A Mighty Endeavor

Chapter Four INITIAL APPROACHES

With one part of his mind, Phillip Stuyvesant was thinking about strangling Igrat while the other was concentrating on what she was saying. It wasn’t her fault; she was simply doing her job by relating what Loki had said to her. The problem was, she was doing so in exactly the same intonations and rhythms that Loki used when speaking. So, if her normally husky tones were ignored, she sounded just like him. And when Phillip Stuyvesant heard Loki’s voice, he always wanted to strangle the speaker.

“The report contains details of a strategic plan conceived by Standartenführer Odwin Noth as an alternative to the invasion of Russia. The full details are contained within the report, but essentially Noth’s idea was to strike south of Russia. He envisaged an assault through Turkey into Iraq and then using that as a bridge into India. This would establish a front along the Caspian Sea. The Germans would then give arms and political support to the Indian Fascist Subhas Chandra Bose, thus establishing German influence over India. Then, the Germans would link up with Japanese forces in the East and then assist them in flushing out the French in Indochina. The Noth plan was to have this effort taking up to the end of 1943, at which point Japan will be poised to eliminate Australia. By then, Germany would have encircled the whole of the Soviet Union and made the Indian Ocean into a German one. At that point, they would invade Russia from all sides. Noth believed this would mean their victory was assured.” Igrat dropped the pitch and tones associated with Loki and returned to her own voice. “Loki says that he killed Noth and discredited both him and this plan.”

Stuyvesant picked up the report, noting the bloodstained cover as he did so, and started to flip through it. “This is insane. It’s a typical amateur plan, conceived by somebody who looks at an atlas and assumes moving his finger on the pages constitutes a viable concept. This Noth person has no idea of logistics or how to move armies around. He doesn’t seem to understand how terrain or transportation infrastructure affects the operations of armies. The German General Staff must have had kittens when they saw it. It’s exactly the sort of grandiose nonsense that would appeal to Hitler, but appall any professional strategist. Even the attack on Turkey would push German capability to its utmost. Achieving the rest? It just can’t be done. You say Loki put a stop to this?”

“He did; he killed Noth himself and ensured this plan was abandoned.”

“What a pity. If the Germans had gone with this, they’d have lost the war in two years at the outside.” Stuyvesant spun his chair around and stared out of the window for a few minutes. Igrat sat patiently watching him while he thought through the implications of what he had just read. “The whole strategic plan is a complete crock, but it does make a kind of crazy sense to the uninitiated. Suriyothai will be able to make good use of this; we’ll have to get it out to her.”

“You want me to go to Bangkok?” Igrat was hopeful since she enjoyed visiting the city. It gave her a chance to stock up on top-grade silk.

“No. I’ve got another trip for you; one that has to take place immediately. Delivering this plan to Suriyothai can wait until you get back, I’ll read it in full while you’re away. I haven’t had a really good laugh for a long time. Is this all Loki gave you? If it is, I’ll get Lillith to bill him for the trip. And for wasting your time.”

“He also gave me this.” Igrat handed over a massive file, one almost three inches of legal-sized paper thick. “He says it’s economic intelligence on German industrial plans and intentions. He’s assembled a ring of industry experts who put it together. He didn’t say where the intelligence had actually come from. He said what I didn’t know, I couldn’t tell.”

“Quite right.” Stuyvesant was flipping through the pages. As he did so, his whole attitude changed. He leaned forward in his seat and started reading the information in detail.

“It’s all right for you to say that. You won’t be there when somebody tries to beat information I don’t know out of me.”

“Uhh, yes. Of course, that’s fine.” Stuyvesant’s attention was rivetted on the information he was reading. “What did you say?”

“I said, can I have a new wardrobe for my next trip?” Igrat grinned and started thinking about the jewelry at Tiffanies. She had an affection for really large diamonds.

“Sure. See Lillith and get a cash float. This information is unbelievable. In every sense of the word. If it’s accurate, it fits right in to what we’ll be doing at the Economic Intelligence and Warfare Section. This will save us months of research and mean we’re working with what is really out there, not what we think German industry is like. We’ll have to check this against what we know, or rather what we think we know. And then we’ll have to get back to Loki to reconcile the differences. Is he still trying to seduce you by the way?”

“He is.” Igrat smiled a little sadly. “If he was interested in me for me, he might have a chance. But he isn’t. He only wants me because he thinks having me will hurt you.”

Stuyvesant and Igrat looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Nothing could have underlined how little Loki understood about the internal dynamics of the Washington circle so well as the idea that Igrat’s amorous exploits would do anything more than amuse her father.

“Iggie, I’ve got to ask you to go straight out again. To England. We’ve heard from Nell. The transatlantic telegram service is back in operation again, thank the Gods, and she needs help. I need you to go over there, find out at first hand what is going on and why. Then come back and tell me what they need.”

