AFTER FEEDING HIM A LOT OF LIQUOR, I GOT OUT OF HIM THIS VERSION: AN ARMY RESERVE CAPTAIN NAMED WENDELL FERTIG REFUSED TO SURRENDER AND WENT INTO THE HILLS OF MINDANAO WHERE HE GATHERED AROUND HTM A GROUP OF OTHERS, INCLUDING A NUMBER OF MARINES FROM THE 4TH MARINES WHO ESCAPED FROM LUZON AND CORREGIDOR, AND STARTED TO SET UP A GUERRILLA OPERATION.
HE HAS PROMOTED HIMSELF TO BRIGADIER GENERAL, AND APPOINTED HIMSELF "COMMANDING GENERAL, US FORCES IN THE PHILIPPINES." I UNDERSTAND (AND SO DOES PHIL DEPRESS) WHY HE DID THIS. THE FILIPINOS WOULD PAY ABSOLUTELY NO ATTENTION TO A LOWLY CAPTAIN. THIS HAS, OF COURSE, ENRAGED THE RANK-CONSCIOUS PALACE GUARD HERE AT THE PALACE. BUT FROM WHAT DEPRESS TELLS ME, FERTIG HAS A LOT OF POTENTIAL.
SEE WHAT YOU CAN FIND OUT, AND ADVISE ME. AND TELL ME IF I'M WRONG IN THINKING THAT IF THERE ARE MARINES WITH FERTIG, THEN IT BECOMES OUR BUSINESS.
FINALLY, WITH ME HERE, MOORE, WHO IS ON THE BOOKS AS MY AIDE-DE-CAMP, IS GOING TO RAISE QUESTIONS IF HE SPENDS MOST OF HIS TIME, AS HE HAS TO, IN THE DUNGEON, INSTEAD OF HOLDING DOORS FOR ME AND SERVING MY CANAPES. IS THERE SOME WAY WE CAN GET SERGEANT HART A COMMISSION? HE IS, IN FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE TO WHAT I'M SURE ARE YOUR ORDERS, NEVER MORE THAN FIFTY FEET AWAY FROM ME ANYWAY.
I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU WOULD CALL MY WIFE, AND TELL HER THAT I AM SAFE ON THE BRIDGE AND CANAPE CIRCUT IN WATER LILY COTTAGE IN BEAUTIFUL BRISBANE ON THE SEA.
REGARDS,
FLEMING PICKERING, BRIGADIER GENERAL, USMCR
T O P S E C R E T
When he finished reading the radio, Banning handed it back to Rickabee, who then handed it to Haughton, who replaced it in the TOP SECRET folder and then replaced the folder in his briefcase.
"The General, I surmise, is in good spirits," Banning said. "What's this business about guerrillas in the Philippines? I never heard anything about that before."
"That's one of the reasons I came over here, to discuss that with you," Haughton said. "On 12 October, the Navy station at Mare Island answered a station that was trying to get a response from Australia. They sent a message- here it is," he interrupted himself and handed Rickabee several sheets of paper stapled together-"encrypted on an obsolete crypto device. The Chief at Mare Island borrowed a crypto device from the Army, and came up with... what does it say? 'Here's the Hot Poop From The Hot Yanks, et cetera, Brigadier General Fertig."'
"Captain Fertig, according to Willoughby, in Pickering's radio," Banning said.
"How do we know this Fertig is genuine?" Rickabee asked, adding, "How did you come by this information, David?"
Haughton expected the question, but it still embarrassed him. "The Chief Radioman at Mare Island is a crony of my Chief," he said. "He figured my Chief could check out Brigadier General Fertig. I didn't-if I have to say so-know anything about this."
"He who getteth between two Chiefs will getteth himself run over," Ban-ning said solemnly.
The remark produced a rare smile on Rickabee's face, Haughton noticed. "My Chief went to the Army and came up with a reserve officer by that name-but not a general-missing and presumed captured in the Philippines. And the vital statistics of his wife. The Mare Island Chief used the vitals to establish they were talking to Fertig."
"Why couldn't they get in touch with MacArthur in Australia?" Rickabee asked thoughtfully.
"At about this time," Haughton said, "my Chief decided I could be told what had happened so far. And I ordered Mare Island to contact SWPOA and relay to them all traffic from Fertig. And I had a message sent to SWPOA confirming that, and that it was our judgment that Fertig was Fertig. SWPOA is now communicating directly with Fertig."
"Repeat:" Rickabee said. "Why couldn't they get in touch with MacArthur in Australia?"
"Because El Supremo, or his minions," Banning said, somewhat nastily, "didn't want to hear from a guerrilla leader in the Philippines after El Supremo had gone on record saying that guerrilla operations in the Philippines 'are im-possible at this time,' end quote."
"I think we have to proceed on that same cynical assumption," Haughton said.
"So how are we involved?"
"The Secretary is right now with the President," Haughton said. "He in-tends to tell him about Fertig. He thinks it's good news-and God knows he needs some-that there is a guerrilla operation. Admiral Leahy will be at the meeting. The Secretary feels that the President will ask Leahy what to do about Fertig, and that Leahy will suggest that you deal with it. At least assess the situation."
Rickabee nodded, and then pointed his finger at Banning.
"Aye, aye, Sir," Banning said, acknowledging that the responsibility had just been delegated.
He wondered how that was going to affect the week off he had been prom-ised. A clear image of Carolyn fastening her brassiere came into his mind.
"After you get back from your week off," Rickabee said.
Christ, is he reading my mind?
"Aye, aye, Sir."
[ONE]
The White House
Washington, D.C.
1115 Hours 17 October 1942
"Douglas," the President of the United States said, "has stated that guerrilla operations in the Philippines are impossible at this time."
"And we all know that Douglas Mac Arthur is incapable of being wrong, don't we?" the Hon. Frank Knox said, taking his pince-nez off and starting to polish the lenses.
Roosevelt looked up from his wheelchair at the dignified, stocky, well-dressed Secretary of the Navy and smiled.
"Admiral?" the President asked.
"We really know nothing, Mr. President, except that this man Fertig has chosen not to surrender, and that he has a radio," Admiral William D. Leahy said. Leahy, a tall, lanky, sad-faced man, was the former Chief of Naval Opera-tions, and was now serving as Roosevelt's Chief of Staff.
He looked between Knox and the President, who waited for him to con-tinue.
"If we plan to suggest to General MacArthur that he is wrong, I would like to have more facts than we now have," Leahy went on. "I would therefore suggest, Mr. President, that we investigate further. Specifically, that Ricka-bee' s people see what they can find out about Fertig's activities, and what the potential is."
"I suggest the Admiral is correct, Mr. President," Knox said.
"Have you brought this matter to Admiral Nimitz's attention, Mr. Secre-tary?"
Knox shook his head, no.
"The relationship between Nimitz and MacArthur is at the moment ami-cable," Leahy said. "I would suggest, Mr. Secretary, if the President believes we should go ahead with this-"
"I think we have a moral obligation here," the President interrupted. "In the absence of an overriding consideration to the contrary, we should go ahead, at least to the point of finding out more about this chap Fertig."
"Yes, Sir," Admiral Leahy said.
"This sort of thing, guerrilla warfare, operating behind the enemy lines, is really in Bill Donovan's basket of eggs," the President said. "But that pre-sumes Douglas's willingness to talk to Donovan's man, doesn't it?" "Unfortunately," Knox said.
"After Pickering's thoughts on that subject, it occurs to me that if I or-dered him to take Donovan's people, the first place Douglas would drag his feet would be in this case."