2. SUNFISH WILL DEPART PEARL HARBOR 0600 LOCAL TTME 11 APR 43. LT CD. LEWIS AND CHIEF MCGUTRE WILL BE ABOARD.
3. BOTH PIL0TS-IN-C0MMAND OF DRY RUN PBY-5A AIRCRAFT HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO FLY MISSION, AND VOLUNTEER PILOTS FROM MAINLAND WILL ARRIVE HERE WITHIN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AFTER UNEXPLAINED DELAY IN TRANSIT.
4. FIRST TWO PBY-5A AIRCRAFT ARE PREPARED TO COMMENCE MISSION ON THREE (3) HOURS NOTICE, AND CAN PROBABLY DO SO IN LESS TIME.
5. CONVERSION OF TWO BACKUP PBY-5A AIRCRAFT AT EWA WILL BE COMPLETED WITHIN SEVENTY-TWO (73) HOURS.
6. INASMUCH AS UNDERSIGNED CAN MAKE NO FURTHER CONTRIBUTION TO PREPARATION OF MISSION HERE, AND BELIEVE MY SKILLS WILL BE USEFUL DURING REFUELING OPERATION, UNDERSIGNED WILL BE ABOARD FIRST FLIGHT
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED
HOMER C. DILLON
MAJOR, USMCR
T O P S E C R E T
«Goddamn him!» Brigadier General Pickering said.
«Sir?» Rutterman asked.
«Send Major Dillon a Special Channel, Rutterman,» Pickering said. «Quote. Not only no, but hell no.»
«Aye, aye, sir,» Rutterman smiled. «I saw the Major wants in on this. I was thinking I'd sort of like to go myself.»
«Then you're as crazy as Dillon,» Pickering said. «Belay the 'hell no,' Harry. Send him…« He paused to frame his thoughts. «… send him: 'In absence of Lieutenant Lewis, your liaison function between—' «
«I think I'd better write that down, General,» Rutterman interrupted him. He took a notebook and a pencil from his pocket. «Go ahead, sir.»
«In the absence of Lieutenant Lewis, your liaison function between CINCPAC and the widely scattered elements of this mission is critical to success of mission, and cannot be performed by someone else,» Pickering dictated. «And therefore your request, while deeply appreciated, to accompany the flight element is denied.»
«Yes, sir.»
«And add, Harry, 'in other words, Jake, not only no, but hell no.' «
Rutterman chuckled. «Aye, aye, sir.»
Pickering turned to the second Special Channel message.
T O P S E C R E T
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES
WASHINGTON
VIA SPECIAL CHANNEL
DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN
0905 GREENWICH 10 APRIL 1943
USMILMISSI0N TO CHINA CHUNGKING
EYES ONLY BRIGGEN FLEMING PICKERING USMCR
BEGIN PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM DIROSS TO OSSDEPDIR PACIFIC OPERATIONS
DEAR FLEMING:
IT SHOULD GO WITHOUT SAYING THAT EVERYONE CONCERNED IS DELIGHTED THAT THE POTENTIAL SECURITY PROBLEM WAS NIPPED IN THE BUD BEFORE ANY REAL DAMAGE TRANSPIRED, AND THAT EVERYONE APPRECIATES YOUR CONTRIBUTION.
IT SHOULD ALSO GO WITHOUT SAYING THAT I HAVE NO INTENTION WHATEVER OF SECOND GUESSING YOU ON THE EXECUTION OF OPERATION GOBI AND THAT YOU ENJOY THE COMPLETE CONFIDENCE OF ADMIRAL LEAHY, GENERAL MARSHALL AND MYSELF TO CARRY IT OFF SUCCESSFULLY.
HOWEVER, GENERAL MARSHALL AND I SEE IN THE OPPLAN SUBMITTED BY LTCOL PLATT SOME VERY INTERESTING POSSIBILITIES FOR THE EXECUTION OF OPERATION GOBI IN CASE THE PICKERING OPPLAN PROVES TO BE ULTIMATELY UNFEASIBLE OR FAILS. GENERAL MARSHALL AND ADMIRAL LEAHY ARE BOTH CONCERNED WITH THE GREAT POTENTIAL FOR DISASTER THAT AN AIRCRAFT/SUBMARTNE RENDEZVOUS ON THE HIGH SEAS AT THIS TIME OF YEAR POSES.
