The Assassination Option (Clandestine Operations 2)

“Who?” Ashton interrupted.

“Pyotr Vasileevich Fedotov, chief of counterintelligence. He purged the NKGB of everyone about whose loyalty he had the slightest doubt. Rahil certainly was someone at whom he looked carefully.

“Now, if she was purged, we have to presume that Fedotov learned of her relationship with me.”

“Even if she was not purged, General,” Mannberg said.

“Even if she was not purged,” Gehlen agreed, “it is logical to presume that Fedotov knows of our past relationship.”

“Which was?” Polo asked.

“We got Russian Zionists out of Schutzstaffel concentration camps for her, and in turn she performed certain services for Abwehr Ost. I doubt that Rahil told Fedotov the exact nature of our relationship, certainly not during the war, or even in any postwar interrogations, if she was purged. But we have to presume he knows there was a relationship.

“What I’m leading up to here is that even before the NKGB found us at Kloster Grünau, they suspected we were in American hands, under American protection, in other words . . .”

“I think they knew that was your intention, General,” Mannberg said. “To place us under American protection. All they had to do was find out where we were. And I believe von Plat and Boss gave them both. We don’t know when either von Plat or Boss were turned.”

“Who are they?” Ashton asked.

“We’re getting off the subject,” Gehlen said.

“Who are you talking about?” Ashton pursued.

“Polo, are you sure you want to go there?” Cronley asked.

Ashton nodded.

Cronley looked at Gehlen.

“Jim,” Ashton said, “you don’t need General Gehlen’s permission to answer any question I put to you.”

Cronley shrugged.

“Oberstleutnant Gunther von Plat and Major Kurt Boss of Abwehr Ost surrendered to the OSS when the general did,” Cronley replied. “Boss was SS, a dedicated Nazi. Von Plat was Wehrmacht. We were just about to load Boss on a plane for Buenos Aires when Cletus and Father Welner turned Polkóvnik Likharev. Likharev told Cletus these were the guys who’d given him the rosters he had when Tedworth caught him sneaking out of Kloster Grünau. Clete told us.”

“Where are these guys now?” Ashton asked.

“No one seems to know,” Cronley said.

“You mean they got away? Or that you took them out?”

Cronley didn’t reply.

“Polo, the next time Cronley asks you if you want to go somewhere, why don’t you turn off your automatic mouth and think carefully before you say yes?” Schultz asked.

Well, that’s interesting, Cronley thought. El Jefe just told Polo to shut up.

Told. Not politely suggested.

And Polo took it. He looked as if he was about to say something, but then changed his mind.

And that suggests that Cletus sent El Jefe here to do more than help Polo get on and off the airplane.

And that raises the question what did El Jefe do for Clete in Argentina?

Once El Jefe got the SIGABA set up, it could have been maintained by some kid fresh from the ASA school. But El Jefe stayed in Argentina.

And was directly commissioned.