“He decided (a) that this was a bad idea since von Dietelburg and Burgdorf would be killed in prison long before any trial, (b) that his duty was to the President and his orders that the Nazis be tried, then hanged, and (c) the only way Cronley could ensure that those orders were carried out was to personally deliver the Nazis to the Tribunal’s cells in Nuremberg.
“He had the means to do so—specifically, two German Fieseler Storch aircraft, which he had spared from the Air Force’s ordered destruction. He needed these illegal aircraft to fly into Austria, Italy, France, and elsewhere while Nazi hunting. Justice Jackson agreed with Cronley’s argument and arranged for the airplanes to be stored in a guarded hangar at Nuremberg.
“After seeing Burgdorf and von Dietelburg behind Tribunal bars, Cronley and company were put on ice at Cletus Frade’s Argentina estancia while Oscar Shultz plied the Austrians with money to make the criminal charges associated with the capture go away.”
Waldron paused and glanced around the room.
“I will now turn to the escape itself,” he continued, then stopped and looked at Serov, and said, “There are those, General—frankly, including me—who believe that you were up to your eyeballs in said escape. Would you care to comment, sir?”
Serov, stone-faced, said, “I absolutely and categorically deny any connection with the escape of those scum from the Tribunal Prison—”
“Bullshit,” Cronley blurted. “Come on, Ivan!”
Serov locked eyes with Cronley. After a minute, he said, somewhat casually, “But, hypothetically speaking, I can imagine a situation where a senior NKGB officer with a certain influence over the Államvédelmi Osztálya might enlist the services of the AVO in getting those two godless sons of bitches out of the Tribunal Prison so that they might be interrogated.”
Waldron’s eyebrows went up. “Why wouldn’t your so-called hypothetical NKGB general just go to the Tribunal Prison and interrogate them there?”
“He would be concerned that Mr. Justice Jackson might disapprove of his interrogation techniques.”
“And—hypothetically speaking, of course—once the AVO had Burgdorf and von Dietelburg in hand, did they learn what they wanted to know? And what, exactly, did they want to know?”
Serov nodded. “They wan
ted the location of Odessa’s funds, estimated to be at least between fifty and one hundred million dollars, and almost certainly more. These are the funds von Dietelburg and Burgdorf intend to use to nurture the heretical religion started by Himmler.”
“And did the AVO learn where these funds were being held?”
“Unfortunately, no. Both von Dietelburg and Burgdorf were perfectly willing to die as martyrs to their faith. Frankly, one has to admire their dedication.”
“They were killed?”
“No. At this point, I became involved. As you know, James and I were also looking into the matter, and I had learned where those funds were being kept.”
“And where was that?”
“To coin a phrase, they were ‘hidden in plain sight.’ In the Vatican Bank.”
“No shit?” Janice said, then added, “Pardon my French. That’s some story.”
“Which, Janice, we will discuss,” Cronley said. “As I just told the colonel here, we have an understanding.”
Janice gave him the finger.
Waldron shook his head. “Would you be surprised if many people, including me, would find that hard—in fact impossible—to believe?”
“I’m a former NKGB officer, Colonel, nothing surprises me, including the proclivity of many senior officials to disbelieve what is uncomfortable for them to accept. But, like it or not, that’s where the funds of the Nazi religion are, in the Vatican Bank.”
“It’s true,” Cronley said.
Waldron looked at him. “You’re in on this, too?”
“Up to my ears.” He then gestured toward the foot of his bed. “And my bloody clothing. That’s why Odessa hit the DCI safe house.”
“I don’t suppose you have any proof to substantiate this notion?”
Serov picked up the briefcase from the floor and handed it to Waldron.
“There’s two million dollars and change in various currencies in there, Colonel. We took it away this morning from an archbishop who, acting for Cardinal von Hassburger, was in the process of delivering it to Odessa. We have reason to believe there are far more illicit funds—well over a hundred million—being held by the Vatican.”