Martin felt little sympathy for Montoya, for he believed that he had failed in his duty as an officer to make a decision based on his oath to defend Argentina against all enemies.
As far as Martin was concerned, el Almirante Montoya had made his decision to straddle the fence based on what he considered to be the best interests of Francisco Montoya. He deserved to be retired. Or worse.
But for reasons that were both practical and selfless,
Martin did not want to find himself sitting behind the ornately carved Director's desk as Montoya's successor.
For one thing, he had told el Presidente Rawson, the position called for a general or flag officer, and he was not even close to being eligible for promotion to General de Brigade
(Brigadier General, the junior of the general officer ranks).
Rawson had replied that Martin's contribution to the revo lution had not only been important but was recognized, and that he himself had been especially impressed with Martin's accurate assessments of the actions various officers in the
Castillo government would take when the revolution began.
As far as he was concerned, this proved that Martin could take over the Director's post with no difficulty. And with that in mind, he added, Martin's promotion to General de
Brigade in several months was not out of the question.
Martin had countered by respectfully suggesting that if he were promoted out of turn, and named Director, the resent ment from the senior officer corps of both the Army and the
Armada would be nearly universal and crippling.
He also believed, but did not tell Rawson, that if he was named Director-with or without a second promotion-it would be only a matter of time before he was forced from the office. The generals-and senior colonels who expected promotion to general officer as a reward for their roles in the revolution-might swallow their disappointment and resent ment toward a peer who was given the post, but they would unite against a Director who before the Revolution had been a lowly-and junior-teniente coronel.
That would leave (in what Martin liked to think was an honest evaluation of the situation) no one of his skill and experience to provide the government with the intelligence it needed. And when dealing with the North Americans and the
Germans, gathering intelligence should not be left to an amateur.
Six general officers (in addition to two colonels, Peron and Sanchez, who were about to be promoted) considered themselves ideally qualified to be Director, and were vying for the post. No admirals were being considered. The only significant resistance to the revolution had come from the
Armada.
Martin believed-but did not tell Presidente Rawson- that any of the eight would be delighted to have as their deputy a qualified intelligence officer who had already been given his prize-his promotion-for his role in the revolu tion, expected nothing more, and would not pose a threat.
He also did not tell Presidente Rawson that he could better serve Argentina from a position behind the throne of the
Director of Internal Security than by sitting in the ornate gilded chair itself, and that he could train whomever was finally appointed to the post, much as he had taught Almi rante Montoya, who had come from the School of Naval
Engineering and had known nothing about intelligence.
Rawson attributed Martin's reasons for declining the directorship to commendable modesty, and decided that for the moment, until a Director could be chosen, Martin would serve as Interim Director. Rawson assured Martin he would seek his advice about which officer he should name
Director.
Martin pushed open the door from the corridor to the foyer of his office. Three men rose to their feet. Two were in business suits, and by appearance could have been bankers or lawyers or successful shopkeepers. They were, in fact, agents of the BIS assigned to the Ethical Standards Office.
The third man, who wore the uniform of a Suboficial
Mayor, and was in fact a sergeant major, was also an agent of the BIS.
Martin motioned all three of them to follow him into his office. When they were all inside, he motioned to Suboficial
Mayor Jose Cortina to lock the door.
"Who's with the President?" Martin asked.
Cortina provided two names.
Martin nodded his approval.
President Rawson was accompanied everywhere by his armed aide-de-camp. There was also a Policia Federal body guard detail. It consisted of two bodyguards and the drivers of all the cars in any presidential motor parade, which might be anywhere from two to six cars. All of these drivers were also armed.
The Policia Federal believed this was enough protection.
Martin devoutly hoped it would be; but to err on the side of caution, he had ordered that two men from the Ethical Stan dards Office be with the President at all times.
The Policia Federal considered this an insult to their competence, but there wasn't anything they could do about it. Until a new Director of the BIS was named and took office, only the President himself could override Martin's decisions.
If the Germans were brazen enough to assassinate Coro nel Frade, they just might be brazen enough to try to elimi nate General Rawson. They might think he had been responsible for-or at least knew about and tacitly sup ported-the shooting of the two German officers on the beach near Puerto Magdalena, and be seeking revenge. Or they might decide to remove him because he shared Frade's pro-Anglo-American, anti-German beliefs. Or there might be an attempt on his life from officers or officials who had been deposed in the revolution. Because the threat was real,
Martin saw it as his duty to do whatever he could to protect the President, whether or not the Policia Federal liked it.
"And if the President decides to go to the Frade wedding, how many people will we have at Estancia San Pedro y San
Pablo to augment them?"
"Six, Senor," Cortina said.
"That should be enough," Martin said. "We do know, right, that he's going out there?"
"Si, Senor," Cortina said.
There came a rapping at the closed doors.
Too sharp for knuckles, Martin thought, and signaled with his hand for someone to open the door.
Sefiora Mazza, a squarish, fiftyish woman in a simple black dress, marched into the office. She held a miniature cavalry sword-her letter opener, and obviously the source of the sharp rapping on the door.
"Excuse me, mi Coronel," she said, and went to his desk and picked up one of the telephones there.
"Here is el Coronel Martin, Senor Presidente," she said, and extended the phone to Martin.
"Coronel Martin," he said into it.
"General Rawson, Coronel," the President of Argentina said. "I'm glad I caught you in."
"How may I be of service, Senor Presidente?"
"Obregon," Rawson said. "How does he strike you?"
El General de Division Manuel Federico Obregon was one of the eight senior officers in the running to be Director of the Bureau of Internal Security.
"General Obregon, Senor Presidente?"
"How would you feel if he took over BIS, Martin?"
My honest answer is that Obregon is the one man I des perately hoped would not be given the appointment.
"I would be honored to serve under General Obregon,
Senor Presidente."
"General Ramirez and Coronel Peron feel he would be the best choice."
He could tell from the pained looks of the faces of his three agents that they felt as he did.
The question now becomes: Is Rawson going along with
Ramirez and Peron because of-or despite-Obregon's hatred for the English and the North Americans? Is it possible he doesn't know? Or is he afraid to defy Ramirez? Or
Peron?
The question is moot. I am being told Obregon will be the
Director of BIS, not really asked for my opinion.