AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"He left a map for you." The map showed that the house was to be surrounded by a double barbed-wire fence. The guard battalion was to be placed between the inner and the outer barrier. There was a note on the map: "For self-evident reasons of security, it is not anticipated that the guard force will have any reason to enter the interior perimeter."
"Did you show Colonel Innes this?" Canidy asked. "It's classified Secret, Sir," the lieutenant said.
"I didn't think I should."
"Where is he?"
"There's a-I don't know what to call it, Sir-a great big room, down the corridor."
"Let's go deal with him. They told you, I suppose, that you would be here a while?"
"For as long as you need me, Sir," Lieutenant Jamison said. Canidy offered his hand. "You and I may grow old in this place, Lieutenant Jamison," Canicly said.
"With that in mind, you better stop calling me "Sir' so often. It's liable to go to my head. This, on the other hand, is Captain Whittaker.
He would prefer if you bowed to him a lot."
"Jim Whittaker, Jamison," Whittaker said, offering his hand. They followed Jamison down a corridor, then through tall double doors into what looked, Canidy thought, like a furnished roller-skating rink-a huge, high-ceilinged room with parquet floors and what looked like battle flags from the Wars of the Roses hanging from the walls. A plump, bald infantry lieutenant colonel, wearing an open-collared shirt, stood up when he saw Canidy.
That is not in respect, Canidy thought dryly, it is so he will look military when he returns my salute. "Good afternoon, Colonel," he said.
"My name is Canidy, I'm in charge here. May I see some identification, please?" It was not what the colonel expected. He produced an AGO card, and as Canidy was examining it he took from his shirt pocket a piece of paper and unfolded it. When Canidy handed him the AGO card back, the colonel gave him the sheet of paper. "Those are my orders," he said.
"Why didn't you give them to Lieutenant Jamison?" Canidy asked. "I was told to present myself to the commanding officer," the colonel said.
"For the future, Colonel, Lieutenant Jamison is my adjutant," Canidy said. "Captain Whittaker is my executive officer."
"I understand," the colonel said. "Jamison, give Colonel Innes the map," Canidy said. "Yes, Sir," Jamison said crisply. "I authorize you herewith, Colonel," Canidy said, it to make the contents of this map known to such officers, in the grade of captain or above, as you deem necessary. I would like your thoughts about the fences, together with an estimate of materials and construction time, by, say, zero eight hundred hours tomorrow. Can you do that?"
"Yes, Sir," the colonel said. That's what I was waiting for. Now I don't think you'll give me any trouble.
"When things get under control, Colonel," Canidy said, "perhaps you would join me for dinner. But right now there's a good bit to do, and precious little time to do it in, so I'll have to ask you to excuse me."
"I understand, Sir," Colonel Innes said. Canidy marched purposefully down the long hall and passed through a door, with Jamison on his heels.
"Where are you going?" Jamison asked when he stopped. "Damned if I know," Canidy confessed.
"I just thought a purposeful march seemed called for."
TWO I Headquarters Free French Forces London, England 130S Hours August 12, 1942 The deputy chief of the Deuxi&me Bureau of Free French Forces was responsible for the most delicate intelligence function: gathering information from allies. Because the consequences of discovery while conducting such operations were not pleasant to consider, these consequences had to be constantly kept in mind. Spying on one's friends, especially when one is drawing one's entire financial and logistical support from them, has a considerably different flavor from spying on the Boches. One can accept the loss of compromised agents to a German firing squad. It is quite another thing-quite impossible-to accept the penalties that would likely result from the compromise of a mission against one's allies. As he made his way to le General's office, the deputy chief of the Deuxi&me Bureau of Free French Forces went over these considerations in his mind. Under the circumstances, it would be appropriate to remind le General of the opqational limits his agents were forced to work under: In a "friendly" country they must not get caught. That imperative dominated any seeking of intelligence.
The deputy chief could tell from the look of le General's personal adjutant that le Gjn&al was already annoyed. He marched into le Gjn&al's office and saluted. "Mon Giniral-" he began. "Let's have the information I requested," le Giniral snapped. The deputy chief of the Deuxi@me Bureau handed le Giniral the report. Le Gjn&al went into his desk drawer, took his spectacles from it, and put them on. Normally, because le Gjn&al believed that eyeglasses detracted from correct military appearance, he wore them only in private. Normally, the deputy chief of the Deuxi@me Bureau would have been
dismissed and made to wait outside while le Giniral read the report in private.
Le GMIRAL, his round eyeglasses perched uneasily on his prominent nose, began to read:
5 hours 7 Augu@
OY the Naval Air Transport Command landed r the usual terminus of flights originating in Uriltoo to craft sto Ded some than taxiing the terminal the air PI from the terminal buildings. Two senior officers, the London of station of the American OSS and Oscar Zigler of SHAEF co un A chief terintelligence@ met the aircrafti TWO passengers debarked, a naval officer and an American lieutenant colonel, presumably Edmund T.
Stevens. the new number two man for the OSS in London. They entered an Austin Princess limousine assigned to the OSS and were driven to the Dorchester Hotel, accompanied by two umnarked American CIC cars.
The driver of a U.S. Army three-quarter-ton truck Plus a man in the uniform of a French Navy seaman, began unloading luggage and several wooden crates from the Navy aircraft Four American officers then debarked from the aircraft, entered two more Ford CIO oars, and tel were driven, with the truck following, to the Dorchester Ho Almost immediately, the aircraft was moved to a guarded hangar. It has been impossible to penetrate the rooms the OSS maintains in the Dorchester Hotel, because that entire wing of the eighth floor is being guarded by both the British (who have a man riding the elevators and another stationed in the fire escape stairs) and by the American Army's CIC@ It had been learned, however, that the largest of the three OSS suites had been reserved for an unidentified senior personage.
Air 5 The next morning it was determined that the American is a man named Canidy, who was in charge of the safe Vice-Admiral de Verbey was interned in the United "Merde!" said the commander in chief of Free French Forces and head of the French State. ""Confirm the identity'?
Who else do you think it could possibly be?" from our:
