Donovan shrugged and pulled the long sheet of teletypewriter paper across the green blotter of his desk and began to read it.
T O P S E C R E T
URGENT URGENT
BRISBANE NUMBER 138
1500GREENWICH7JAN43
FROM CHIEF OSS STATION
BRISBANE AUSTRALIA
TO DIRECTOR OSS
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH BLDG
WASHINGTON DC
SUBJECT OPERATION WINDMILL
RE YOUR MESSAGE FROM MORRISSETTE FOR HAND DELIVERY TO GEN MACARTHUR: UNDERSIGNED ATTEMPTED TO DELIVER SAME TO GEN MACARTHUR. WAS ADVISED BY COL SIDNEY HUFF, AIDE DE
CAMP, THAT SUPREME COMMANDERS BUSY SCHEDULE PRECLUDED RECEIVING ME. GAVE MESSAGE TO HUFF. HUFF SUBSEQUENTLY TELEPHONED TO STATE QUOTE ONLY SPECIAL COMMUNICATIONS CHANNEL WITH WHICH GEN MACARTHUR IS FAMILIAR IS CONTROLLED BY BRIG GEN FLEMING PICKERING USMC AND ANY REQUESTS FOR ITS USE SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO HIM ENDQUOTE. UNDERSIGNED THEN ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT BRIG GEN PICKERING AND WAS INFORMED THAT HE WAS NOT PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN BRISBANE. REQUESTED
THAT HE CONTACT ME ON RETURN. HE HAS NOT YET DONE SO. SUBSEQUENTLY LEARNED THAT HE WAS ON ESPIRITU SANTO ISLAND DIRECTING OPERATION WINDMILL.
UNDERSIGNED WAS CONTACTED 1600 6JAN43 BY COL JACK NMI STECKER USMC WHO STATED BRIG GEN PICKERING HAD RETURNED TO BRISBANE BUT THAT HIS BUSY SCHEDULE PRECLUDED HIS MEETING WITH ME. HE ALSO STATED THAT PICKERING HAD BROUGHT WITH HIM CAPT JAMES B. WESTON, USMC, WHO HAD BEEN SERVING AS G-S US FORCES IN PHILIPPINES AND THAT CAPTAIN WESTON COULD BE MADE
AVAILABLE FOR OSS DEBRIEFING 0800 HOURS 7JAN43
SYNOPSIS OF DEBRIEFING OF CAPTAIN JAMES B. WESTON, USMC, BY UNDERSIGNED 1005-1240 7JAN43 FOLLOWS:
(A) WESTON IS MARINE AVIATOR CAUGHT IN PHILIPPINES AT OUTBREAK OF WAR AND ATTACHED 4TH MARINES ON CORREGIDOR. WHILE ON A SUPPLY MISSION ON BATAAN PENINSULA, LUZON, WITH SGT PERCY LEWIS EVERLY USMC ON 1APR42 THEY FOUND THEMSELVES BEHIND ENEMY LINES. UNABLE TO RETURN TO CORREGIDOR, THEY DECIDED TO ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE TO AUSTRALIA BY SMALL BOAT.
ON 80CT42, THEY LANDED AT GINGOOG BAY, MISAMIS-ORIENTAL PROVINCE, ISLAND OF MINDANAO, HAVING BEEN JOINED ENROUTE BY TWELVE OTHER US MILITARY AND NAVY PERSONNEL SEPARATED FROM THEIR UNITS. ON LANDING THEY FOUND NAILED TO TELEPHONE POLE PROCLAMATION ISSUED BY BRIG GENERAL WENDELL FERTIG ANNOUNCING HIS ASSUMPTION OF COMMAND OF ALL US FORCES IN PHILIPPINES.
ON 110CT42 CONTACT WAS MADE WITH FERTIG NEAR M0NKAY0, DAVAO-ORIENTAL PROVINCE. FERTIG INFORMED WESTON THAT HE WAS LTCOL CORPS OF ENGINEERS, RESERVE, AND THAT HE
HAD DECLARED HIS RANK TO BE BRIG GEN IN BELIEF THIS WAS NECESSARY TO COMMAND RESPECT OF FILIPINO MILITARY AND CIVILIANS. AT THIS POINT WESTON PLACED HIMSELF AND HIS MEN
UNDER FERTIG'S COMMAND. FERTIG APPOINTED WESTON CAPT AND EVERLY 2ND LT IN USFIP. WESTON STATED THAT IT IS FERTIG'S POLICY TO RAISE US OFFICERS WHO PLACE THEMSELVES UNDER HIS COMMAND AT LEAST ONE RANK IN USFIP, AND TO COMMISSION US NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS IN USFIP. SIMULTANEOUSLY WESTON WAS NAMED G-2 USFIP AND EVERLY HIS DEPUTY.
DESPITE CRITICAL SHORTAGES OF ALL SUPPLIES AND WEAPONS ACTION AGAINST JAPANESE COMMENCED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. SHORTAGE OF WEAPONRY SUCH THAT AMMUNITION FOR US.30-06 ENFIELD RIFLES LOCALLY MANUFACTURED USING BRASS CURTAIN RODS FOR BULLETS, LOCALLY MANUFACTURED BLACK POWDER, AND MATCHHEADS FOR PRIMERS. WESTON STATED FERTIG BELIEVED ANY COMBAT ACTION AGAINST JAPANESE WOULD CAUSE FILIPINOS TO ACCEPT HIM AS CG USFIP. WESTON STATED USFIP NOW ALMOST ENTIRELY ARMED WITH WEAPONS CAPTURED FROM JAPANESE.