Stuyvesant got up and walked over to the door of his office. “Dido, could you find Lillith please and ask her to bring Igrat’s tickets in? Thanks, honey.”

“Why don’t you get an intercom box?” Igrat was curious. “They’re neat.”

“Don’t like them. Too much of a risk that one will get left on and broadcast what is going on in here to the world. And, sooner or later, somebody will find a way of turning the speaker on when it’s off, if you get my drift. Ahh, Lillith; another clipper ticket I see?”

“Phillip, in the last month we have spent over four thousand dollars on transatlantic air tickets alone. Allowing for our other expenses, we’ve got precious little change from ten thousand and the bills are still coming in. At this rate it would be cheaper to buy our own flying boat.”

“I’ve looked at that.” Stuyvesant sounded disappointed. “A Boeing 314 will cost us a million dollars. And that’s assuming we can get on to the production list. Pan-American have just ordered another batch of six and the Army Air Corps want a round dozen. Then there’s Boeing’s commitment to B17 production. Even if we put in the order now, we wouldn’t see the aircraft for at least three or four years. There are also rumors that a bigger and better flying boat is being built for Pan American. So, no private Clipper for us.”

“Well, Igrat will just have to swim across the Atlantic. I’ve looked at the map in my pocket diary and it doesn’t seem very far.”

“Spoken like a true disciple of Standartenführer Odwin Noth.” Lillith looked confused; Igrat and Stuyvesant burst out laughing again. “Lillith, give Igrat her ticket for the Dixie Clipper and then shoo both of you. I’ve got some reading to do.”

“We have received some intelligence from our sources in Saigon, Your Highness.” Lani entered the room and deposited the files on to Suriyothai’s desk. “They relate to a major change in policy with regard to French relations with us. Especially on border issues.”

Suriyothai looked at the documents that had arrived on her desk. The official Thai government position was that after the fall of France, the mandate of French authorities in Indo China had changed. The Foreign Office was hoping that the new government would have a friendlier attitude than their predecessors and that negotiations over border demarcation issues could be concluded.

Suriyothai’s personal agenda was quite different; a friendly, cooperative French government in IndoChina was the last thing she wanted to see. It wasn’t the first time she had found herself working against the official government of the country and she sadly reflected that it probably would not be the last.

She opened up the file and started to read the contents. It took all her self-control not to whoop with joy when she read the policy statement. It announced that effective immediately, the French authorities in IndoChina would be adopting a policy they called ‘dissuasion’. It expressly stated that if Thailand attempted to negotiate over outstanding border issues or complain about French military actions on border, French aircraft would overfly Thai territory and French artillery start to shell Thai border posts. There would be no negotiations over any issue connected with relations between Thailand and French IndoChina.

The change in policy couldn’t have suited Suriyothai more if she had written it herself. That made it all the more ironic that neither she nor anybody she knew had a hand in formulating it. What the French officials were thinking was quite beyond her. They had prepared a disaster for themselves.

And that was only one piece of the puzzle in place. The other was a second report on IndoChina. This one suggested that Japanese ambitions in the area were beginning to come to a boil. The problem was quite simple; with the capture of Longzhou, the highway joining French-controlled ports in IndoChina with the Chinese forces fighting the Japanese was closed. The problem, in Japanese eyes at least, was that the Yunnan–Vietnam Railway still permitted shipment of material from Haiphong to Kunming, despite repeated air strikes by the Japanese attempting to close it. More than 10,000 tons of military supplies a month were moving along that railway.

The Japanese wanted that supply line closed and they wanted bases and other facilities in French IndoChina. They were already putting heavy pressure on the French authorities to grant them use of airfields and ports in the colony. The official reason was the supplies reaching China, but Suriyothai knew there was more to it than that. French IndoChina would be a springboard for an assault on the rest of the region. The ultimate prize was the rubber resources of Malaya and the oil in the Dutch East Indies. She also knew that Thailand lay directly in the path of that assault.

“Lani, call the British Ambassador, Sir Josiah Crosby, and ask if I might have a meeting with him at his earliest convenience.”

“As you can see, Sir Josiah, this is a problem that must deeply concern my country. As a result of the French incursions into our territory in the latter part of the 19th century and their seizure of our territory as late as 1908, many Thai nationals live under French control. Given Japanese performance in China, we can only be deeply worried about their safety in the event of Japan taking control of French IndoChina.”

