The staff sergeant walked like a robot to the front hall and pulled the rope. There came a low and heavy sound of a bell, and a butler dressed in a traditional cotton shirt opened the door.
“These gentlemen just came from Saigon,” said the staff sergeant. “They are here to see the general.”
The butler bowed politely and stepped aside. The civilian took a long look at the luxurious interior decor, then walked over to a sofa and sat down. The uniform stood in one corner in a posture of parade rest. The general came down the stairs in his bathrobe. The civilian got up slowly and spoke with a smile on his face.
“It’s been a long time since we last met, sir.”
They shook hands.
“And what brings you here?”
At the general’s question, the civilian scanned the living room once more. “A very nice place you’re living in, sir.”
Noticing that the general’s glance was riveted on the uniformed man standing in the corner, the civilian spoke to the uniform.
“Why don’t you come over here and have a seat?”
Only then did the uniform salute the general.
“As I understand it, Colonel, your unit is in Hoi An, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir. But I’ve been assigned to escort the Cabinet member here.”
The butler brought in morning coffee.
“Has some emergency arisen?” asked the general, raising his cup.
“We have a big problem. Recently the National Liberation Front issued a statement, and its content appeared in a few newspapers in Saigon. The statement, issued in the name of Immi Allero, chairman of the People’s Autonomy Movement in the highlands of Quang Nam Province, criticizes the recent operations in the districts of Ha Thanh and An Hoa.”
The general began to raise his voice. “That’s no more than typical enemy propaganda, isn’t it?”
“The problem is, sir, that the commanding officers in the area gave out arbitrary orders to massacre the Katu, one of the highland tribes.”
At those words from the civilian, the general finally got to his feet and started pacing about the room.
“You mean to tell me you’ve come here with a local problem like that? Does the military council have a shortage of work to do?”
“Sir, no need to get excited, please. The military council had discussed this problem in the presence of His Excellency, the President, as well as the vice-president. We’ve reached the conclusion that this is something that must be handled quietly within the council. The reason I came here is to take care of that problem, sir. Independence Palace had received several different kinds of grievances concerning the enterprises conducted by the government office of Quang Nam Province. His Excellency the President himself understands you, sir.
“It’s been several days since I arrived here. I’ve investigated the points raised in the complaint letters and also checked the validity of the enemy propaganda concerning the operations in An Hoa. As for the deployment of materials for the phoenix hamlets project and the cinnamon operations. . they can be settled within the council, but we have determined that the massacre of the Katu tribe must be handled publicly. Of course, you, sir, will not bear responsibility for anything. Your successor will have to deal with all the aftermath.”
The general seemed somewhat relieved, and he lit his pipe and sat down on a chair again.
“What do you mean successor… are you telling me I should resign from the provincial governorship?”
“You’ve been requested to join the Cabinet, sir. Except, just until the situation is quietly settled down, take a six-month trip abroad, please.”
“When am I to leave?”
“Leave for Saigon today, sir. Until the successor arrives, I’ll stay at the provincial office and try to take care of things there. And. .”
He signaled with his eyes to the uniform sitting next to him. “A man named Pham Quyen is your chief adjutant, isn’t he, sir? It’s inevitable that he be punished.”
As he spoke he took out several documents. “This is an indictment filed by Lieutenant Colonel Quia, a battalion commander who previously was in charge of Second Division operations in Ha Thanh. He sent this to the military council and to Independence Palace. And this other document is a report on the phoenix hamlets project submitted by the late Colonel Cao, the former police superintendent in Da Nang. Based on these documents we’ll be able to sort out the persons to be punished. We were hoping that you’d give us a little of your time and cooperate with the colonel, sir.”
The general agreed wholeheartedly. “I understand. Shall we to go to my study together?”
“On this visit, I’ve become deeply interested in cinnamon, sir,” said the civilian.
“Central Vietnam has been famous for its cinnamon crop from the old days,” said the general quite nonchalantly as he headed up the stairs. “That’s something His Excellency, the President himself, is very much aware of.”
When the Governor entered into the office of the chief adjutant a little later than his usual office hours, Major Pham and a private were the only ones on duty in the office. Lieutenant Kiem’s desk was vacant. As the two men stood to attention and saluted, the general walked quietly into the governor’s office. Of the two men who’d followed him in, the one in civilian dress spoke bluntly to Pham Quyen in a low form of speech. “You, are you Major Pham Quyen?”
“That’s right, but. .”
Abruptly, the uniformed man standing next to the civilian slapped Pham Quyen in the face. “Speak like a soldier.”
Pham Quyen knew very well who the man without any rank insignia was. In spite of himself, Pham Quyen stretched up into an erect posture.
“Take this bastard in at once,” said the civilian.
“Where’s Kiem?” asked the uniform as he snapped handcuffs on Major Pham’s wrists.
“He’s not in yet, sir,” answered the private on duty.
“Arrest everyone involved and search their houses thoroughly,” said the civilian.
As soon as he was pushed out into the corridor, Pham Quyen saw the officers from the security department of Da Nang district standing there. They thrust Pham Quyen into a covered Jeep. He still knew nothing of Pham Minh’s death, neither was there any way for him to know that Lieutenant Kiem had set out for Atwat and was long gone.
The forklifts were lifting up boxes and piling them neatly on the crane cradle. When the limited space was filled, the naval crane lifted the loads of cargo up high and then lowered them down into the open hold beneath the ship’s deck. One load of cargo that had been lifted up to the level of the vessel’s deck suddenly tilted to one side, dropping a few crates onto the ground. There was the deafening sound of a whistle. The stevedores stopped their work. The boxes of coarse plywood had broken apart when they fell, and the contents were strewn all over on the concrete.
Several owners of the boxes rushed forward in a fluster. Without uttering a complaint, they ran here and there after their scattered articles and gathered them up. Left over C-ration tins, saved-up paper sacks of powdered milk, cartons of cigarettes, American military uniforms and jungle boots, and occasional electrical appliances with labels like Sony, Akai, National, Sanyo, Sharp, or Hitachi.
Meanwhile, on the square out in front of the pier, the soldiers about to depart for home were receiving an inspection of their equipment in preparation for the departure ceremony. There were prominent officials from the city administration of Da Nang, military officers. A big contingent of middle school girls wearing white ahozai and broad-brimmed hats, waving bouquets of flowers and the national flags of the two countries was sure to appear on the scene. The military band would strike up the national anthems of both countries as well as of the other allies, and innumerable photos would be snapped from every conceivable angle.