“Right,” Howe said, as if remembering. “You’re the man with the new helicopters.”
“Yes, sir.”
Howe looked at McCoy for an explanation.
“General,” McCoy said, “those helicopters—and Major Donald and his people—have been assigned to us.”
Howe pursed his lips thoughtfully.
“Interesting,” he said. He looked at Donald. “How did that happen?”
Donald looked at McCoy, remembering what McCoy had said about telling anyone anything.
“You can tell General Howe, Donald. You can—and you’d better—answer anything and everything he asks.”
“Sir, at Kimpo, General Almond told me that, at the direction of General MacArthur, the helicopters and everyone associated with them were transferred to Major McCoy.”
“He said, ‘Transferred to Major McCoy’?”
“No, sir,” Donald said. “He said the CIA. And that someone would contact me with further orders. And then Major McCoy, and these other officers, came to Kimpo.”
“But he didn’t say ‘to Major McCoy’?”
“No, sir. I misspoke. General Almond said ‘to the CIA.’ ”
“Interesting,” Howe said. “I wonder what General MacArthur had in mind. You know anything about this, Ken? Dunston?”
Dunston said, “No, sir.”
McCoy said, “Not a hint, sir.”
“I presume by now, Major,” Howe said to Donald, “that you have received from Major McCoy, or Major Dunston, the speech about what happens to people who talk too much?”
“Yes, sir, I have.”
The Korean woman came back into the room with two crystal whiskey glasses of beer. Howe took one and raised it to Donald.
“Well, in that case, Major, welcome to the CIA and Mc-Coy’s private army.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
Howe and Master Sergeant Charley Rogers exchanged glances, and both thought just about the same thing: Good. McCoy has no idea that it was arranged by Major General Ralph Howe, NGUS.
“Can you use these aircraft, Ken?” Howe asked. “Have you given that any thought?”
“We already have, General,” Zimmerman said happily. “We made a very successful raid on supply depots at Inchon in them.”
McCoy flashed him a dirty look.
“And then we went looking for Pickering,” McCoy said.
“Oh? How did that go?”
“We didn’t find him, or any sign of him, but if we had had these helos just a week ago, I think we’d have him back. They’re going to be very useful. I’ve already got some other ideas. Actually, sir, that’s what we were about to get into when you came in. We just got back.”
“I’d like to sit in on that,” Howe said. “But before you get started, two important things. I’ve got to get a message off. General Almond told me MacArthur ordered him to reembark X Corps ‘as soon as possible after Eighth Army makes it up the peninsula to Seoul.’ He wants to land them on the East Coast, probably at Wonsan, and cut off the North Korean retreat northward.” He paused. “I want to make sure the President knows about that.”
“Sir, wouldn’t General Pickering have heard about that, and sent that intel?”
“I don’t know if he knows, Ken, and it’s better not to assume that he does. I presume you know he’s on his way to Washington?”
“No, sir, I didn’t,” McCoy said, and looked at Dunston, who shook his head no.
“Give Charley time to get that message off, and for the both of us to have a shower, and then we can talk about how you’re planning to use the helicopters.”
“Yes, sir,” McCoy said.
Everyone was sitting around the table waiting for Master Sergeant Rogers to finish his shower when the Korean woman who was in charge of the radio room came in and handed McCoy a sheet of typewriter paper.
He read it, then slid it across the table to General Howe.
“From Billy Dunn,” he explained to the others. “No sign, either visual or from aerial photographs, of our wanderer.”
“Which does not mean he’s not out there, right?” Howe said.
“No, sir, it doesn’t.”
“And, from what you’ve seen, these helicopters MacArthur gave you are going to be useful in getting him back?”
"Absolutely, sir.”
Master Sergeant Rogers came into the room.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, but I thought that was important enough to wait for an acknowledgment.”
“And you got one?” Howe asked.
“Keller must have been sitting on his radio,” Rogers said. “He acknowledged, told us to Hold One, and then sent, ‘I have acknowledgment from Camp Pendleton.’ ”
“Good man, Charley,” Howe said. “And I’m sure Colonel Banning will make sure General Pickering sees