The well-dressed man behind the desk did not look up from his papers on his desk. After a moment, McCoy closed the door behind him and then stood near it in a position very close to Parade Rest.
Finally the man looked up at him, and after a moment McCoy understood he was expected to speak first. «Good morning, my name is McCoy,» he said.
«Good morning. Captain Kenneth R. McCoy, is that right?»
«Yes, sir.»
«I'm the OSS Deputy Director for Administration,» the man said. «I've just been going over your records, Captain.»
«Yes, sir.»
«They're a… bit unusual,» the DDA said. «If I'm reading them correctly, your formal education ended with high school, is that correct?»
«Yes, sir.»
«And after service as an enlisted man—in China?»
«Yes, sir.»
«You went through the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Quantico, and were commissioned second lieutenant?»
«Yes, sir.»
«I had been under the impression that a college degree was a prerequisite for going to Officer Candidate School.»
«I wouldn't know about that, sir.»
«You have to understand, Captain, that you don't quite measure up to what we expect—in terms of education—of applicants for the OSS.»
McCoy did not reply.
«On the other hand, your records indicate that you speak Chinese. Does that mean you can only speak—carry on a conversation? Or does that mean you can read and write Chinese?»
«I read and write Wu, Mandarin, and Cantonese,» McCoy said.
«And Japanese?» the DDA asked dubiously after having another look at McCoy's service record.
«Not as well as I read and write the Chinese languages,» McCoy said.
«And German and French?»
«And a little Italian and Spanish,» McCoy said.
«Well, I'm sure you do,» the DDA said, «but we'll run you through our Languages Division to see just how well you speak so many languages. Perhaps what the Marine Corps considers fluency… You understand?»
McCoy nodded.
«Let me be very frank,» the DDA said. «We're going to send you through our training program. It's conducted at a base we operate in Virginia. And I'm frankly wondering if you might have some difficulty with the academic aspects of the course.»
McCoy said nothing.
«Well, I suppose the way to handle this is, as I said, to run you through our Languages Division, have you tested, and then send you to the base.»
The door to the DDA's office opened and the secretary walked in. «Sorry to interrupt, sir,» she said, «but I thought you should know Colonel Banning is outside.»
«Tell the Colonel I'm tied up,» the DDA said, somewhat impatiently, «and that I will see him as soon as I can.»
«Sir, I couldn't help but overhear. Colonel Banning is telephoning a General Rickabee.»
«And?» the DDA interrupted impatiently.
«He's trying to locate Captain McCoy.»
The DDA thought that over a moment. «Ask Colonel Banning to step in, will you, please?»
Banning came through the door a moment later. «What a pleasant surprise, Captain McCoy,» he said. «I was just asking General Rickabee when we might expect to see your smiling face. Also, if I may say so,
really
sunburned?»
«Good morning, sir.»
«I'll take the Captain off your hands, sir,» Banning said to the DDA.
«I beg your pardon, Colonel?»
«I said I'll take Captain McCoy off your hands, sir.»
«Colonel, Captain McCoy is about to go to the Languages Division to determine the exact level of his languages proficiency. That will probably take up most of the morning. After that, he will be transported to the training base.»
«Sir, I don't think that's what General Pickering has in mind for Captain McCoy.»
«Colonel, why don't you ask General Pickering to discuss that with me?»
«Yes, sir, I'll do that,» Banning said, and walked out of the office.
«I gather you and Colonel Banning are acquainted?» the DDA asked.
«Yes, sir.»
«Unfortunately, he hasn't been here long enough to understand our system of operation.»
McCoy didn't reply.
«Now, where were we?» the DDA said. «Oh, yes. I'll telephone the Languages Division.» He reached for one of the telephones on his desk.
His office door opened again.
«I'll take Captain McCoy off your hands, Charley,» the Deputy Director (Operations) said.
«I just told Colonel Bann—«
«I just saw him in the hall; he told me,» the DDO interrupted.
»—that it was my intention to have Captain McCoy's extraordinary facility with languages tested, and then to send him to the training base.»
«Charley, you were there when General Pickering told Wild Bill that one of the officers he was bringing in with him had already done three successful behind-the-lines operations. He was speaking of Captain McCoy. And Pickering wasn't counting what McCoy did for Banning in China before the war. I've just made the decision that it would be a waste of time and money either to test his language skills—I'll take Colonel Banning's word about that—or to send him to the Country Club. Do we understand each other?»
«I'll have to discuss the matter with Director Donovan.»
«And at the same meeting, it was decided that all of General Pickering's people will be issued barber's pole badges. Why don't we give McCoy's to him while he's here, and save him time?»
The DDA looked at the DDO for fifteen seconds, then picked up his telephone. «Mrs. Rogers, would you please pull Captain McCoy's Any Area Any Time identification badge from the safe and have him sign for it as he leaves? And then come in here, please. I need to dictate a memorandum for the record.»
«You want to come with me, please, Captain?» the DDO asked.
McCoy followed him out of the office.
The DDO watched as Mrs. Rogers made McCoy sign for the identification badge, politely told her, «Thank you, very much, Mrs. Rogers,» and then led McCoy out of the outer officer into the corridor.
Banning, who had been leaning against the corridor wall, stood erect.
The DDO put his hand out to McCoy. «Welcome aboard, McCoy,» he said. «I'm out of time right now—Banning will explain—but we'll find time for a chat as soon as possible. In the meantime, are you familiar with that great truth about any bureaucracy?»
«Sir?»
» 'In any bureaucracy, one may expect to find, near the top, a certain percentage of assholes,' « the DDO said. «You might want to write that down.» Then he turned to Lieutenant Colonel Banning: «He's all yours, Ed.»
He touched McCoy's shoulder and walked away.
«You owe him,» Banning said. «If I hadn't bumped into him in the hall, you would have been doing push ups and knee bends at the Country Club by the time I found General Pickering.»
«Who is he?»
«The number-two guy around here, the Deputy Director (Operations), he's on our side. I'm not sure about the other clown. Come on. I'll show you the White Room, and put you to work.»