Fosterwood nodded. “The car is at your disposal during your visit.”
“Thank you.”
“And, now, with your permission, I will leave you to get settled. I suspect my general needs me. He usually does.”
“Did you expect this, mi coronel?” Lunsford asked. “The Red Carpet?”
“Not quite this way.”
“Those guys at the airport were spooks,” Lunsford said.
“They’re called the SIDE. Felter told me that.”
“And who was the Air Force guy at the airport?”
“He said that this was an Air Force post, whatever the hell that means, and that he had been sent by the Air Force, correction, defense attaché, to take us to our quarters, and then to report to him.”
“I wonder how he knew we were coming,” Lunsford said. “Report to him?”
Lowell nodded. “I told him to go fuck himself.”
Lunsford laughed. “No, you didn’t.”
“I told him to tell his boss that I hoped he could find time in his schedule for me to pay a courtesy call on him.”
“And this invitation to play polo?”
Lowell shrugged helplessly.
[ SIX ]
Office of the Defense Attaché
United States Embassy
Sarmiento 663
Buenos Aires, Argentina
1325 3 January 1965
“You wanted to see me, Colonel?” Colonel Richard J. Harris, Jr., USA, inquired of Colonel Robert McGrory, USAF, from the latter’s doorway.
“Come in, Colonel,” McGrory said.
“Hello, Charley,” Harris said to Major Charles A. Daley, USAF, who was standing at a position pretty close to attention in front of McGrory’s desk.
“Sir,” Major Daley replied.
“Major, would you please repeat for Colonel Harris’s edification what transpired when you were at Ezeiza this morning?”
“Yes, sir,” Major Daley said.
“Those officers weren’t on the plane?” Harris asked.
“Colonel, please be good enough to allow the major to give his after-action report,” Colonel McGrory said.
“Sorry,” Harris said.
“Sir, I went to the reception area of Ezeiza with a sign with ‘Lieutenant Colonel Lowell’ written on it. About the very first people to come off the airplane—through the doors from Immigration—were a tall white man and a Negro. They were with a man I believe was from SIDE. The white man—”
“Why do you think they were from SIDE, Charley?” Harris interrupted.
“Sir, I believe I have seen the man before, and later, when they left the airport, there were two of the cars, those little Falcons SIDE uses?”
“Yeah,” Harris said.
“I suggest, Colonel, that the major’s report could be more expeditiously completed if you could refrain from interrupting him.”
“Sorry,” Harris repeated.
“As I was saying, sir, one of the gentlemen with the man I believe was from SIDE came up to me and said he was Colonel Lowell. I told him who I was, and what I wanted.”
“He delivered the message, Colonel,” McGrory said, “that as soon as they were in their quarters he was to report to me.”
“And?”
“Sir, Colonel Lowell said that I was to tell Colonel McGrory that he hoped Colonel McGrory could find time for him to pay a courtesy call while he was in Argentina, and that he was sorry I wasted my time going to the airport.”
“To make things crystal clear to the colonel, Major,” McGrory said, “did you make it absolutely clear to Lieutenant Colonel Lowell that it was an order to report to me, not a request?”
“Yes, sir. I made that perfectly clear, sir.”
“Is that clear to you, Colonel?”
“Crystal clear, Colonel. Instead of reporting to you, Colonel Lowell replied that he hoped you would find time for him to pay you a courtesy call.”
In other words, he told Charley to tell you to go fuck yourself. I like this guy already.
“I intend to make a full report of this,” Colonel McGrory said. “It’s disobedience to an order, clear and simple.”
“And then these two people left the airport? With the man from SIDE?” Harris asked.
“Yes, sir. As I said before, there were three cars parked illegally in the taxi area, two Falcons and a Buick. Colonel Lowell, and the Negro man. . . .”
“I think we can safely presume, don’t you, Charley, that the Negro man is Major Lunsford?” Harris asked.
“Yes, sir, I think we could do that.”
“Go on, Charley,” Harris said.
“Yes, sir. Colonel Lowell and Major Lunsford got in the Buick, and it drove off, with one of the Falcons following it.”
“You have any idea where they went?” Harris asked.
“Are you telling me, Colonel, that you don’t know where they are?” Colonel McGrory asked.
“I haven’t the faintest idea where they are, Colonel.”
“That better be the truth, Colonel. If I find out later—”
“The truth is, Colonel, that I deferred to your announcement that it was the business of the defense attaché to meet these officers, and