THEREFORE TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE NECESSITY TO GET THE WEATHER STATION UP AND RUNNING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, GENERAL MARSHALL SUGGESTS AND I AGREE THAT YOU CONSIDER PROCEEDING WITH THE PLATT OPPLAN AS A BACKUP OPERATION TO THE ONE YOU PRESENTLY PLAN.
TO THAT END, THE FOLLOWING STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN:
(1) TWO COMPLETE SETS OF METEOROLOGICAL EQUIPMENT ARE BEING ACQUIRED AND WILL BE PRIORITY AIRLIFTED TO CHUNGKING AS SOON AS AVAILABLE. THEY SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO YOU IN CHUNGKING WITHIN THREE WEEKS.
(2) AN URGENT CALL FOR VOLUNTEER METEOROLOGISTS HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE NAVY AND ARMY AIR CORPS. ADDITIONALLY, JCS HAS DIRECTED THE ADJUTANT GENERAL AND BUPERS TO IMMEDIATELY PREPARE A LIST OF FULLY QUALIFIED METEOROLOGISTS, FROM WHICH, IN THE EVENT THERE ARE INSUFFICIENT VOLUNTEERS WITHIN THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS, TWO TEAMS OF FULLY QUALIFIED METEOROLOGISTS WILL BE SELECTED AND AIRLIFTED TO CHUNGKING IN TIME TO COINCIDE WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE METEOROLOGICAL EQUIPMENT.
(3) GENERAL STILLWELL IS BEING REQUESTED IN A PERSONAL FROM GENERAL MARSHALL TO PROVIDE WHATEVER TROOP AND LOGISTICAL SUPPORT YOU CONSIDER NECESSARY.
WITH BEST PERSONAL REGARDS,
BILL
END PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM DIROSS TO OSSDEPDIR PACIFIC OPERATIONS
T O P S E C R E T
«In a pig's ass,» Brigadier General Fleming Pickering said furiously.
«Sir?» Rutterman asked.
«You decrypt this, Harry?»
«Yes, sir.»
«Then you read what Donovan said about 'having no intention whatever of second-guessing' me?»
«If I may speak freely, General, in a pig's ass he doesn't,» Rutterman said.
«I'll tell you what he did do,» Pickering said. «He made up my mind for me.»
«Sir?»
«George, pick up the field phone—the one with number one painted on it. It's connected to the USMMCHI switchboard. Present my compliments to General Stillwell and ask him when he can find time to see me.»
«Aye, aye, sir,» Hart said and went to the telephones—which were still sitting on the floor—and cranked the one marked «# 1.»
«General Stillwell's office, please,» he said when the operator answered, and then a moment later surprise—maybe shock—became visible on his face. He went on: «General, I'm Lieutenant Hart, aide-de-camp to General Pickering. Sir, the General presents his compliments…« He stopped, said, «One moment, sir,» and extended the telephone to Pickering.
«General Stillwell, sir,» Hart said.
Pickering went quickly to the telephone.
«Good morning, sir.»
«I don't know about your aide, Pickering, but mine has more important things to do than make manners on the telephone.»
«So does George, sir,» Pickering blurted. «I was trying to play the game by the rules, General.»
Stillwell snorted.
«Every time you play the game by the rules, somebody changes the rules,» Stillwell said. «I'm surprised you haven't learned that. What's on your mind, Pickering?»
«Sir, could you spare me a few minutes? It's important.»
«As a matter of fact, I was about to try to find you. I just got a personal I don't like much about you. You want to come right now?»
«Yes, sir. I can be there in fifteen minutes.»
The line went dead in Pickering's ear.
He realized that, having had nothing else to say. General Stillwell had hung up.
note 80
Office of the Commanding General
U.S. Military Mission to China
1010 11 April 1943
General Pickering was inside Stillwell's office door just long enough to notice Colonel Easterbrook's presence when Stillwell began the conversation by saying, «Pickering, I feel compelled to tell you I am not at the moment in a very good mood.»