Lieutenant Hideyori Niigata, the signals officer, had been summoned in case he might be needed. He was waiting outside Tange's office, sitting on a wooden bench once used by citizens of the Commonwealth of the Philippines seeking audience with the Provincial Governor.
It went without saying that the outrage had to be dealt with immediately and with the greatest severity. The question was how, and with what degree of severity.
Major Ieyasu Matsudaira believed the action to be taken was self-evident. One senior Japanese officer, Major Shimabara Hara, and nineteen other ranks, had been murdered. Therefore, five Filipino males from the surrounding area should be hung in retribution for Major Shimabara's murder-a five-to-one ratio-and thirty-eight Filipinos-a two-to-one ratio-hung in retribution for the other deaths. The arrests should be made today, Major Ieyasu argued, the arrestees interrogated overnight, and the executions carried out first thing in the morning.
Captain Saikaku disagreed with Major Ieyasu, and did so with less tact than Ieyasu expected. Neither Saikaku's disagreement, nor his lack of tact, sur-prised Lieutenant Colonel Tange.
"It is the policy of the Emperor," Saikaku pontificated,"that we enlist the support of the people here by incorporating them into the Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. Hanging forty-odd innocent Filipinos is not the way to do that."
"Nineteen of His Majesty's soldiers have been murdered, including a sen-ior officer who was a dear friend," Ieyasu snapped. "That cannot go unpun-ished. Moreover, the attack itself challenges our authority here, and that cannot be tolerated."
"If we had the people who did this, I would put the rope around their necks myself. I would do so in the square here, with the people watching. But we don't have the people who did this-"
"We know who they are," Ieyasu interrupted. "This so-called 'U.S. Forces in the Philippines.' "
"No, Sir, we don't know that," Saikaku responded. "That is one possibil-ity."
"And the others?"
"Simple bandits. Mindanao has a long history of banditry."
"We found U.S. Army cartridge cases all over the site, for U.S. Army rifles and submachine guns."
"Which proves nothing. Before we liberated these islands, bandits-many of them members of the Moro tribe-frequently attacked U.S. and Filipino Army units, robbed them, and made off with their weapons. What I am saying is that the execution of forty-odd Filipinos on the questionable premise that they aided U.S. Forces in the Philippines would both unnecessarily antagonize the Filipino population and would lend credence to the idea that U.S. Forces in the Philippines is in fact a military force which threatens us. We don't want that to happen."
"What makes you so sure U.S. Forces in the Philippines is not 'a military force which threatens us'?" Ieyasu demanded.
"Well, for one thing," Saikaku said, "we have been reading all their com-munications traffic with the Americans in Australia. They keep asking for sup-plies, including such basic items as radios and radio codes; and Australia keeps replying that their requests are being considered."
"I personally found that interesting, Major Ieyasu," Colonel Tange said. "If this man Fertig-and especially if he were actually a general officer-was sent here, or was left behind when the Americans surrendered, it would seem logical that he would have been provided with both good radios and a crypto-graphic system."
"Exactly," Captain Saikaku said.
"Perhaps, Captain Saikaku," Major Ieyasu said sarcastically, "you would be good enough to tell us how you would recommend the Colonel deal with this matter?"
"I am sure the Colonel has already decided how to do that," Saikaku said smoothly.
"Let's hear what you have to say, Saikaku," Colonel Tange said.
"Sir, I would arrest all the able-bodied males within a five-mile area of the robbery site-"
"Robbery and murder site," Major Ieyasu interrupted.
"-robbery and murder site," Saikaku went on. "And subject them to intensive interrogation. A thorough and skillful interrogation, by which I mean there would be no evident marks on their bodies on their release."
"On their release? In other words, before we arrest them, you don't think a 'thorough and skillful interrogation' will come up with anything?"
"I doubt that it will, Major Ieyasu," Saikaku replied. "But I think we have to try. We may find some information, perhaps nothing useful now, but useful to us later. Then we release the prisoners. By arresting them, and then releasing them without serious physical harm, we will accomplish several things. First, we will establish our authority by the very act of arresting them. Second, they will learn-and may be counted on to pass on-just how uncomfortable a Kempeitai thorough and professional interrogation can be. And finally, by releasing them, we will prove that while we are firm, we are just."
"Very interesting," Colonel Tange said. "I wish to consider that at my leisure."
Everyone in the room understood that Colonel Tange's decision would look very much like what Captain Saikaku had suggested-either because that was what he had already come up with on his own, or because Saikaku's ideas seemed to be the best offered. But to make that announcement now would cause Major Ieyasu to lose face.
"You said Lieutenant Hideyori is outside, Captain Saikaku?" Colonel Tange went on. "Has he something to report?"
"No, Sir. I spoke with him at length before I came here. Should the Colo-nel desire, I am prepared to give a brief report on his failure. I ordered him to be here in case the Colonel, or Major Ieyasu, would like to talk with him person-ally."
"Let's have the brief report," Tange ordered.
"There have been fewer and fewer communications between Fertig and Australia. I alluded to this before. He asks for supplies; they reply that his re-quest is being considered, and give him a time for his next transmission. The time between such contacts seems to be growing longer.
"This, however, makes Lieutenant Hideyori's efforts to locate the trans-mitter much more difficult, as Fertig seems to be moving his transmitter after every exchange with Australia. He moves the transmitter within an area thirty miles wide east to west and seventy miles north to south, and always where there are few roads."
"In other words, he's no closer to finding the transmitter than ever?" Col-onel Tange asked.
"I regret that seems to be the case," Saikaku replied. "Shall I send for him, Colonel?"
"In your judgment, is he doing everything he should be doing?"
"Yes, Sir. He is."
"Then there's really no point in wasting my time talking to him, is there?"
"I would not think so, Sir."
"Thank you, gentlemen, that will be all," Colonel Tange said. "Major Ieyasu, would you please stay behind?"
[TWO]
Rocky Fields Farm
Bernardsville, New Jersey
1615 Hours 25 October 1942
Miss Ernestine Sage stepped out of her bathroom stark naked, in the process of toweling her hair, having decided it made sense to bathe now, while her father and Ken McCoy were trying to fit in an hour or so of hunting before supper, rather than before she went to bed.
As soon as dinner was over, she intended to announce that she was tired, they all had a busy day tomorrow, and why didn't everybody go to bed?