«No problem,» the DDO said. «And I'm not even going to ask what American Personal Pharmaceuticals has to do with anything.»
Banning and Rickabee chuckled.
«I'll call out there and tell them to give you whatever you need,» the DDO went on. «What do you think that will be?»
«Quarters for Lieutenant Easterbrook and Sergeants Zimmerman and Rutterman,» Pickering said. «On-call quarters for Banning, McCoy, and Jake. A place to store the radios and whatever else we're going to send to China. On that subject, Jake, I don't think Banning will have the time to go to Collins Radio. You can do that, after you and McCoy lay your hands on what is immediately available.»
«Aye, aye, sir,» Dillon said.
«I think the thing for us to do,» Pickering said, «is to chew over what we've decided. We've made a lot of decisions here today, and we're going to have to change some of them, I'm sure. I think we should get together again tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow. I presume we can find a secure room out there?»
«Absolutely,» the DDO said. «The day after tomorrow. Better yet, Wednesday afternoon. Say about five?»
«Wednesday at five it is,» Pickering said, getting to his feet. «Unless someone has anything else?»
«Sir?» McCoy said.
«Okay, Ken, what?»
«Sir, Zimmerman thinks it would be safe for him to accompany one of the caravans to Ulaanbaatar.»
«How would he pass himself off as a Chinese, or a Mongolian?» the DDO asked.
«He wouldn't, sir. He said there are a lot of Russians and some Germans and some other people in the area. Stateless persons. Some with Nansen passports, some without. He thinks he could do it if he grew a beard and had a Nansen passport.»
«That could be arranged,» the DDO said thoughtfully. «I presume Sergeant Zimmerman speaks Russian?»
«No, sir, German.»
«You do, too, don't you, Ken?» Pickering asked.
«Not as fluently as the gunny, sir.»
Was that modesty speaking? Or was I trying to get out of going into Mongolia with a Nansen passport?
«I think it would be a mistake to send someone in this early in the game,» the DDO said. «But down the pike, it might be necessary and valuable. I'll check into the passports. Do you and Sergeant Zimmerman have civilian clothing, Captain?»
«I have a few things,» McCoy said. «I'm sure Zimmerman doesn't.»
«No, sir,» Zimmerman said.
«I think we should put that on our things to do list, too,» the DDO said. «Civilian clothing suitable for here. I'll ask our specialists about clothing for northern China, but I suspect you could probably buy that easier there.»
«Why civilian clothing?» Pickering asked.
«You heard what he said. Nansen passports and beards. Don't you think that Captain McCoy and Sergeant Zimmerman would attract attention in uniform as they were growing beards?»
Well, that was decided in a goddamn hurry, wasn't it
? McCoy asked himself.
If Zimmerman playing camel driver is a good idea, sending me with him is an even better idea
.
«I'll want to think a long time about sending either of them into China with a camel caravan,» Pickering said. «In civilian clothing, they could be shot as spies.»
«Yes, they could,» the DDO said matter-of-factly. «That's the rules of the game we play here.»
The implication
, McCoy thought,
is that he's surprised and disappointed that General Pickering would say something dumb like that. And it was dumb
.
Pickering's temper flared.
«I'm sure that both Captain McCoy and Gunny Zimmerman are well aware of the rules,» he said icily. «But I think you had better clearly understand that before I ask—operative word 'ask'—them, or anyone else, to risk getting shot as a spy, I intend to be convinced that it is absolutely necessary. I don't think this is a game.»
The two men locked eyes for a moment, then the DDO walked over to Gunny Zimmerman and offered him his hand.
«Thank you, Sergeant,» he said. «For the first time since I heard about this operation, I don't feel we're just spinning our wheels.»
«Yes, sir,» Zimmerman said.
The DDO then turned to McCoy and opened his mouth as if to speak. But instead he changed his mind and walked out of the room.
note 42
Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff G-1
Headquarters, United States Marine Corps
Eighth and I Streets, NW
Washington, D.C.
0905 9 March 1943
Technical Sergeant K. L. Carruthers, Chief Clerk of the Enlisted Personnel Division, entered the office of Lieutenant Colonel Richard B. Warren, USMCR, Deputy Assistant G-1 for Enlisted Personnel, and announced that Brigadier General Pickering wished to see him.
«Who is he?» Colonel Warren thought aloud, and quickly checked into the telephone book of Headquarters, USMC, looking for the name. He didn't find it, which told him that General Pickering was not assigned to Headquarters, USMC.
When Colonel Warren glanced quizzically up at Sergeant Carruthers, the sergeant raised his hands in a gesture indicating he had no idea either.
«Colonel Jack (NMI) Stecker is with him,» Sergeant Carruthers offered. «And another brigadier general named Rickabee.»
Colonel Warren had heard that name, but he could not recall in what connection. colonel jack (nmi) stecker was an old friend. They had both been sergeant majors in the prewar Corps.
«Ask them to come in, please,» Colonel Warren said, and stood up behind his desk.
The ribbons on the chests of General Pickering and Colonel Stecker showed that they had both been around the Corps a long time, and had been in harm's way more than once. Colonel Warren noticed, however, that Jack Stecker was not wearing the blue-starred ribbon of the Medal of Honor. He wondered why he had never heard of General Pickering.
The other general did not have many ribbons. Colonel Warren decided he was probably another administrative officer of some kind. He looked like an administrative type. And he was carrying a battered briefcase.
«Good morning, gentlemen,» Colonel Warren said. «How can I be of service?»
«How are you, Dick?» Stecker said, offering his hand.
«Long time no see,» Warren said.
After introducing the others, Jack (NMI) Stecker said, «You're going to love this, Dick.»
General Rickabee opened the briefcase and came out with a service record jacket. He handed it to Colonel Warren.
«Those are the records of Technical Sergeant Harry Rutterman,» General Rickabee said.
«Yes, sir,» Colonel Warren said.
«We want to have him promoted to master gunner,» Rickabee said.
«I don't think I quite understand, sir,» Warren said. «Has the sergeant been recommended for promotion? I've got to tell you, the promotion board has been rejecting just about all recommendations for people who aren't master sergeants.»
«Well, I really don't care about any promotion board,» General Pickering said. «We need to pin master gunner's bars on Sergeant Rutterman right away.»