“I can quite understand that position, Madam Ambassador. Unfortunately, I am also in an invidious position. I have orders from the government in London that essentially tell me to do nothing and ensure that no action is taken that may involve Britain in any regional disputes. However, I doubt the legality of the government in London and have received no explanation of what is happening there. All I receive are blunt directives which show little understanding of the complexities in the situation out here. Now, I do report, eventually, to London but my line of authority runs first to the government in India and from there to London. I can honestly say there is no doubt about the bona fides of the Indian authorities and their instructions are that I should act as I see fit in defense of Indian interests. Frankly, I find that a much more agreeable set of instructions.

“Also, I share your concern about Japanese expansionism. Personally, if I were in your government’s position, I would hold that if Japan takes IndoChina under its control, Thailand should ask for the return of those parts of the area where the people are of Siamese ancestry.”

“Sadly, that is the problem, Sir Josiah. The French are making it very clear that they will entertain no negotiations with us on any issue. Indeed, they are making it clear that they wish no contact with us in any area. I have received reports that people attempting to trade across the border have been arrested by the French colonial police and severely beaten.”

Suriyothai shook her head sadly. The incidents she had mentioned were quite genuine and she had had nothing to do with planning or executing them. It’s very strange how the French IndoChina authorities are doing almost exactly what I want, unprompted by me. Do they have a death-wish or something?

“You must understand, Sir Josiah, that in these areas, family connections go back many generations, often to before the foundation of my country. It is family that matters there. Countries come and go, but the family is always there. So one part of the family trades with another regardless of where the border is or the names of the countries on either side of it. This French policy of ‘dissuasion’ strikes at the heart of social organization in the entire region. It is cruel.”

“I agree, Madam Ambassador. This policy seems hardly enlightened, but what can you do about it?” Sir Josiah sighed theatrically.

“Therein is the problem. The growing Japanese position in Indo-China is a threat to us all. Most of all, it is a threat to India. The Japanese need oil, rubber and all the other raw materials that this region can supply. They also have covetous eyes on India itself for its riches and its population. Most of all, they want the great naval base of Singapore. If they establish a secure base in Indo-China, they will strike westwards. Once over the Mekong, the next viable line of defense is the Irawaddy. If that is held, it will still mean the loss of Malaya and Singapore. It will also mean that we get overrun of course. If the line of the Irawaddy doesn’t hold, the next viable defense line is the mountains on the India/Burma border. At that point, the Japanese will have almost everything they need except India itself and they will be in a vastly stronger position to take that.”

“I think you underestimate the strength of Singapore, Madam Ambassador. Its great guns make it impregnable.”

“From the landward side? How many of those guns can be trained upon an attacker from Malaya? And do the guns have explosive ammunition suitable for firing at an Army?”

“More than one might think. And I believe the munitions stores are comprehensive.”

“And the water supply? Singapore has little or no water available on the island itself. If the water pipes from the mainland are cut, how long can the garrison hold out?”

Sir Josiah looked at his guest sharply. He had noted the skill with which she discussed strategic affairs. And she had made an obvious point now she had mentioned it. The water supply was the great Achilles heel of the fortress. She was right; Singapore was vulnerable from the landward side, even with its great guns. “And what do you think they would do from there?”

Suriyothai thought for a second. “Singapore would become their forward operating base. Are you aware that the Japanese have assembled their six aircraft carriers into a single striking force? They call it the Dai Ichi Kido Butai, the First Air Mobile Striking Force. I do not believe its equal exists anywhere in the world. With all six carriers operating together, they can throw almost four hundred aircraft into a battle over a limited area. That will gain them air superiority. I think they would strike at Ceylon first, seize that and thus establish another forward base at Trincomalee. India would then be faced with a two-pronged assault, from the south and the north. Such an assault would strain Japanese power to the outer limits of the plausible, but the potential rewards for them may make the commitment worthwhile.

The sweeping concept made Sir Josiah blink. “What are you suggesting, Madam Ambassador?”

“That the only viable line of defense for India is along the Mekong. By the time the Irawaddy is reached, Japan will have already won. Frankly, I doubt that the Irawaddy can be held. It is simply in the wrong place. Too far from India to be supported, too close to Japanese base areas to be secure and it will have already conceded everything the Japanese want. Sir Josiah, the options are the Mekong or a massive loss and a desperate fight in the Imphal Kohima mountains. Possibly supported by an assault in Tamil Nadu. If we hold the Mekong, the situation of India having to protect itself doesn’t arise. The Japanese will never get there.”

“You sound very sure of that.”

“Very sure. Their Army is of no great concern to us. We outnumber their Indochina Expeditionary Force on the ground and our Army has been rebuilt by German instructors who preferred to live here than under the regime presently ruling Germany. It is in the air we are weak. We would like to reequip with modern American fighters and bombers but the Americans are refusing to deliver our latest order. There are six P64 fighters and ten A27 bombers held up in America now despite the fact that we have already paid for them. We wish to use purchase more American equipment but we may be forced to acquire Japanese aircraft instead. And that will force us to ally with them, not you. That is not our wish.”

