STACHIEP END
TOP SECRET
Colonel Graham handed the message back to Donovan and met his eyes.
"I still think that leaving who gives orders to who down there a little vague was the right thing to do," he said.
"You do?"
"And this proves it. If I told Frade that he took his orders from Delojo, he would not be on his way to take the airplane, and Ashton, and Ashton's team and the radar, into Argentina. He would be sitting with his thumb up his ass waiting for Delojo to think of some way to do the same thing in a manner that would absolutely guarantee that if something went wrong, he couldn't be held responsible."
"You must be angry, Alex. The only time you're vulgar is when you're angry."
"I don't like Delojo going over my head to you to complain about Frade."
"This may come as a big surprise to you, Alex, but neither did I," Donovan said, and went into his desk drawer again and came out with another message.
TOP SECRET
URGENT
PROM ORACLE WASHDC
MSG NO 2602 060B GREENWICH 16APR43
TO STACHIEF BUENOS AIRES
REFERENCE YOUR NO. 0007
REGRET COMMAND STRUCTURE AND MISSION PRIORITIES NOT MADE CLEAR. HIGHEST PRIORITY OF BUENOS AIRES STATION IS TO SUPPORT TEAM AGGIE. STACHIEF AGGIE AT HIS SOLE DISCRETION WILL DETERMINE STACHIEF BUENOS AIRES'S NEED TO KNOW DETAILS OF ANY MISSION.
INASMUCH AS STACHIEF AGGIE IS UNDER DIRECT, CONTROL OF ORACLE FURTHER COMMENTS FROM YOU
CONCERNING HIS ACTIVITIES ARE NOT DESIRED.
COPY TO STACHIEF AGGIE
DONOVAN END
TOP SECRET
"I don't think I quite understand," Graham said.
"That looks pretty clear to me," Donovan said. "That just went out. I wanted to have my reply to show you at the same time I showe
d you Delojo's message."
"You messaged Delojo to find out who Galahad and Cavalry are?" Dono-van nodded. "Isn't that my job?"
"I don't need your permission to message anybody," Donovan said. "But I don't-and you know I don't-if there's not a good reason. In this case, you were in Havana when I sent that to Delojo."
Graham considered that, nodded, and then asked, "And then you jump all over him for asking Frade?"
"I didn't tell him to ask Frade. I told him I wanted to know who they are. That's all. He-perfectly naturally, as far as I'm concerned; he does outrank Frade-misconstrued that into thinking he had authority over Frade. And when Frade told him no, he considered it insubordination. I had to straighten that out, Alex. You were wrong to be 'a little vague.'"
Graham didn't reply.
"I'm meeting you more than halfway, Alex," Donovan said. "I need Gala-had and Cavalry identified. Galahad in particular. I have to go to the President with Lindbergh."