Knox grunted.
"The result would be a disgruntled Douglas MacArthur, with this fellow Fertig dangling in the breeze? Is that your assessment?"
Leahy nodded agreement, and Knox repeated, "Unfortunately."
"Is there any way around this? To avoid confronting MacArthur?"
Leahy nodded. "I would suggest that it might be best if I sent Admiral Nimitz a Special Channel Personal advising him of what we know so far, and informing him that we are looking further into the matter, and that any support he may be asked to supply be provided with the utmost discretion."
"Don't anger Douglas by not telling Douglas, in other words?" the Presi-dent asked.
"Yes, Sir."
"General Pickering is with Douglas," the President said thoughtfully.
"I don't think General Pickering has to know that I have communicated with Admiral Nimitz," Leahy said. "If he doesn't know..."
"Then it wouldn't slip out in conversation, would it?" the President said approvingly. "Frank, see what information you can develop, as quickly as pos-sible, without annoying Douglas."
"Yes, Mr. President."
"Going off at somewhat of a tangent, Frank," the President said. "I sup-pose I thought of this because Pickering has a MAGIC clearance...."
"Yes, Mr. President?"
"I have been informed by Churchill that he plans to propose the establish-ment of a unified China-Burma-India command with Lord Louis Mountbatten named as its supreme commander."
"Yes, Sir?"
"I'm not going to give it to him easily, but in the end, I will have to go along. When that happens, despite the reservations that Admiral Leahy has ex-pressed both eloquently and in great detail-I won't need to hear them again from you, Frank-we are going to have to bring the British in on MAGIC. That means we will have to send to India a liaison officer with a MAGIC clearance, and the necessary communications people."
"General Pickering?" Knox wondered aloud.
"I think we should send Pickering for a visit, when the time comes, yes. But I was thinking of an officer to serve as the MAGIC man on Mountbatten's staff. Think about that, would you? Someone who would not be dazzled by proximity to royal blood?"
Banning, Knox thought immediately. But he said nothing beyond "Yes, Mr. President."
"Thank you for coming to see me, Frank. I know what a brutal schedule you have."
"My privilege, Mr. President," Knox said, aware that he had just been dismissed.
"Keep us up to date on this Fertig fellow, will you, Frank?" the President called as Knox reached the door.
"Yes, Mr. President."
[TWO]
=TOP SECRET=
THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
WASHINGTON
VIA SPECIAL CHANNEL
DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN
ORIGINAL TO BE DESTROYED AFTER ENCRYPTION AND TRANSMITTAL
SUPREME COMMANDER SWPOA
EYES ONLY BRIG GEN F.W. PICKERING, USMCR
1515 17 OCTOBER 1948
FOLLOWING PERSONAL FROM SECNAV FOR BRIG GEN PICKERING
DEAR FLEMING:
I JUST CAME FROM A MEETING WITH ADMIRAL LEAHY IN WHICH THE SUBJECT OF FERTIG AND GUERRILLA RESISTANCE IN THE PHILIPPINES CAME UP.
LEAHY BELIEVES THAT THE MATTER SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER AND SPECIFICALLY BY OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS, AND FURTHER THAT THE FEWER PEOPLE WHO KNOW ABOUT THIS THE BETTER.
HAUGHTON IS WORKING WITH RICKABEE ON THIS AND I WILL KEEP YOU ADVISED.
BOTH THE PRESIDENT AND LEAHY EXPRESSED THEIR CONCERN VIS-A-VIS MACARTHUR'S RELATIONSHIP OR
LACK OF RELATIONSHIP WITH DONOVAN'S PEOPLE. THE POINT WAS MADE AND I THINK FAIRLY THAT
THIS (GUERRILLA) SORT OF THING BELONGS IN DONOVAN'S BASKET.
BEST PERSONAL REGARDS
FRANK
END PERSONAL SECNAV TO BRIG GEN PICKERING
HAUGHTON CAPT USN ADMIN ASST TO SECNAV
T O P S E C R E T
[THREE]
Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff G-l
Headquarters, United States Marine Corps
Eighth and "I" Streets, NW
Washington, D.C.
0825 Hours 18 October 1942
Colonel David M. Wilson, USMC, Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff G-l for Officer Personnel, looked up from his desk to see Master Gunner James L. Hardee, USMC, standing there with paper in his hands and a smile on his face. (Master gunner, a rank between enlisted and commissioned status, is equiva-lent to a U.S. Army warrant officer.)
"I gather there is something in your hand that requires my immediate at-tention, Mister Hardee?"
"I thought the Colonel would probably be interested in this application for transfer, Sir," Hardee said.
Wilson put out his hand and Hardee handed him the typewritten letter.
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE
UNITED STATES POST OFFICE
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
16 October 1942
FROM: Macklin, Robert B., First Lieutenant USMC
TO: Headquarters USMC
Washington, D.C.
ATTN: MCPER-0P341-B
SUBJECT: Request For Consideration For Special Assignment
Reference is made to Memorandum, Headquarters, USMC dated 12 Sept 1942, Subject, "Solicitation of officer volunteers for Special Assignment To Intelligence Duties."
The undersigned wishes to volunteer for such duty. The following information is furnished:
The undersigned, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is an officer of the regular establishment of the Marine Corps, presently on detached service with the USMC Public Relations Office, Los Angeles, Cal.
The undersigned is performing supervisory duties in connection with War Bond Tour n. Previously, the undersigned was a participant (e.g., one of the "Guadalcanal Veterans") in War Bond Tour I.
Prior to this assignment, the undersigned was assigned to the detachment of patients, U.S. Army General Hospital, Fourth Melbourne, Australia, while recovering from wounds suffered in action with the 2nd Parachute Battalion, USMC, on Gavutu during the invasion of
Guadalcanal.
Previous to the Gavutu invasion, the undersigned, a qualified parachutist with sixteen (16) parachute jumps, was on the staff of the USMC Parachute School, Lakehurst, N.J.
Prior to the war, the undersigned served with the 4th Marines in Shanghai (and elsewhere in China) in a variety of assignments, including a number that involved intelligence gathering and evaluation.
(f) The undersigned has almost entirely recovered from the wounds suffered during the Guadalcanal campaign, and believes that he could make a greater contribution to the Marine Corps in a Special Intelligence assignment than he can in his presently assigned duties.
ROBERT B. MACKLIN
First Lieutenant, USMC
Colonel Wilson looked up at Gunner Hardee, then shook his head and smiled in mixed amazement and disgust.
"What the hell are these 'special intelligence' duties he's volunteering for?" Wilson asked.
"We've been levied for two hundred 'suitable' officers for the OSS," Hardee said. "There was a memorandum sent out looking for volunteers."