“You would not consider British aircraft?”

“We would, if we were offered them. We would regard Spitfires and Hurricanes as gifts from the Gods. But, all we are offered are Gladiators and old, surplus Gamecocks. They are no advance on what we have already. Sir Josiah, we must ask the aid of India in this matter. We would beg you to intercede with the Americans, convince them that we simply wish to control our own destiny free from outside bullying and domination. Rather like a group of thirteen colonies some years ago. If America extends the hand of friendship to us, we need seek no other.”

“Except India, of course.”

“Of course, Sir Josiah. The fortunes of my country and India are indissolubly linked. Geography, simple geography, tells us that.”

“So, where are we with the industrial analysis of Germany, Phillip?”

Phillip Stuyvesant produced a very heavy series of files from a carry case. “We’ve made a pretty good start in getting a picture of German industrial power sorted out. This is our initial overview of the situation, although it does leave much to be desired in the way of fine detail.”

“That’s the overview?” General George Marshall was dumbfounded by the sheer volume of paperwork that was being generated. “What, in the name of God, does the fine detail look like?”

“I can ask one of my assistants to bring what we have in. She’s waiting outside with it. I warn you though, she’ll have to wheel it in on a trolley; it’s a lot of data. Nobody has ever tried to do this before. What we are attempting to do is create a picture of the economy of an entire country and then work out how to dismantle it. This is not just a matter of finding the factories and bombing them. We have to work out how the various industrial structures interlock. From that, we can plan a campaign that will paralyze the German war economy.

“There’s something else as well we’re learning from this effort. We’re not just generating a picture of the German war economy. We’re getting a very fine handle on what German plans are. For example, we’re getting a picture of supplies, especially fuel, being shifted towards depots in the East. All the indications are that Germany is going to invade Russia. It’s too late for them to do it this year, and anyway, their army is down for maintenance after the fighting in France. But, the build-up of supplies in the east is accelerating too fast for an attack in the far future. It looks like we can expect the German invasion of Russia next year. We can even suggest how they are going to do it. It looks like three primary depot areas are being established, one in the north, one in the center and one in the south. Combining that with a railway map of the Soviet Union suggests that three thrusts are planned: one in the north aimed at Leningrad, one in the center aimed at Moscow and a third in the south aimed at Kiev. As the supply quantities build up, we could even make a guess as to the relative strengths of those thrusts. That will tell us what their overall invasion strategy is. An emphasis on the southern thrust will suggest priority being placed on resources; a northern bias will suggest industrial and political targets.

“That’s all a bonus though. The real meat is the data we’re getting on industrial capacity and that is intriguing. It seems as if Germany isn’t actually taking this war very seriously. They’ve mobilized, but not that much. They’re still producing large quantities of civilian goods. They’re even still making hunting rifles for the civilian market. I’d say we’re already mobilizing to a higher level than they are. I’d say that, if anything, we’re going to have a lead in that department.”

“How are you getting all this information?” General Arnold was curious. “I’ve seen nothing like this before.”

“A combination of sources, Sir. Some is simply assembling existing records and existing data. The commercial attaches in the Berlin embassy and elsewhere have been assembling this stuff for years, but nobody did anything with it. I’ve got people going through those files now.”

“Women, I suppose.” Arnold was slightly sarcastic at that. The number of women filling key positions in the Economic Intelligence and Warfare Section had already been noticed in Washington circles.

“That’s right. For this kind of work, women outperform men. They’re more methodical and detail-orientated. Comes from looking after babies, I suppose.” Stuyvesant listened appreciatively to the ripple of laughter that went around the room. “We’ve also started developing industrial intelligence sources in the financial and industrial communities. We’re still authenticating what we get back from them. Our initial inquiries into the industrial-economic structure of Hitler’s Germany focused attention on the following: electric power, including sources of fuel and distribution systems; steel, including sources of raw material; petroleum products, including synthetic processes; the aircraft industry, including aluminum production and engine plants; and transportation, the most prominent components being the railway, canal and highway networks. We also included in our evaluations the nonferrous metal supply, machine tool production, and food processing and distribution.

“One thing we found out has been immensely helpful. It turns out that the electric power generating and distribution system of Germany is relatively new, and that it has been built with capital borrowed largely from the United States. Now, American banks do not lend large sums of money for capital equipment without making careful investigations of the proposed structures. So, we approached the great international banks, particularly in New York, as to the availability of drawings and specifications of German electric plants and systems. In doing so we’ve tapped into a gold mine of data.

