were four Marines, in addition to Captain McCoy, and eight South Korean national policemen.”
“How interesting,” the admiral said.
“With which Captain McCoy and Lieutenant Taylor plan, just as soon as they can, to occupy Taemuui-do and Yonghung-do Islands, and thus deny the North Koreans a platform from which to fire upon vessels navigating the Flying Fish Channel.”
“You know the plan calls for the neutralization of those islands on D Minus One?”
“Yes, I do.”
“You got them to change their minds about that?”
“No, sir. They do not know about this operation.”
“Ah!” Admiral Sir William Matthews said.
“And what about the lighthouse?” Captain Fitzwater asked.
“On the night of 13-14 September,” Taylor said. “Presuming we can take Taemuui-do and Yonghung-do without attracting too much North Korean attention, we’ll take that, too.”
“And why is it, if I may ask, you don’t want this operation of yours to come to the attention of the fools in the Dai-Ichi Building?”
“Because I know they would object to it,” Pickering said. “Probably forbid me to go on with it.”
“They almost certainly would object, and object rather strenuously, for the very good reason that it makes a bloody hell of a lot more sense than what they’re proposing. Your intention is to present them with a fait accompli ?”
“Yes, it is.”
“How can I help without—how do I phrase this delicately? —without exposing my scrotum to the butcher’s ax on the chopping block to the degree you are?”
“Taylor,” Pickering said. “Tell the admiral what you need.”
“Two small boats, sir, lifeboats would do. Capable of carrying eight or ten men and their equipment. Preferably with an auxiliary engine—”
“No problem,” the admiral interrupted.
“—delivered as soon as possible as near as possible to Tokchok-kundo,” Taylor finished.
“Ah!” the admiral said.
He looked around for his drink, found it, took a sip, and then frowned.
“Fitz, when is Charity due to leave Sasebo?” he asked, finally.
“At first light on the sixteenth, sir.”
“Round figures, she should be able to make twenty knots easily; it’s about five hundred miles to Inchon. That would put her off the Flying Fish Channel lighthouse twenty-four hours later. At first light, and I don’t think Mr. Taylor wants to do this in the daylight.”
The admiral paused, and everyone waited for him to go on.
“Signal the yardmaster at Sasebo that (one) I should be seriously distressed to hear Charity didn’t make that at-first-light departure schedule, and (two) before she sails, he is to mount on her two ten-man open boats with functioning auxiliary engines—emphasize functioning—in such a manner that they may be launched quickly on the high seas.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And when he inquires, as he doubtless will, what in the hell is going on, as politely as you can, hint that I have been at the gin again, and you haven’t an idea what it’s all about.”
“Yes, sir.”
The admiral turned to Taylor.
“HMS Charity is a destroyer. Before she leaves Sasebo to return to her blockade duty in the Yellow Sea, I will have a private word with her captain—or Fitz will, he’s his brother-in-law and that might attract less attention—telling him, (one) that two Americans will board her as supercargo on the night of August fifteenth, for a purpose to be revealed to no one but him until after she is under way, and (two) that he is to authorized to make whatever speed is necessary to put Charity three miles off the Flying Fish Channel lighthouse not later than 0300 17 August, where he will put the boats and the Americans over the side.”
He paused again.
“This all presumes that nothing will go awry,” he went on, “as it almost certainly will. But it is the best I can do under the circumstances. Will that be satisfactory?”
“I don’t know how to thank you, Admiral,” Pickering said.
“One way would be to make sure that when Charity starts down the Flying Fish Channel on fifteen September, the lighthouse will be operating, and she will not come under artillery fire.”
XVIII
[ONE]
HANEDA AIRFIELD TOKYO, JAPAN 1530 15 AUGUST 1950
There were seven officers—the senior of them a captain— and eleven enlisted men—ranging in rank from technical sergeant to corporal—in USMC Platoon Aug9-2 (Provisional) . The platoon was the second of two that had been organized at the Replacement Battalion (Provisional) at Camp Joseph J. Pendleton, California, six days before, on August 9. All of the members of Aug9-2 were Marine reservists, involuntarily called to active duty by order of the President of the United States for the duration of the present conflict, plus six months, unless sooner released for the convenience of the government.