Part 7 The Assassination Option - 🍇GrapeNovel.com

Part 7

Five minutes or so later, General Greene concluded the telling by saying, "I'm sure that you can understand, Major, since compromise of Operation Ost would not only be detrimental to the interests of the United States but would embarra.s.s the highest officials of our government, why it behooves all of us to exert our maximum efforts to make sure it is not compromised."

"Yes, sir, I certainly can," Major Derwin said.

"And why any officer who does anything, even inadvertently, that causes any such compromise might as well put his head between his knees and kiss his a.s.s goodbye? Because, even if his court-martial doesn't sentence him to spend twenty years polishing the linoleum in the solitary confinement wing of the Leavenworth Disciplinary Barracks, his military career is over."

"I understand, sir," Major Derwin said.

"I really hope you do," General Greene said. "We will now get into your duties with regard to the Pullach compound and Operation Ost. They can be summed up succinctly. They are invisible to you, unless it comes to your attention that someone is showing an unusual interest in them. If that happens, you will bring this immediately to the attention of Colonel Mattingly or myself. Or, of course, and preferably, to Captain Cronley or Captain Dunwiddie. You understand that?"

"Yes, sir."

"Any questions, Major?"

"Just one, sir."

"It is?"

"May I ask about Captain Cronley, sir?"

"What about Captain Cronley?"

"Sir, as I mentioned, two months ago, less, I saw him at Holabird as a second lieutenant-"

"If you are asking how did he become a captain so quickly, Major, I can tell you it was a reward for something he did."

"May I ask what, sir?"

"No," General Greene said. "But I can tell you-although his promotion order is cla.s.sified Secret-that the promotion authority was 'Verbal Order of the President.'"

"Yes, sir."

"Unless you have something for Major Derwin, Colonel Mattingly?"

"No, sir."

"Then what I am going to do now, Major Derwin, is have the sergeant major put you in a car and send you over to see Major McClung. He will get you settled in quarters and then show you where you should begin your duties as inspector general."

"Yes, sir."

"That will be all, Major. You are dismissed."

[THREE].

The I.G. Farben Building Frankfurt am Main American Zone of Occupation, Germany 1225 29 December 1945 It took Captains Cronley and Dunwiddie and General Gehlen five minutes to get from General Greene's office to the "back door" of the huge building, which until the completion of the Pentagon in January 1943 had been the largest office building in the world.

The office of the chief, Counterintelligence Corps, European Command, was in the front of the extreme left wing (of six wings) in the curved five-story structure. The "back door" was in Sub-Level One between Wing Three and Wing Four.

First they had to walk down a long corridor to the connecting pa.s.sageway between the wings.

There, Cronley and Dunwiddie had to "sign out" at a desk manned by two natty sergeants of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, which was charged with both the internal and the external security of the building. The paratroopers wore white pistol belts, holsters, and spare magazine holders, and the white lacings in their glistening boots once had been parachute shroud lines.

The senior of the paratroop sergeants remembered that when the shabby Kraut civilian had pa.s.sed in through their portal with General Walter Bedell Smith's entourage, he had wisely not demanded that any of them sign in, or that he be permitted to examine the contents of the briefcases the Kraut and General Smith's aide-de-camp were carrying.

As a consequence, the sergeant not only pa.s.sed General Gehlen out without examining the contents of his ancient and battered briefcase, but also gave him a pink slip, as he had given one to Cronley and Dunwiddie, which would permit them to exit the building.

Then the trio walked down the long corridor that connects the wings to the center, where they got on what most inhabitants of the Farben Building called the "dumbwaiter." Technically it was known as a "paternoster lift." It was a chain of open compartments, each large enough for two people, that moved slowly and continuously in a circle from Sub-Level Two to Floor Five. Pa.s.sengers stepped into one of the compartments and rode it until they reached the desired floor, and then stepped off.

Cronley, Dunwiddie, and Gehlen got on the dumbwaiter and were carried down to Sub-Level One, where they got off.

Here there was another paratroop-manned checkpoint. The sergeant in charge here accepted the pink slips they had been given, but signaled to General Gehlen that he wanted to inspect his briefcase.

"Herr Schultz is with me, Sergeant," Cronley said, showing the sergeant the leather folder holding the ID card and badge that identified him as a special agent of the Counterintelligence Corps. "That won't be necessary."