“The long and the short of it is that we’ve been able to put together a comprehensive target study on the German electric power system and the electric distribution system. It has even been possible to prepare target folders, including aiming points and bomb sizes. We’ve also been able to do the same on petroleum and synthetic oil plants; partially through the same sources, partially through the oil industries, and partially through individuals. We were fortunate in that we have experience of work carried out in Germany, in the Rumanian fields at Ploesti, and in the Middle East. This demonstrated the extreme importance and vulnerability of the German synthetic oil plants and the related importance of the Ploesti refineries. Thus, we have started to prepare target folders for those systems also. In addition, we made an analysis of the German steel industry and its sources of raw materials. We were less successful in our analysis of German transportation, partly because of the extent of the rail and canal system. But we have found enough to place the transportation system high on the priority list of desired targets.”

“Good God man, is there anything you haven’t looked at over the last month?” Stimson was impressed by the volume of work that was being presented here. “I have to say this. The political appreciation at this time is hardly favorable. I can say that the President views the possibility of a Nazi victory with deep concern. Three dictators, all hostile to the United States, are driving toward domination of important parts of the world. They threaten to completely upset the balance of power and with it world peace. Hitler and Mussolini have completed the conquest of Europe and appear to be contemplating the conquest of Western Russia and North Africa. England has been forced into a humiliating accommodation. On the other side of the world, the Japanese warlords are tearing China apart and look set to do the same to the rest of the Far East. Meanwhile, a fourth dictator, Stalin, though hardly a friend of America, is about the most valuable asset we have left in resisting Hitler. It seems likely that he too will be overwhelmed. If we cannot find allies, then we must fight this war alone and that appears a mighty and desperate endeavor.

“Stuyvesant, at first I doubted the wisdom of bringing a private sector industrialist into these meetings. I must say that the amount of work you and your team has put in to date justifies your presence here beyond any expectations we might have had. For that reason, I have authorized you to receive something so secret that even the President does not know the full scope of what we are achieving. We have cracked open a large number of diplomatic and military codes. Collectively, this work is called Ultra. It gives an insight into German and Japanese strategic planning. I want to expand your section’s responsibilities to include using that decrypted information in an effort to determine future German strategy. Our decrypts tell us what the Nazi leadership would like to do; we will use your section to determine what their resources will allow them to do. One thing I must say, right now. This information will not leak out. It must not leak out; for if it does, we may well lose the war that is surely coming.”

“We can’t sit on the fence any longer, Pandit. We’ve stalled the Colonial and Dominion Offices for ten days and that’s about as much as we can do. We are now facing the point where a decision has to be made. Do we defy Whitehall and stay in the war, or do we comply with their wishes and obey their orders?”

“Speaking as the leader of the Congress Party, I have to say that staying in the war is proving a very hard concept to explain to our membership.” Nehru spoke slowly and carefully. His meetings with the rank and file of the Party had not gone well. “Those who do not wish to remain under the British yoke also do not see why leaving it should involve us staying in a war that is far away and affects us little. Speaking for myself, I am convinced by your argument and believe that both honor and our safety as a new, untried nation demand that we remain in the war. I even believe that a continued alliance with the other dominions that have remained in the war will serve us best in the short term. But how to explain this so that our membership is convinced? This is beyond my abilities.”

Sir Martyn Sharpe twisted his mouth. He understood the problem and appreciated something else that, perhaps, Nehru himself hadn’t yet realized. That was that Nehru was beginning to set aside the beliefs of a lifetime in pursuit of the greater good.

“Perhaps, Martyn, you underestimate the degree of flexibility we have here. Or the use to which we can put any extra time that we buy.” Sir Eric Haohoa sipped gently at his tea.

“How so, Eric?”

“Well, people have argued with the Colonial and Dominion Offices before, they have tried to defy them and they have even tried to bribe them. Only in the latter case have they been successful and then but rarely. But, nobody has ever ignored them before. I don’t think they know how to cope with that. The longer our silence lasts, the greater will be the confusion at their end. A simple reply will be dealt with at a low level using precedent, but an unprecedented non-response? Nobody at a low level will be prepared to take the initiative in dealing with it. They’ll boot it up to a higher level for consideration and that will continue all the way up until it reaches the top. Then, the elephant principle will kick in.”

“What, pray, is the elephant principle?” Nehru was fascinated by this glimpse of the British bureaucracy at work.

“Pandit, if I may call you so?” Sir Eric waited and got a nod in response. “Pandit, making important decisions in the Civil Service is like the mating of elephants. There is lots of dust and noise, everything happens at a very high level, and there is no result for several years. Martyn is being much too pessimistic; we have weeks or even months before that situation becomes critical and we have to jump. In the meantime, we have time to deal with much more important issues.”

“What can be more important than the future independence of India?”

Nehru sounded offended.

