«Is that how you think of me, Mr. President?» Donovan asked.
«A poor attempt at humor, Bill,» the President said. «I tend to tell terrible jokes when I am forced to make decisions I would rather not make.»
There was no reply.
«Would anyone like coffee?» he asked. «Or something stronger?»
There was a chorus of «No, thank you, Mr. President.»
«Let me see it, please,» the President said.
Donovan reached into his interior pocket and handed the President a white blank, unsealed, letter-size envelope.
Roosevelt took two sheets of typewriter paper from it. He glanced quickly at both of them. «Oh, we've heard from Halsey, too?» he asked.
«I thought we should wait for Admiral Halsey's recommendation before coming to see you, sir,» Admiral Leahy said.
Roosevelt carefully read the messages.
T O P S E C R E T – M A G I C
OPERATIONAL IMMEDIATE
1005 GREENWICH 16 APRIL 1943
DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN
FROM SUPREME COMMANDER SOUTH WEST PACIFIC OCEAN AREAS BRISBANE
TO CHIEF OF STAFF US ARMY
WASHINGTON
EYES ONLY GENERAL GEORGE C. MARSHALL
INFO COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF PACIFIC
PEARL HARBOR
EYES ONLY ADMIRAL CHESTER W. NIMITZ
SUBJECT: OPERATION FLYSWATTER, REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO EXECUTE
1. SUPREME HEADQUARTERS SWAPO HAS INTERCEPTED AND DECRYPTED THREE (3) MESSAGES FROM JAPANESE IMPERIAL GENERAL STAFF DEALING WITH VISIT TO BOUGAINVILLE BY ADMIRAL ISOROKU YAMAMOTO COMMANDER OF JAPANESE COMBINED FLEET BY AIR ON 18 APRIL 1943, INCLUDING DESCRIPTION OF HIS ROUTE, AIRCRAFT TYPE AND ESCORT.
2. SUBJECT MESSAGES WERE CLASSIFIED IN HIGHEST SECURITY CATEGORY. ANALYSTS ATTACHED TO THIS HEADQUARTERS BELIEVE THEM TO BE GENUINE, BUT SUGGEST THE POSSIBILITY THAT THIS MAY BE A RUSE ON THE PART OF THE JAPANESE WITH THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING WHETHER THE CODE USED HAS BEEN COMPROMISED BY US. IF IT IS A RUSE, ANY ACTION OF MINE TO INTERCEPT ADMIRAL YAMAMOTO WOULD CONFIRM THAT WE HAVE BROKEN THEIR CODE.
3. IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT MY ANALYSTS DO NOT REPEAT DO NOT BELIEVE IT IS
PROBABLE THAT THE MESSAGES ARE A RUSE, SOLELY THAT THIS IS A POSSIBILITY REPEAT POSSIBILITY WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED.
4. AT MY DIRECTION, A MISSION CODENAME FLYSWATTER INVOLVING FOUR (4) ARMY AIR CORPS LOCKHEED P-38 AIRCRAFT BASED IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS HAS BEEN PLACED IN READINESS TO INTERCEPT AND DESTROY THE YAMAMOTO AIRCRAFT OVER BOUGAINVILLE. I HAVE BEEN ASSURED THE MISSION WOULD HAVE A SEVENTY-FIVE (75) PERCENT CHANCE OF SUCCESS.
5. IN VIEW OF THE RECENT POTENTIAL BREACH OF MAGIC SECURITY AT US MILITARY MISSION TO CHINA, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THERE MAY BE A TENDENCY TO ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION IN THIS CASE, BY DENYING ME PERMISSION TO EXECUTE OPERATION FLYSWATTER IN THE BELIEF THAT SO DOING WOULD PROTECT MAGIC.
6. BRIG GEN PICKERING'S REPRESENTATIVE WHO WAS IN CHUNGKING WITH GENERAL PICKERING HAS INFORMED ME THAT BOTH HE AND GENERAL PICKERING BELIEVE MAGIC WAS NOT REPEAT NOT COMPROMISED BY THE RECENT EVENTS AT US MILITARY MISSION TO CHINA. I HAVE COMPLETE CONFIDENCE IN GENERAL PICKERING'8 JUDGMENT IN MATTERS OF THIS NATURE.
7. NEVER BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF NAVAL WARFARE HAS THERE BEEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO REMOVE A BRILLIANT AND FORMIDABLE ADVERSARY SUCH AS ADMIRAL YAMAMOTO FROM THE SCENE OF BATTLE, AND WE SHOULD NOT FAIL TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO BY TAKING COUNSEL OF OUR FEARS.
8. PERMISSION TO EXECUTE OPERATION FLYSWATTBR IS REQUESTED IN THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERMS.
DOUGLAS MACARTHUR
GENERAL, US ARMY
SUPREME COMMANDER SOUTH WEST PACIFIC OCEAN AREAS
T O P S E C R E T – M A G I C
«Douglas does have a way with words, doesn't he?» the President said, and turned to the second message, which was considerably shorter than MacArthur's.
T O P S E C R E T – M A G I C
OPERATIONAL IMMEDIATE
1635 GREENWICH 16 APRIL 1943
DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN
FROM COMMANDER IN CHIEF PACIFIC
PEARL HARBOR
TO CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
WASHINGTON
EYES ONLY ADMIRAL WILLIAM D. LEAHY
INFO SUPREME COMMANDER SOUTH WEST PACIFIC OCEAN AREAS
BRISBANE
EYES ONLY GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR
1. REFERENCE IS MADE TO TOP SECRET-MAGIC MESSAGE FROM SUPREME COMMANDER SOUTH WEST PACIFIC OCEAN AREAS TO EYES ONLY CHIEF OF STAFF US ARMY SUBJECT OPERATION FLYSWATTER, REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO EXECUTE DATED 16 APRIL 1943.
2. THE REFERENCED MESSAGES CONCERNING ADMIRAL YAMAMOTO WERE INDEPENDENTLY INTERCEPTED, DECRYPTED AND ANALYZED HERE. ANALYSTS HERE CONCUR THAT MESSAGES ARE GENUINE, AND SHARE CONCERN THAT THEY MAY BE A RUSE.
3. THE UNDERSIGNED SHARES GENERAL MACARTHURS CONFIDENCE IN BRIG GENERAL PICKERING'S DAMAGE ASSESSMENT REGARDING POTENTIAL BREECH OF MAGIC AT USMMCHI.
4. THE REMOVAL OF ADMIRAL YAMAMOTO FROM COMMAND OF THE JAPANESE COMBINED FLEET WOULD BE CATASTROPHIC TO JAPANESE MILITARY AND NAVAL OPERATIONS, AND HIS LOSS PER SE TO UNITED STATES ACTION WOULD SERIOUSLY DAMAGE JAPANESE NAVAL PRESTIGE AMONG THE JAPANESE PEOPLE.
5. THE UNDERSIGNED STRONGLY URGES THAT THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS RECOMMEND TO THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF THAT GENERAL MACARTHUR BE GIVEN AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE OPERATION FLYSWATTER.
CHESTER W. NIMITZ
ADMIRAL, US NAVY
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, PACIFIC
T O P S E C R E T – M A G I C
«Halsey thinks MacArthur is right,» the President said. «Is that a unanimous feeling here, too?»
He looked at Donovan, who was the junior man present, for an answer.
«Mr. President, I don't think I should second-guess either Douglas MacArthur or Admiral Nimitz,» Donovan said.
«Go ahead, Bill, second-guess them.»
«It boils down to a choice between a chance to eliminate Admiral Yamamoto or possibly, I emphasize possibly, compromise magic.»
«No, it doesn't,» the President said. «The choice is between sharing Fleming Pickering's belief that magic has not been compromised by those people in Chungking, or not believing him. I don't think we're in a position to cavalierly dismiss the possibility that the Japanese at least suspect we're reading their mail. A deception like this would be entirely appropriate if they did.»
«We have no reason to believe we have given them any reason to be suspicious, except for the Chungking business,» Donovan said.
«Do you think Pickering's right, or don't you?» Roosevelt asked, a tone of impatience in his voice.
«I'll go with Pickering's judgment, Mr. President,» Donovan said after a perceptible pause.
Roosevelt nodded and looked at General Marshall.
«If we didn't take advantage of the opportunity, Mr. President—« General Marshall began.
«Even at the risk of confirming to the Japanese that we've broken their codes?» Roosevelt interrupted.
«Yes, Mr. President,» General Marshall said.
«Admiral?» Roosevelt asked, turning to Leahy.
«This seems to be one of those very rare instances, Mr. President, where Admiral Nimitz and General MacArthur seem to be in complete agreement. I don't want to challenge their judgment.»