of Japanese militarism. Not waiting to be called, this group went forward to meet the enemy, prepared to sacrifice themselves, if need be, in order that the democracies might gain precious time, that freedom might live, and that countless other lives might be saved.
The record already made by the American Volunteer Group in aerial combat against the Japanese is one of which every American may be proud.
You may have heard that the American Volunteer Group has adopted as its emblem a Flying Tiger. The figure chosen was designed by Walt Disney Studios and shows a winged tiger leaping out of a Victory V. It is worn as a lapel insignia by your son and his comrades, and also appears in color on the fuselages of their planes. I have the honor to send, herewith, a gold replica of this insignia, as well as a gold miniature of the Order of the Cloud Banner.
As Foreign Minister of the Republic of China, I want to express to you on behalf of my countrymen and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek personally the sense of honor that is ours that your son has allied himself with the Chinese people in the cause of freedom. Like Lafayette in America, these gallant young men will ever be gratefully enshrined in the memory of the Chinese people.
Very truly yours,
TV Soong
T. V. Soong
Minister for Foreign Affairs
5
THE ST. REGIS HOTEL
NEW YORK CITY
APRIL 7, 1942
Colonel William J. Donovan, in white silk pajamas, was propped up against the headboard of the double bed when Captain Peter Douglass and Richard Canidy were shown into his room.
“Good morning,” Donovan said, offering his hand. Douglass took it first, and then Canidy.
“Nice to see you again, Canidy,” Donovan said. “Has Captain Douglass told you what’s wrong with me?”
“Yes, Sir,” Canidy said.
“And the medicine? Rat poison?”
“Yes, Sir,” Canidy said, and grinned.
“It’s enough to drive a man to drink,” Donovan joked. “And it has.” He gestured at a bottle of Pinch Bottle Haig & Haig on his bedside table. “I used to be, almost, a teetotaler.”
Donovan waited for the chuckle he expected, then went on.
“I consider this affair of MacArthur’s letter to the President important,” he said. “Which is why I asked you to come up here and tell me exactly what happened.”
“Yes, Sir,” they said, almost in unison.
“So let’s start at the beginning,” Donovan said. “You first, I guess, Peter, but I want you to feel free to interrupt, Dick, whenever you think it’s necessary.”
“Well, after I spoke with you, Colonel,” Douglass said, “I called Alameda Naval Air Station. An old shipmate is in command, and he knew about Whittaker’s return. He was traveling on orders signed by MacArthur’s G-2, General Willoughby, which directed him to personally deliver to the President ‘certain secret documents’ placed in his possession. The last leg of his journey to the United States was, as I suspected, from Pearl Harbor to Alameda on that Catalina courier plane service the Navy operates.”
Douglass hesitated. “You said ‘exactly what happened,’ Colonel. Captain Whittaker was dead drunk on arrival.”
Donovan smiled. “He do anything wrong?”
“His priority bumped a naval officer,” Douglass said. “The senior officer of those who didn’t get bumped felt it his duty to report Whittaker. The first thing Whittaker did on arrival was make a telephone call. I don’t know to whom.”
“He told me he called Mrs. Whittaker,” Canidy furnished.
“Just the one telephone call?” Donovan asked.
“Yes, Sir, I think so.”
“His orders,” Douglass went on, “were brought to the attention of the air station commander, my friend, who called around and found the next available space, military space, was on a B-25 being flown to Washington by a Brigadier General Jacobs. He arranged to have Jacobs diverted to Alameda. Shortly after Jacobs picked Whittaker up, I called out there.”
“And what does Jacobs know, other than Whittaker had a high priority?” Donovan asked.
“Just that, Sir,” Douglass said. “Nothing about the letter. I then arranged to keep tabs on the flight as it came across the country. When it was due at Bolling, Canidy, Ellis, and I were there to meet it. I stayed in the car, and Canidy went to the plane to meet him. Dick?”
“There was a colonel there who said he was from the Office of the Chief of Staff,” Canidy said. “He knew about the letter.”
“The word was probably sent from Hawaii,” Donovan thought aloud. “Or perhaps even from Australia.”
“Well, this colonel knew about it, Sir,” Canidy said. “And he told Whittaker he had come for him and the letter. I then showed him