“Giving India a sound economy so that it can stand on its own feet as an independent country.” Sir Eric’s reply was smooth and urbane. “Avoiding the impending economic crisis would be a good first step in that regard.”

“Economic crisis?” Nehru and Sharpe replied in almost perfect chorus. “What economic crisis?”

“The one that presents us with the economic equivalent of being hanged tomorrow morning. And, like that notional event, it should concentrate our mind wonderfully. Do you know how our trade is managed under the Imperial Preference agreements signed at Ottawa?” Haohoa looked around and took the absence of response to be negative. “Well, we export raw materials to the motherland and import manufactured goods in their place. It’s a neatlyconceived system that means Britain has access to a guaranteed supply of raw materials and a guaranteed market for manufactured goods. Like all closed systems, it works very well as long as it remains a closed system. But, like all such systems, it cannot allow any degree of openness. It is either a completely closed system or it is no system at all. And Halifax’s ‘armistice’ has just blown a great hole in it.

“You see, we have virtually no industry here. We produce our own needs in cotton goods but that is all. Other than that, all our manufactured goods are imported from Britain. Now, if we remain at war with Germany and Britain does not, that supply of manufactured goods stops dead. Also, if Britain is at peace with Germany and we are at war, Britain cannot purchase our raw materials. I don’t think Halifax has realized the implications of that yet. What his armistice does is force Britain away from the Empire and ties its economy closer to Europe. That’s their problem, though. Ours is that we now have to sell our raw materials on the international market and buy our manufactured goods in the same place. And there is the problem. We have to buy manufactured goods with rupees. Now, what is a rupee worth?”

That was a question Sir Martyn could answer and he rattled off the rupee vs pound sterling exchange rate. “One shilling and fourpence.”

“You see, Martyn, that’s the problem. The rupee is valued against the pound sterling. Fifteen rupees equals one pound sterling. And that value is set by artificial fiat. Essentially, the pound sterling is a basket of Empire currencies and the value of each currency within that basket is what the British Government says it is. All those exchange rates are artificial; they are what the Government in London finds convenient. Since the rupee is only traded within a closed system, that doesn’t matter. That closed system doesn’t exist any more. So, I ask again, what is the Indian rupee actually worth?”

Sir Martyn and Pandit Nehru exchanged looks, both unwilling to say what they both knew to be the answer. Sir Eric waited for a moment before continuing. “I am afraid you are both right. The value of the rupee is what the international market says it is and that is less than the paper it is printed on. The only currency we have that is worth anything is the silver rupee and that is worth exactly the value of the silver it is made from. No more, no less. So we have to buy our manufactured goods. With what? Piles of dirty paper? For that is all our rupees are to the market. Most currency traders don’t even know what a rupee is. We would literally be better off selling the unprinted paper on the market than spoiling it by turning it into banknotes.

“The only way we can get currency that people will accept is to sell things to countries that have traded currencies. Like the American dollar. Only, what is it that we can sell to the Americans? We are barely selfsufficient in food, but we can sell tea. Americans drink coffee. We can also export raw jute, raw cotton and wheat. All three the Americans have in abundance from their own producers. We actually do export raw materials to the United States and Japan and we import manufactured goods from them and that is the one saving grace in the situation. Even better, the proportion of goods exported to and imported from those countries has actually increased over the last ten years. We export gold to the United States and that is our one hope of survival. It is also the one way we can retaliate against the British, for our gold sales were the major dollar earner for the Empire. They will kick us out of the Imperial Preference system and we will cut off the supply of dollars from gold sales. Britain will hurt but we will be in acute financial agony. Our reserves are already bleeding out as we buy the things we must have to survive as a country and soon, within six weeks in fact, they will be gone. And then we will be able to buy nothing.”

“I think there is a solution to this.” Pandit Nehru was appalled by what he was hearing, but in some ways it fitted well with his long-term plans for the country. “Not to mince words, the answer is socialism. The Indian princes have untold wealth, accumulated from centuries of exploitation. We can seize those funds and they will pay for the imports we need. And in doing so, we will be rectifying a grave injustice in the society of this country. Those princes roll in obscene wealth while the common people here starve.”

“India is marginally selfsufficient in food.” Haohoa was being his pedantic civil servant self. “But the specter of famine does still hang over the country. It takes just a few things to go wrong at the same time and we will see another great famine here. Be that as it may, the idea of confiscating the wealth of the princes is an attractive idea from many points of view, but it will not solve the basic problem that we face. The princely wealth is capital, not income. If we seize it and use it to pay for our necessary imports, then it will buy us some time. Eighteen months and then it will be gone, never to return. We will not even utilize its full value, for that wealth is mostly in the form of precious stones and other valuables. Turning them into cash we can use by selling them will flood the market for such things and severely depress their value. There is another point we must bear in mind. We can only develop the economy of this country by bringing in foreign investment. If we establish a reputation for seizing funds, then investors will fear for the safety of their money and go elsewhere. That would cripple us from the start. The princely wealth is indeed a tool we can use, but we must be careful how we do so; for it can easily break in our hands and leave us with nothing.”