The sergeant considered that a moment, and then said, "Yes, sir," and motioned that Gehlen could leave the building. He did so, and Cronley followed him.

They were now in a narrow, below-ground-level, open-to-the-sky pa.s.sageway.

There were three Packard Clippers parked against the wall. The "back door" to the Farben Building was also, so to speak, the VIP entrance. The Packards were the staff cars of Generals Eisenhower, Smith, and Lucius D. Clay, the military governor of the U.S. Occupied Zones. The Packards were, not surprisingly, highly polished.

There was also what had begun its military service as an ambulance, a three-quarter-ton 44. It was not polished, and the red crosses that had once been painted on the sides and roof had been painted over. Stenciled in white paint on the left of its b.u.mpers was the legend 711 MKRC-which indicated that the vehicle was a.s.signed to the-nonexistent-711th Quartermaster Mess Kit Repair Company-and on the right, the numeral 7, which signified that it was the seventh vehicle of its kind a.s.signed to the 711th.

There were three paratroopers, one of them a sergeant, standing by the right front fender of the former ambulance, arguing with an enormous Negro soldier, a sergeant, who was leaning against the fender, his arms crossed over his chest. Even leaning against the fender, the sergeant towered over the paratroopers.

When the sergeant saw Cronley and the others approaching, he came to attention and saluted. Cronley returned the salute and asked, "Is there some problem?"

"You know about this vehicle, Captain?" the paratroop sergeant asked.

"Didn't they teach you it is customary for sergeants to salute officers before addressing them, Sergeant?"

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," the paratroop sergeant said, and saluted. Cronley returned it.

"Herr Schultz, if you'll get in the back with Captain Dunwiddie?" Cronley said, and then turned to the paratroop sergeant. "Is there a problem with this vehicle?"

"Sir, only the general's cars are allowed to park here."

"There are exceptions to every rule, Sergeant," Cronley said, and produced his CIC credentials. "In this case-it's an intelligence matter-I ordered the sergeant to wait here for me until I could bring Herr Schultz out. We didn't want him standing around where he could be seen. Weren't you here when General Smith pa.s.sed him into the building?"

"Yes, sir."

"You did the right thing to question the vehicle, Sergeant."

"Thank you, sir."

"Carry on, Sergeant," Cronley ordered crisply. Then he turned to the black sergeant. "Well, Sergeant Phillips, what do you say we get out of here?"

"Yes, sir," Sergeant Phillips said. He got behind the wheel and Cronley got in the front seat beside him.

When they were rolling, Cronley said, "Those CIC credentials do come in handy, don't they?"

"Enjoy them while you can," Dunwiddie said. "I think we're about to lose them."

"I will bring up the subject of keeping them-and getting some more for some of your guys-to General Greene when there's an opportunity. I didn't want to do that when Mattingly was there-he can probably come up with a dozen reasons to take them away from us."

"I don't suppose it's occurred to you that making nice to Colonel Mattingly would be a good idea."

"I thought about that."

"And?"

"Mattingly is never going to forgive me for me, not him, being named chief, DCI-Europe," Cronley replied, "even though I had nothing to do with it. Or forgive you, Captain Dunwiddie, for those new bars on your epaulets."

"Speaking of which," Sergeant Phillips said, "they look real good on you, Tiny. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Tom," Dunwiddie said.

"Who's going to be the new Top Kick? Tedworth?" Phillips asked.

"Who else?" Dunwiddie said.

"General, can you tell me what General Smith wanted with you?"

"Of course," Gehlen said. "Two things. Once it was determined he had the right Captain Cronley-the Army one, not a naval officer-he asked if I 'was comfortable' with you being named chief, DCI-Europe. I a.s.sured him I was. And then he handed me this to give to you."

He handed Cronley a business-sized envelope. Cronley's name and the legend "By Officer Courier" was on it. When he opened it, he saw that it contained a second envelope. This one was addressed: CAPTAIN JAMES D. CRONLEY JR.

CHIEF, DCI-EUROPE.

C/O GENERAL WALTER B. SMITH.

SUPREME HEADQUARTERS, EUROPEAN COMMAND.

BY OFFICER COURIER.

He tore the second envelope open and read the letter it contained.