On one hand, Delojo reasoned, if he messaged Oracle about the missing sergeant, it might make the point that he was staying on top of the situation in Buenos Aires. But on the other hand, doing so raised two potential areas of dif-ficulty. Frade was responsible for reporting on his own men. After that unnec-essarily curt message from Donovan about his role with respect to Frade, it might appear that he was trying to put his nose in somewhere it wasn't wel-come. Furthermore, if he did inform the OSS that the sergeant was missing, he would be expected to reveal the source of his information, Leibermann. Direc-tor Donovan had told him personally that he was to have as little to do with the FBI as possible-preferably nothing.
It was near six a.m. when Commander Delojo reached the Bank of Boston Building. Just before he entered it, he decided that the most prudent course of action was to find out as much about the coup d'‚tat as possible-if that's really what it was-and to see if he could learn anything about the missing sergeant, but not to message Oracle unless he had facts to report.
As Delojo entered the narrow corridor where his office was located, one of the cryptographic section's enlisted men was approaching from out of the corridor. He was a large, tall, corn-haired Iowa farm boy to whom Commander Delojo had been introduced-the Embassy Security Officer thought it a good idea for cryptographic clerks to be personally acquainted with officers authorized to dis-patch or receive TOP SECRET material-but he could not at the moment recall his name.
"Morning, Commander," the sergeant said. "I was just looking for you."
"Is that so?"
"Poop from the group for you," the sergeant said, extending a clipboard to Delojo. "Just came in. If you'll sign that, please?"
Commander Delojo held the opinion that the U.S. Army did not instill in its enlisted men a proper respect for commissioned officers-enlisted Army per-sonnel were, if anything, worse than their Marine counterparts-but he did not think this the place or the time to have a word with the sergeant about his infor-mality.
He took the clipboard and signed for Message 3002, TOP SECRET NO COPIES, handed the clipboard back, and reached for the message's envelope.
"What the hell's going on outside, Commander?"
"I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn the Argentines are stag-ing a coup d'‚tat," Delojo said.
"No shit? Against who?"
That did it. The next time I see the cryptographic officer I will have a word with him about this young man.
"By definition, Sergeant, a coup d'‚tat is made against the existing head of state. Here that would be President Castillo."
Commander Delojo carried the envelope to his office, closed and locked the door after him, then tore open the envelope.
URGENT TOP SECRET NOT TO BE COPIED
FROM ORACLE WASHDC
MSG NO 3002
DIR 0050 GREENWICH 19 APRIL 1943
TO STACHEBP AGGIE
STACHIEP BUENOS AIRES
ADDRESSEE WILL REPLY QUICKEST MEANS GIVING TIMERECEIPT THIS MESSAGE
RELIABLE INTELLIGENCE GIVES ETA GROCERYSTORE TWO MOUTH RIVER PLATE 1600 GREENWICH 20 APRIL 1943.
DETERMINE AND ADVISE QUICKEST MEANS:
A. LOCATION AGGIE.
B. LOCATION TEX AND PARROT AND OPERATIONAL STATUS OP PARROT.
C. LOCATION SNOOPY AND TEAM AND EQUIPMENT AND OPERATIONAL STATUS EQUIPMENT.
4. QUERY SOURCE GALAHAD POSSIBLE REASON SPECIAL INTEREST AT HIGHEST LEVELS BERLIN IN SECURITY OF QUOTE REPATRIATION PLAN MATERIEL ENDQUOTE POSSIBLY ABOARD GROCERYSTORE TWO.
5. WHOEVER ESTABLISHES FIRST CONTACT WITH AGGIE WILL RELAY FOLLOWING: PRESIDENT DESIRES EARLIEST POSSIBLE IDENTIFICATION AND MOTIVATION OF GALAHAD.
DONOVAN END
TOP SECRET NOT TO BE COPIED