There was a long, aching silence as the implications of Sir Eric’s summary of the impending economic catastrophe sank in.

“Then splitting away from Britain is impossible?”

To Sir Martyn, those words represented the end of a dream. From the expression on Nehru’s face, his dreams also had just been crushed.

“By no means.” Sir Eric decided that it was time to spread the good news a little. “What the current situation does mean is that we can’t split away from the Commonwealth. Our trade balance with Britain is tremendously disadvantageous, that is true. But that position has just ended. Our trade balance with the rest of the Commonwealth is very positive. In fact, the Commonwealth is the route by which our monies are transferred to Britain. As long as the Commonwealth remains in existence, we can continue to trade within it. Of course, Australia, and most especially New Zealand, will be much worse off. They have much the same position with regards to us as we do to Britain. Australia is headed for an even worse economic crisis than we are, And New Zealand? Well, I honestly believe that New Zealand cannot survive as an independent entity even within the Commonwealth.

“The fact is that we have raw materials that the other Commonwealth countries need and the same applies in reverse. What we lack is a medium by which that trade can be carried out. Since Halifax’s armistice has effectively torpedoed the pound sterling in the world exchange markets, we desperately need a substitute. The Commonwealth countries need their basket of currencies if they are to survive; it’s just that we now need one that does not include the pound sterling. We also need a source of manufactured goods. More precisely, we need a country that can take our raw materials and supply us with manufactured goods in exchange. I can think of only one country in this region that can fill that need.”

“Japan.” Sharpe made the statement with a degree of finality that was heavy with dislike for the idea.

“And we should create an alliance with one fascist power to avoid a relationship with another?” Nehru also disliked the idea, although he guessed that there was a wing of his party that would be more accepting of the concept.

“Forgive me for not seeing how this is much of an improvement in our situation.”

“Forgive me for saying so, but Subhas Chandra Bose might disagree with you on that point.” One of the responsibilities of the Cabinet Office in any British-run government was supervision of the intelligence services. It just so happened that was one of Sir Eric Haohoa’s primary duties. His reward for the observation was an involuntary grimace on the face of Nehru. “But, there is saying, when supping with the devil, use a long spoon. We are not creating an alliance here, just finding a market for our raw materials to bridge the gap until we can stand on our own feet. Remember, Pandit, we’re running against the clock here. We have to do two things; one is to find markets for our produce and the other is to find a currency the Commonwealth can use as a world standard. For, on that point, if we do not hang together, we will all hang separately.”

“And we cannot have a new currency standard while the present situation remains unresolved.” Sharpe felt slightly foolish stating the obvious, but sometimes the obvious got overlooked because nobody bothered to state it.

“Agreed. Nobody is taking the lead in jumping ship because nobody wants to take the chance of carrying the blame if it all ends in tears. We will just have to hope that something forces our collective hands.”

“What else is going on over there, Iggie?” Phillip Stuyvesant leaned back in his chair, fascinated by the insight into the current English state of affairs that Igrat was providing. She’d been speaking about her experiences at the Southampton flying boat terminals; reading between the lines, she’d enjoyed twisting the tails of the officials there.

“The big one? Nell, Gusoyn and Achillea have Winston Churchill and a dozen or so leading scientists and engineers either tucked away in an English stately home, or ready to move at a moments notice. They’ve gone and formed their own auxiliary police unit that’s throwing its weight around in the Nottingham area, so that they are cordially loathed by the local people and thus accepted as being legitimate by them. They picked me up at the station which got me some sympathetic looks from the locals. I’d have been scared, but I saw Gusoyn was the driver. So I went along with it.”

“Winston Churchill? They have him squirrelled away? Where?”

Stuyvesant was amazed. The ‘where is Winnie’ question was causing arguments around the world, and the impression was already growing that he had been quietly killed by Halifax. Discovering that he was already in safe hands, if not precisely in a safe location, was a new piece to the intricate political puzzle that was forming.

“He’s in Nell’s ancestral home. He’s quite safe there. Nell and the others believe they can move him around if they want using their phony police unit. That’s why they formed it. By the way, they gave me something to bring out as an example of the sort of technology that they can smuggle out when we rescue Churchill.”

Igrat reached into her case and pulled out a metal box. Carrying it as if it didn’t weigh anything had nearly given Igrat a strained shoulder, but she’d pulled it off. She opened it and pulled out a contraption with wires hanging from it.

