That earned him the chuckles he expected. "And now I hear the summons of the links. Thank you for coming."

Eisenhower touched Cronley's shoulder, smiled at him, and then walked out of the room. His aides followed.

The only reason he was here was to make sure everybody knows that what we're doing has his and Truman's approval.

Souers waited until the door had closed after Eisenhower, and then said: "A break is in order. There's coffee and doughnuts in the tearoom, out the door, down the corridor, and turn right. And while you're drinking your coffee, if you happened to introduce one another, that'd kill two birds with one stone. We'll reconvene back here in half an hour." He looked at his watch. "Say at eleven-thirty."

- Cronley saw that both Mattingly and Frade were walking toward him.

Jimmy thought that Frade looked just about as impressive in his uniform as Mattingly did in his.

Jesus, he really is a lieutenant colonel. I don't think I took that in until just now, when I saw him in his Marine Corps uniform.

On the other hand, I really am a captain, and who would have believed that?

I have a hard time believing it, even looking in a mirror.

But Eisenhower called me "captain" and who am I to argue with a five-star?

Mattingly got to him first.

"Be very careful, Captain Cronley, about what you say, and remember the less you say about anything, the better."

Clete arrived as Jimmy was saying, "Yes, sir."

Mattingly left, but Clete had either heard what he said or seen the looks on their faces.

"What was that all about?"

"I'm fine, Clete. How about you?"

"Are you? How are you doing?"

Cronley shrugged.

"We've got a lot to talk about, but it will have to wait until this is over. Let's go find the tearoom."

Fine. That'll give me a chance to introduce you to my new girlfriend. She's waiting for her husband in there.

[ TWO ].

1105 1 November 1945 In the tearoom, Cronley headed straight for the doughnut table. He wolfed down two of the enormous white sugar-coated cakes, and reached for a third.

"They don't feed you at your monastery?" Frade asked.

"I didn't have any breakfast. I had to get up in the middle of the night . . . and then had to take off as soon as I could see the far end of the runway."

"You flew here? I mean you flew here?"

Jimmy nodded.

"In a Piper Cub? What does the Army call them? L-4s?"

"In a Storch."

"Whose Storch?"

"I guess you could say mine. I have two of them."

"Mattingly didn't say anything about you having a Storch. Or Storches. Or about you flying."

"He was probably hoping that on my way here I would fly into one of the many rock-filled clouds we have in scenic Germany and he wouldn't have to talk about me at all."

"Why do I suspect that everything is not peachy-keen between you and Mattingly? What's that all about?"

"I'm sure he'll tell you in detail just as soon as he has the chance."

"I'm shocked. The way you talked about him in Argentina, I thought you were convinced he could walk on water and make the blind see with a gentle touch of his hand."

Cronley was about to reply when three officers-a full colonel, a lieutenant colonel, and a major-walked up to them. All three had Army Ground Forces shoulder insignia.

"Colonel Frade, I'm Jack Mullaney," the colonel said. "From General Magruder's shop? We met, very briefly, earlier."

Shop? What the h.e.l.l does "shop" mean?

"How are you, Colonel?" Frade asked as he shook Mullaney's hand.

"And this is Lieutenant Colonel Parsons and Major Ashley."

Frade shook their hands.

"This is Captain Cronley," Frade said.

Everybody shook hands.

"Actually, Colonel Frade, we were hoping Captain Cronley could point us toward the officer who will be running Mattingly's shop in Munich. Parsons and Ashley will be joining it, and would like to make their manners."

What the h.e.l.l is he talking about?

Mattingly's shop in Munich?

"Make their manners"? What the h.e.l.l does that mean?

"Sir, I don't understand," Cronley confessed politely.

"Perhaps the captain hasn't been brought into the Pullach operation," Lieutenant Colonel Parsons said.

"Is Pullach what you're talking about, sir?" Cronley asked. "You said Munich."

"Is that where the permanent compound will be, Jimmy?" Frade asked.

Cronley nodded.

"Well, now that we're all talking about the same thing," Colonel Mullaney said, "can you point out the officer in charge of the Pullach operation for us, Captain?"

"I'm in charge of Pullach, sir," Cronley said.

The three Pentagon intelligence officers were visibly surprised.

"Well, I will be when we get it open," Cronley clarified. "It's not quite finished."

Major Ashley blurted what all three of them were obviously thinking: "But you're only a captain!"

Frade chuckled and then took a bite of his doughnut.

"And a very junior captain at that," he said, with a smile, when he had finished chewing and swallowing.

