Latham and Witkowski exchanged glances. The colonel nodded at Drew.
"That won't work, sir," said Latham. What
"To begin with, there isn't time, and then we don't know who the President will confer with, but we do know there are ncos in the Quai d'Orsay, possibly in the President's inner circle. We don't even know who we can call for help, or who be might call."
"Are you suggesting that we take action ourselves, American Embassy personnel in a foreign country? If so, you've lost your senses, Drew."
"Mr. Ambassador, if there's anything to learn in that chateaus any records, papers, telephone numbers, names, we can't take the chance of their being destroyed. Forget Bergeron for the moment, if that place is a sanctuary or a refuge, there's got to be more than beer and sausages and Horst Wessel songs. We're not talking just about France here, we're talking about all of Europe and the United
"I understand that, but we can't take unilateral American action in a host country!"
"If Claude Moreau were alive, the situation would be different," interrupted Witkowski.
"He could and would accept the mantle of a French covert operation in the interests of France. Our FBI accepts that kind of thing all the time!"
"Moreau's not alive, Colonel."
"I realize that, sir, but there may be a way." Witkowski turned to Latham.
"This Franqois you just spoke to, he owes you, doesn't he?"
"Get off it Stosh, I won't'involve him."
"I don't know why not. You just made a pretty good case for serious diplomatic interference, serious enough to have an ambassador replaced."
"What's your point?" said Drew, staring at the colonel.
"The Deuxi&me works with the Service d'Etrangerthat's the French foreign service, Mr. Ambassador-and their lines of authority frequently cross, not unlike our CIA and FBI and DIA. That's understandable, isn't it?"
"Go ahead, Colonel."
"Both the blessing and the curse of all intelligence bureaucracies is the confusion that results from these conflicts-"
"What the hell is your point, Stanley?"
"Simple, cb1opak. Have this Franqois call someone he knows pretty well at the Etranger and repeat, say, half the story he told you."
"Which half?"
"That he suddenly remembered that Bergeron, who everybody's looking for, sent him with some old file to that chateau in the Loire.
That's all he has to say."
"Why wouldn't he give the information to his own people at the [email protected]?"
"Because no one's in charge. Moreau was killed yesterday, Bergeron disappeared a few hours ago, and he doesn't know whom to trust."
"Then what?"
"I'll take care of the rest," replied Witkowski softly.
"I beg your pardon?" said Courtland.
"Well, sit, there are always things a man in your position can legitimately deny because he didn't know about them."
"Tell me about it," interrupted the ambassador.
"It seems I spend considerable time learning about those things I'm not supposed to know about. What can you tell me now that will still support my deniability?"
"Very innocuous, sit. I have friends, let's say professional colleagues, at the higher levels of the Etranger. There could have been times when American criminals, say members of organized crime or drug barons were in France, and we've kept better track of them than they have.. .. I've been generous with our information."
"That's about as oblique as you can get, Colonel."
"Thank you, Mr. Ambassador."
"To repeat," said an agitated Latham, "what's your point?"
"As long as the information comes from a French Intelligence source, I can move in. The Frenchies will jump at it, and we'll have whatever support personnel we might need in an emergency.
Above all, we'll have the secrecy that's vital because we have to move quickly."
"How can you be sure of these things, Colonel?"
"Because, sir, we in the clandestine services love, to propagate the myth of our. invincibility. We especially' like it if we come up with astonishing results when nobody knew we were there. It's idiosyncratic, Mr. Ambassador, and in this case, that works in our favor. You see, we're on top of the information, we orchestrate, and the French take all the credit. It's heaven-sent."
"I'm not sure I understood a word you've said."
"You're not supposed to, sit," said the veteran G-2 officer.
"What about me?" asked De Vries.
"I'll be with you, of course."
"Yes, you will, my dear." Witkowski smiled gently, glancing at Drew.
"We'll study the area charts-the Etranger has every square foot of France mapped-and find some high ground within sight of the chateau. You'll be on the radio."
"That's nonsense. I deserve to be with you."
"Don't be unfair, Karin," said Latham.
"You've been hurt and no amount of painkillers can bring you up to a hundred percent. In plain words,