“To free the people of South Vietnam from Communist oppression.” He recited the words like a State Department news release.
“And naturally it’s necessary to keep them living under a military dictatorship and to allow no free elections while this is going on,” I observed.
“That’s right. It is. In the end, our position will be justified.”
“The end justifies the means, hey? That has a familiar ring to it.”
“There’s no need for sarcasm, Mr. Victor. The United States has an obligation to see that the people of South Vietnam secure their freedom.”
“If there are any people left after we get through with our napalm and nausea gas.”
“Isn’t that something of an overstatement, Mr. Victor?”
“I suppose so. But I just can’t help feeling that if the Vietnamese had a few more friends like us, the Commies wouldn’t have to fight to take them over. They’d go running to them for protection from their American friends5 .”
Putnam looked at me for a long moment. “Perhaps,” he said very slowly, “you are not the man I need for this job after all, Mr. Victor.”
“Maybe I’m not. But if you’re saying that because you doubt my patriotism, you’re a damn fool. I may speak out against policies I disagree with, but I think I’ve proved my loyalty to my country. In the past, many men have spoken out against such policies out of that very loyalty.”
“That is quite true, Mr. Victor. I apologize. Your loyalty, as you point out, is unquestionable. In any case, the Vietnam situation is not at all involved with the mission I shall ask you to undertake.”
“Why me?” I Wanted to know. “You’ve got the whole CIA at your disposal. I’m not a trained spy.”
“But you have experience. That’s one reason. You are not known as one of our agents; that’s another. And, most important of all, your unique profession makes you of special value in this case.”
There it was. It was the same reason which had drawn Putnam to me that first time, back in Damascus. Let me explain.
I’m a sex investigator. I took my training with the Kinsey6 team back at the University of Indiana. Then I decided I wanted to travel and I hit on a gimmick-—-not ethical maybe, but damned convenient.
I formed O.R.G.Y.—the Organization for the Rational Guidance of Youth. I formed it strictly as a one-man foundation to finance myself, Steve Victor. This had two advantages. First of all, any money I got my hands on was tax-free. Second of all, my foundation was in a position to apply for and receive grants from other foundations for research purposes.
Don’t get the wrong idea. This part of my operation was pretty legitimate. For instance, I’d been in the mid-East doing a survey of Arab sex customs when Putnam had first latched onto me. Nor had I faked that survey. I personally investigated every brothel, bordello, harem, red-light district and willing Arabian girl I could find. That was my job. I liked my work.
For reasons I shan’t go into here, it had been necessary for Putnam to make use of my entry into such places and to utilize me as an agent. Now it seemed the necessity had once more come up. Even as I argued, I was resigned to cooperating with him. I’d spoken the truth before. I’m not a flag-waver, but I am a patriotic American. If my country needed me, I was at her service. So now I settled back to listen while Putnam told me what was wanted.
“Do you know Victoria Winters?” he began.
“Oh, yes, I know the lady.” But not as well as I’d like to, I added to myself bitterly.
“That’s right, you worked together before. Then you know she’s a member of British Intelligence.”
“Yes.”
“Your job is to find her.”
“What do you mean find her? She’s right here in Tokyo. Probably shacking up with the whole CIA by now.”
“My, I had no idea you were such a bluenose, Mr. Victor. One would have thought your line of work would make you more tolerant of people’s foibles. You are referring, of course, to her brief affair with Alan Foster. That ended, of necessity, when she was called back to duty by our British allies.”
“I hope you found a replacement for Foster,” I said sarcastically.
“This is no jesting matter, Mr. Victor. Mr. Foster has been assigned by the CIA to help the British in tracking down Miss Winters. However, he is working on another aspect of the case. You see, the CIA doesn’t have the information I possess. Nor do I wish them to have it. Even so, it is possible that your path may cross with Foster’s. If that should happen, I trust you will not let personal animosities interfere with your duties.”
“I won’t,” I said morosely. “That big ape is too damn handy with the karate.”
“Good. Now, the point is that in the performance of her duties, Miss Winters has dropped from sight. The British believe her to be in the Orient. The CIA is likewise acting on that assumption. However, I have received reliable information which points to her having been in Miami. And a portion of this information points to her leaving there for Cuba.”
“So why not alert the CIA boys in Cuba? There’s more of them there than there are Cubans, anyway.”
“Not quite.” Putnam allowed himself a dry smile. It was like the sudden crack which appears in an iceberg when the sea beneath it shifts. “Anyway, for reasons I shan’t go into, our CIA agents there would not be helpful in this case. These are the same reasons why the British assigned a girl rather than a man to this project.”
“Then again, why me? I’m not a girl, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Because of your legitimate occupation, Mr. Victor. We need someone who can penetrate the vice-world and whose reasons for doing so will stand up as legitimate.”
“Why did the British assign a woman?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you that. Only that it was necessary.”
“Well, what was her assignment?”
“To locate a certain man, a former Nazi, a scientist. To obtain a formula he has created if possible. At the very least to notify her people of this man’s whereabouts.”
“What’s the man’s name?”
“We don’t know that.”
“And what is the formula for?”
“We’re not sure. Possibly a liquid poison. Possibly a pill. Possibly a gas. Possibly even a special type of bullet. We’re not sure.”
“What does it do? What effect does it have?”
“That I shan’t tell you, Mr. Victor. In the first place, it might hinder your usefulness. In the second place, if you don’t have the information, you can’t be tortured into divulging it by enemy agents. In the third place,” he added frankly, “if I told you, it’s possible that you might refuse to help us.”
“I wouldn’t do that no matter what it was,” I said, never dreaming that the day would come when I might wish I’d eaten those words and turned Putnam down flat. “Anyway, this is quite an assignment you’re giving me. I’m supposed to locate a man I’ve never seen, whose name I don’t know. I’m supposed to latch onto the formula for an invention that might be anything from a Mickey Finn to a bomb. And to top it you won’t even tell me what the damn thing does. How will I know if I’m even getting close?”
“We don’t want you to get close, Mr. Victor. And you misunderstand what I’m asking of you. It is not your assignment to find the scientist, or the invention. Just to locate Miss Winters, provide her whatever assistance she needs, and put her back in contact with us. Above all, you are not to risk any chance of becoming a victim of this diabolical invention, whatever form it takes.” His voice was as grave as his face.
“And just how am I supposed to go about finding Vickie?”
“Let’s start with certain facts which I am able to tell you. When Miss Winters was assigned to this case, the British had information indicating that this German scientist was hiding out in Egypt. Subsequently, they received a tip that the Red Chinese were going to try to kidnap him—and his formula along with him, of course. They passed this tip on to Vickie Winters, who was by then in Cairo. Shortly after that, she disappeared. So now the British and our CIA are scouring both the Middle East and the Orient for her.”