"I see we're not all talking about the same thing," Colonel Mullaney said. "Let me rephrase: Captain, who will be in command of the Pullach operation when it's up and running? That's to whom we wish to pay our respects. Would you point him out, please?"

Frade pointed to Cronley.

"Colonel, can I try to clear this up?" he asked.

"Please do, Colonel," Mullaney said coldly.

"First, as to who will command Pullach. On the way over here, Admiral Souers said that Colonel Mattingly had told him that General Gehlen-who can be very difficult-and Oberst Mannberg-Gehlen's Number Two-and Captain Cronley got along very well, and for that reason he had decided to give command of Pullach to Cronley. The admiral told me Mattingly thought that was a great idea."

"How can the captain command the Pullach operation if he will be outranked by Colonel Parsons and Major Ashley, whom General Magruder has a.s.signed to Pullach?"

"I was about to get to that, Colonel," Frade said. "What I was going to say is that this new organization, the Central Intelligence Group, or whatever the h.e.l.l it will be called, will inherit from the OSS its somewhat unorthodox philosophy of who does what. That is, the best qualified man gets the job, and his rank has nothing to do with it."

"I'm afraid I can't accept that," Colonel Mullaney said. "I'll discuss this with General Magruder and Admiral Souers."

"Well, I see we're off to a great start," Frade said. "I should have known something like this would have to be dealt with."

"Exactly what do you mean by that, Colonel?" Mullaney challenged more than a little nastily.

Frade looked around the tearoom.

"Admiral!" he called.

Cronley saw that Souers was talking to General Greene, Greene's aide-de-camp, and Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs. Schumann.

"Admiral!" Frade called again, and this time he got Souers's attention.

"Have you got a minute, Admiral?" Frade called.

Souers walked over to them, bringing everybody with him.

"Getting to know one another, are you?" the admiral smilingly inquired, and then asked, "Do we all know one another?" He looked around, decided that everyone did not know everyone, and began the introductions.

"This is General Greene, the Chief of EUCOM CIC," he said. "Captain Hall, his aide, Colonel Schumann, his IG, and the charming Mrs. Schumann. This is Colonel Mullaney, through whom we'll channel the a.n.a.lyses that Colonel Parsons and Major Ashley will develop at Pullach once Captain Cronley gets that up and running."

There was an exchange of handshakes and courtesies.

Frade waited until it had concluded, then announced: "Small problem, Admiral. Colonel Mullaney just announced that he cannot accept Captain Cronley as commander of Pullach."

"Oh?"

"Inasmuch as Cronley is junior to Colonel Parsons and Major Ashley," Frade went on.

"Well, I'm glad the question came up," Souers said. "Let's get it out of the way right now."

"It's not that I have anything against Captain Cronley, Admiral," Colonel Mullaney offered, "as far as I know he may be an extraordinary young-"

"Colonel," Souers interrupted him, "it doesn't matter what you think of Captain Cronley. What matters is your conception of your role in the South German Industrial Development Organization. Let me tell you how I see that. You are to facilitate, in the Pentagon, the transfer of intelligence produced at Pullach, when it's up and running, to your superiors in G-2 and Naval Intelligence. Even to the State Department. Without getting into where that intelligence came from. Any questions so far?"

"No, sir. Admiral-"

"You will also funnel requests for intelligence vis--vis our Soviet friends from ONI and G-2 to Pullach, without, it should go without saying, telling them to whom you are going for answers to their questions. Do you have any questions about that?"

"No, sir."

"As you can well imagine, it is in our interests to keep General Gehlen and his people happy. You understand that, of course?"

"Yes, sir, of course."

"General Gehlen has developed a rapport with Captain Cronley. They seem each to respect the other's role in the arrangement . . ."

Jesus, Cronley suddenly thought, what's going to happen when he finds out this kissy-kissy relations.h.i.+p he thinks there is between me and Gehlen went out the window when I took the Orlovsky interrogation away from his interrogator? And then threw gas on the fire when, in a manner of speaking, I told Mannberg that he and Gehlen could take a flying f.u.c.k at a rolling doughnut if they didn't like it?

". . . and for that reason, Colonel Mattingly gave command of Kloster Grnau to Cronley and recommended to me that he be placed in command at Pullach when that opens. I accepted that recommendation. That's it. It is not open for debate.

"Now, so far as your people at Pullach are concerned, they will serve there at Cronley's pleasure. They should have no question in their minds that Cronley will be in command. Any questions about that, Colonel?"