The Last Heroes (Men at War 1)

‘‘Christ, we’re getting old,’’ Donovan said.

‘‘She wants to be a foreign service officer,’’ Chesty said. ‘‘The old-boy network is fighting tooth and claw, of course. But they couldn’t keep her from a job as a lawyer. She was on the Law Review. A very determined young woman. She’ll wind up, I wouldn’t be surprised, as Secretary of State.’’

‘‘We can work out something about her, I’m sure,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Which brings us to you.’’

‘‘What does that mean?’’

‘‘I’d like for you to come work with me, Chesty,’’ Donovan said.

‘‘Doing what?’’

‘‘What do you know about intelligence?’’

‘‘Spying, finding out troop movements, order of battle, and that sort of thing, I guess. Other than that, absolutely nothing.’’

‘‘There’s more to intelligence than spying and military intelligence,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘I think of what we’re doing as strategic intelligence.’’

‘‘Bill, I really don’t know what you’re talking about,’’ Chesty Whittaker confessed.

‘‘Military intelligence is concerned with things of interest to the military. Navy intelligence concerns itself with the enemy’s naval capabilities. The Army is interested in the capabilities and weaknesses of the enemy ground and air forces. Strategic intelligence is concerned with the enemy’s overall intentions and capabilities.’’

‘‘Wouldn’t that be, for lack of a better term, ‘diplomatic’ intelligence?’’

‘‘State Department intelligence should deal with diplomatic intelligence,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Strategic intelligence is the whole picture. Do you understand?’’

‘‘I don’t really know,’’ Chesty Whittaker confessed.

‘‘My function, Chesty,’’ Donovan said, and then stopped. ‘‘Christ, that was a regal ‘my,’ wasn’t it? You know, I sort of like that thought. Anyway, the function of the organization I’m setting up . . . and it’s still in the formative stage . . . is to have a group of really knowledgeable people sift through all the intelligence gathered. I want them to see what this stuff means vis-à-vis the total conduct of the war without having to get caught up in the individual needs of the armed forces and the State Department. To boil it down in other words, for Roosevelt. Franklin does not want an Army or Navy picture, he wants a total picture of what’s going on in the world. He wants to know what’s likely to happen, who’s doing it, why they’re doing it, and what we should do in return.’’

‘‘Oh,’’ Whittaker said.

‘‘And the reverse,’’ Donovan said.

‘‘I don’t understand.’’

‘‘When a strategic decision has been made, we need to be able to decide how it can best be accomplished—economically, quickly, considering available assets and the overall requirements for those assets. Who gets the shipping tonnage, for example, to what part of the world.’’

‘‘OK,’’ Whittaker said, understanding.

‘‘And finally, Chesty, we’re going to be responsible for dirty tricks

. If we can buy some German general, we’re going to buy him.’’

‘‘Espionage, you mean.’’

‘‘Including espionage. There’s more to it than that.’’

‘‘Where are you going to get the people to do that sort of thing?’’

‘‘From all over. The people who are now looking at the big picture are known, somewhat irreverently, as the Twelve Disciples. Actually, so far there are only ten. I’d like you to be the eleventh.’’

‘‘I’m flattered, Bill,’’ Whittaker said.

‘‘You’ll work your ass off, and I’ll pay you a dollar a year,’’ Donovan said.

‘‘Did your ‘Twelve Disciples’ know what was going to happen this morning?’’ Chesty Whittaker asked.

Donovan ignored the question.