"Yes, it would," Darby said, simply.
"I'll call the foreign minister right now," the ambassador said. "Before I call Washington."
"I think that's a good idea, sir," Lowery said.
"Alex, why don't you stop by Jack's house? Tell him that everything that can be done is being done? And that he's in my prayers?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'll call him myself just as soon as I get off the phone-I may even go out there-but…"
"I understand, Mr. Ambassador," Darby said.
"I don't think it needs to be said, does it, that I want to know of any development right away? No matter what the hour?" [SIX] "Reynolds," the man answering the telephone announced.
"This is the Southern Cone desk?" Ambassador Silvio asked.
There was a more formal title, of course, for that section of the State Department charged with diplomatic affairs in the republics of Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina, but "Southern Cone" fit to describe the three nations at the southern tip of South America and was commonly used.
"Yes, it is. Who is this, please?"
"My name is Silvio. I'm the ambassador in Buenos Aires."
"How may I be of service, Mr. Ambassador?" Reynolds inquired. His voice sounded considerably more interested than it had been when he answered the telephone.
"I want you to prepare a memorandum of this call for the secretary of state. If she is available, get it to her now. I want her to have it, in any event, first thing in the morning. Is that going to pose any problems for you?"
"None at all, Mr. Ambassador."
"We have strong reason to believe that Mrs. Elizabeth Masterson, the wife of my chief of mission, J. Winslow Masterson, was kidnapped at approximately eight P.M., Buenos Aires time. Beyond that, little is known."
"My recorder is on, Mr. Ambassador," Reynolds interrupted. "I should have told you. Would you like me to turn it off and erase what it has?"
"No. A recording should help you prepare the memorandum."
"Yes, sir, it will. Thank you, sir."
"The federal police are aware of the situation," Silvio went on. "So it must be presumed that the minister of the interior and the foreign minister have been told. However, when-just now-I attempted to telephone the foreign minister to inform him officially, he was not available. His office told me they will have him call me as soon as he is available, but that I should not expect this to happen until tomorrow morning.
"I interpret this to mean that he does not feel he should discuss the situation with me until he learns more about it and/or discusses it with the President.
"All of my staff concerned with intelligence and legal matters are aware of the situation. Their consensus, with which I am in agreement, is that there is not presently enough intelligence to form a reasonable opinion as to motive. In other words, we do not know enough at this time to think that this is, or is not, a terrorist act, or that it is, or is not, an ordinary kidnapping, or may have some political implications.
"Mr. Kenneth Lowery, my security chief, has been directed to compile a report of what we know to this point, and that will be sent to Washington by satburst almost certainly within the hour.
"I will furnish the department either by telephone or by satburst with whatever information is developed as soon as it comes to me.
"I have spoken with Ambassador McGrory in Montevideo. He is presently determining if any of the FBI agents attached to his embassy have experience with kidnappings, etcetera, and if any of them do, he will immediately send them here."
He paused, then said, "I think that covers everything. Unless you can think of anything, Mr. Reynolds?"
"No, sir, Mr. Ambassador. I think you have everything in there. I'll get this to the secretary as soon as possible."
"In that connection, Mr. Reynolds, while I have no objection to an appropriate dissemination of what I'm reporting, I want your memorandum of this call to go directly to the secretary. You understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes, sir. Directly to the secretary. Not through channels."
"Thank you, Mr. Reynolds."