“Better bring one of the northwest, too,” McCoy said.
McCoy took a healthy sip from his coffee cup and then stood up as Vandenburg laid a map of northeast Korea on the table and anchored it in place with whiskey glasses.
“The first Chinese I talked to were captured here,” McCoy said, using his finger as a pointer, “southeast of the Chosin Reservoir. The positions he gave me of ChiCom forces here, and here, and here, all checked out.”
“Interesting,” Vandenburg said.
“One of the reasons I came here was to get confirmation to General Pickering as soon as I could,” McCoy said.
“And the other reason—reasons?”
“I thought if you had turned up the same sort of intel, it probably should go in the same report,” McCoy said. “I have the feeling there are only two senior people who don’t think I’m a nutcase on the loose. Pickering and Almond.”
“Almond believes you?” Vandenburg asked.
McCoy nodded. Then he asked, “Have you got anything that would back me up?”
“A hell of a lot of rumors and unconfirmed sightings, but nothing solid, I’m afraid. Just before you came in, I got a report that the 24th Division—they’re on the west coast, past Chongju, almost to the Yalu—has taken some Chinese prisoners, but it was too late for me to go up there today. I’m going to go at first light.”
“I have to send my report tonight,” McCoy said.
Vandenburg nodded his understanding.
“The colonel with the hat was captured here,” McCoy said, pointing again at the map, “thirty miles east of the eastern shore of the Chosin Reservoir. Same scenario as before, except this guy was wearing an officer’s uniform, and I didn’t have to ‘discover’ that he was an officer. But he said and did the same things. The Chinese are coming in with overwhelming force, which they intend to use when X Corps is stretched out making a dash for the border. And he gave me troop dispositions. I hope I can check those out tonight, but I’m going to be very surprised if they don’t check out.”
“If they do, that would support your idea that they’re sending us a message, right?”
“I think it would,” McCoy said. “What the hell else could it mean?”
The housekeeper came into the dining room carrying a plate of roast pork, rice, and gravy.
“I should be noble and ignore that,” McCoy said, “and go upstairs and send the report. But I’m hungry, and I don’t want to climb all those goddamn stairs.”
“I’ll get a typewriter,” Vandenburg said. “You can dictate it to me while you eat.” He saw the look on McCoy’s face. “I’m actually a very good typist. I used to be a CIC agent; a typewriter to a CIC agent is like a rifle to a Marine. ”
“I wasn’t asking—”
“I know, Killer,” Vandenburg said, and walked out of the dining room.
“Well, Major McCoy,” Vandenburg said, handing McCoy the sheets of paper he had just pulled from the typewriter, “can this old soldier type, or can he type?”
McCoy took the papers and read them.
TOP SECRET
OPERATIONAL IMMEDIATE
SEOUL >>ENTER TIME DATE HERE
EYES ONLY BRIG GEN FLEMING PICKERING
TOKYO
1. REFERENCE MY MESSAGE FROM FISHBASE 30 OCTOBER 1950: QUESTIONING OF THREE EXFILTRATED STAY-BEHIND TEAMS THIS DATE CONFIRMED IN EVERY SIGNIFICANT DETAIL THE CHICOM TROOP DISPOSITIONS FURNISHED THE UNDERSIGNED BY CHICOM PRISONERS YESTERDAY.
2. ADDITIONALLY, ONE OF THE TEAMS CAPTURED CHICOM CAPTAIN WON SON HI, WHO WAS EXFILTRATED WITH THEM AND INTERROGATED BY THE UNDERSIGNED. DESPITE CONSIDERABLE PRESSURE HE REFUSED TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HIS UNIT, ORDERS, OR ANYTHING ELSE. HOWEVER, HIS IDENTITY DOCUMENTS AND A LETTER FROM HIS MOTHER, CAPTURED WITH HIM, ESTABLISHED THAT HIS UNIT WAS THE 2077TH RECONNAISSANCE COMPANY, 42D FIELD ARMY. AT THE TIME OF HIS CAPTURE HI AND THREE NONCOMS WERE RECONNOITERING CREST OF HILL LINE WHERE TEAM HAD BEEN INSERTED. NONCOMS DIED IN ENGAGEMENT.
3. REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT ONE OF THE FOUR TEAMS INSERTED WAS APPARENTLY DISCOVERED BY CHICOM FORCES, AND MUST BE CONSIDERED MISSING IN ACTION, POSSIBLY CAPTURED, BUT PROBABLY KIA. CREW OF EXTRACTION AIRCRAFT REPORTED SIGNS OF HEAVY ENGAGEMENT, AND WERE THEMSELVES DRIVEN FROM AREA BY SMALL ARMS FIRE. ZIMMERMAN IS SENDING SEPARATELY FROM FISHBASE NAMES OF THOSE LOST AND OTHER DETAILS.
4. AT APPROXIMATELY 1400 HOURS THIS DATE, UNDERSIGNED INTERROGATED TWO CHICOM OFFICER PRISONERS, LIEUTENANT COLONEL KEY HOW AND CAPTAIN LEE SOU, CAPTURED BY ROK 502D INFANTRY IN VICINITY OF KUDONG, APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES EAST OF EASTERN SHORE OF CHOSIN RESERVOIR. EXCEPT THAT THESE OFFICERS MADE NO EFFORT TO CONCEAL