WESTON STATED THAT AFTER WORD OF INITIAL EIGHT OR TEN COMBAT ACTIONS AGAINST JAPANESE CIRCULATED THROUGHOUT MINDANAO FOLLOWING HAPPENED:
1. US AND FILIPINO MILITARY PERSONNEL WHO HAD EITHER NOT SURRENDERED OR WHO HAD ESCAPED BEGAN TO COME TO HIS HQ FROM PLACES OF HIDING IN SUCH NUMBERS (WESTON STATES MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND (2000)) THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO EITHER ARM OR FEED THEM. MOST WERE ORDERED BACK INTO HIDING UNTIL SUCH TIME AS SUPPLIES BECAME AVAILABLE. OTHERS (PRIMARILY US AND FILIPINO COMMISSIONED OFFICERS) WERE ARMED AND DISPATCHED THROUGHOUT MINDANAO WITH ORDERS TO FORM NUCLEI FOR LATER EXPANSION OF USFIP.
2. FILIPINOS BEGAN TO ACCEPT REQUISITIONS AND PURCHASE ORDERS ISSUED BY USFIP FOR LATER PAYMENT FOR FOOD AND OTHER SUPPLIES.
3. A NUMBER OF US CITIZENS (WESTON ESTIMATES 300) CONTACTED USFIP FOR HELP IN EVADING CAPTURE AND/OR FOR EVACUATION FROM MINDANAO. IT WAS OF COURSE IMPOSSIBLE TO HELP THEM, AND THEY WERE ORDERED TO REMAIN IN HIDING FOR THE TIME BEING. THE NUMBER INCLUDES FIVE (5) MEDICAL DOCTORS AND ELEVEN (11) NURSES OF VARIOUS MISSIONARY ACTIVITES. TWO US MEDICAL DOCTORS AND SEX NURSES HAVE ACCEPTED COMMISSIONS IN USFIP, WITH UNDERSTANDING THEY WILL BE EVACUATED WHEN POSSIBLE.
4. JAPANESE ANTI-USFIP ACTIVITY PRESENTLY REQUIRES DEPLOYMENT OF ESTIMATED 20,000 TROOPS.
(F) WESTON STATES THAT IF SUFFICIENT SUPPLIES OF ALL SORTS CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE, USFIP CAN ULTIMATELY FIELD 20,000 TRAINED TROOPS. HE AND FERTIG BELIEVE, AS DOES COLONEL STECKER, WHO HAS GUERRILLA EXPERIENCE IN LATIN AMERICA, THAT BETWEEN SIX AND SEVEN JAPANESE TROOPS WILL BE REQUIRED TO ATTEMPT TO SUPPRESS EACH USFIP GUERRILLA.
(G) WESTON BELIEVES THAT CREDIBILITY OF USFEP WILL BE GREATLY IMPROVED AS RESULT OF SUPPLIES SENT IN OPERATION WINDMILL, IN PARTICULAR THE GOLD, WHICH WILL PERMIT FERTIG TO BEGIN TO PAY FOR REQUISITIONS AND PURCHASE ORDERS. HE SIMILARLY FEELS INTRODUCTION OF CARBINES, UNKNOWN IN PHILIPPINES BEFORE WAR, WILL PROVE THAT US SUPPLIES ARE COMING AS PROMISED.
(H) WESTON STATED THAT HE HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF CAPTAIN MACKLIN BEYOND THAT HE WENT ASHORE FROM SUNFISH AND PRESUMABLY ACCOMPANIED MCCOY TO HQ USFIP.
IT IS THE OPINION OF THE UNDERSIGNED THAT WESTON IS ENTIRELY CREDIBLE AND THAT HIS OPINION OF FERTIG AS BEING INTELLIGENT, SANE AND COMPETENT SHOULD BE ACCEPTED.
FOR YOUR GENERAL INFORMATION, WESTON WAS DECORATED WITH SILVER STAR THIS MORNING BY MACARTHUR. ACCOMPANYING PRESS RELEASE USED PHRASE QUOTE CAPTAIN WESTON WAS ASSIGNED TO SWPOA'S USFIP ENDQUOTE. WESTON WILL DEPART BRISBANE BY AIR VIA PEARL HARBOR TOMORROW FOR THIRTY DAY RECUPERATIVE LEAVE IN US. COL STECKER STATED ANY REQUEST FOR FURTHER OSS DEBRIEFING IN US SHOULD BE REFERRED TO SECNAV. WESTON DECLINED TO GIVE HIS ADDRESS ON LEAVE.
WATERSON
STANTIONCHIEF BRISBANE
T O P S E C R E T
"I'll tell you what this does confirm, Mo," Donovan said. "Your pal Pickering is thumbing his nose at me."
"I told you it would be wise to make peace with him, Bill," Morrissette said.
"Who the hell does he think he is, telling Waterson he's too busy to see him?"
"He thinks he's Brigadier General Pickering, who doesn't work for you."
"He was sent there, for Christ's sake, with specific orders from the Presi-dent to persuade MacArthur to let us operate."
"To try to persuade MacArthur to let us operate," Morrissette said. "If he were asked, I'll wager he would say he has tried. And he did arrange for Cap-tain Macklin to go along."
"You noticed, of course, there has not been one word from Macklin," Donovan said.
"I noticed."
"Which suggests to me that Pickering's Lieutenant McCoy is not giving him access to the radio. Probably on orders."
"Maybe Captain Macklin has had nothing to say that McCoy hasn't al-ready said."
"The whole idea was to get the OSS involved in this," Donovan said. "Didn't anyone tell Macklin that?"
Morrissette didn't reply.