“A revolver cylinder. One with eight chambers and obviously too big for a hand-held revolver. And its got lots of metalwork attached to it. So?” Stuyvesant was curious.

“It’s called a cavity magnetron.” Igrat spoke in a voice that had the lilt and inflexions of somebody else. Stuyvesant knew he was hearing an explanation that she’d been given by an expert and that she was relaying exactly as she had heard it. “It is a high-powered vacuum tube that generates microwaves using the interaction of a stream of electrons with a magnetic field. This piece of equipment has been generated by two scientists called Randall and Boot. The high power of pulses from the cavity magnetron makes centimeter-band radar practical and thus allows the detection of smaller objects. It also drastically reduces the size of radar sets so that they can be installed in aircraft and ships.” The alien timbre to her voice dropped away as she finished the prepared part of her speech. “There’s a lot more where this came form. Stuff on new engines for aircraft; all sorts of things. Some basic physics stuff as well. Don’t ask me if that’s any use.”

“And what’s this going to cost us?”

“Nothing. The British are giving it all to us, for the common good. All we have to do is come over and get it.”

Stuyvesant nodded. “So, we get the goodies if we rescue them and this cavity magnet is a good faith gift to show us the goodies are real. This is a deal I can relate to. Has the gang any idea of how to get this group out?”

“They suggest buying a flying boat and landing it Scotland somewhere. Either at the coast or in one of the lochs.”

“They’re very free with our money. Have they no idea how much a Boeing will cost us? Leave this one with me, Iggie. I want you to go out to Bangkok with the Noth report and deliver it to Suriyothai. Lillith has your tickets. Spending more money on Pan American’s clipper service has broken her heart, but we’ve got no choice at this time. I need you back here as soon as Snake has that report.”

“No time for shopping?” Igrat sounded heartbroken as well.

“None. Not this time. Straight in and out. If you can fit a shopping expedition in between flights, do so, but don’t delay getting back here. No ‘missing the plane’ and ‘getting the next one out’.” Stuyvesant picked up the cavity magnetron and twisted it around in his hands. “I wonder why Samuel Colt didn’t think of this.”

With nine hours difference between Canberra and Cairo, there was a tendency for things to turn up at awkward hours. Annoying as that might have been, when dispatches from home did arrive during business hours it was usually a good indication of trouble. Trouble was all Lieutenant-General Thomas Blamey could see in this latest communication from his Government. After an hour’s solid contemplation and a telephone call, he summoned his staff car and left word to inform GOC-in-C Middle East Command to expect him forthwith.

Archibald Percival Wavell, General Officer Commanding in Chief of His Majesty’s forces in Egypt, Sudan, Trans-Jordan, Palestine, British Somaliland, Cyprus, Aden, and the Persian Gulf, who’s concerns extended to Libya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Greece, Rhodes and such trifles, was waiting on the front steps when Blamey’s car rolled up. Admittedly, he was as surprised to see the Australian as Blamey was to be met in person. Blamey had just swept up the drive when another General, Major-General George Noble Molesworth, alighted from another staff car.

’Molely’ Molesworth might not have been on par with the Lieutenant-Generals in rank, but as Deputy Chief of General Staff for the Indian Army he was more than due his share of official curtsey. In any event, his arrival had been telegraphed in advance. Quite unlike Bernard Freyberg, Major-General, VC, CMG, DSO** and General Officer Commanding the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, who hauled his large and much abused frame out of the Chevrolet behind Blamey.

If Wavell was in the least put out by receiving three visitors for the price of one, he gave little sign. Instead, he welcomed them all warmly and made polite conversation about the weather, the tribulations of air travel and Cairo traffic until the four men were safely seated in his office, drinks in hand and doors shut.

“Well gentlemen, it would be too much to ask if you were all here for Genie’s birthday…?”

It was almost inevitable Blamey opened the batting. Never much of a diplomat at the best of times, and hardly one of the boys in such company, he wasn’t inclined to take the back seat to anyone. Yet, for as far as Wavell had come to know his man, he was surprised by quiet almost tentative tone from the bullish fellow

“Sir… I received instructions this morning that umm… My government would like my opinion on the future movements of the Australian Imperial Force. They ask if the AIF should be withdrawn to Australia wholesale, or if it might be more advisable to move directly to Singapore. I’m also to inform them of the earliest we can leave Egypt and… ” Blamey choked down a curse. “The lilly livered bastards also want to know how much kit I can screw out of you before we go. I’m not meant to be telling you that obviously, but… Christ. It’s one thing to cut and run. I’m not playing snake in the grass for the buggers too. Sorry sir, I’m so bloody sorry…”

Wavell’s look of polite interest hardly wavered as he listened to this toll of doom ring out. “That’s alright, Tom; and thank you, I do appreciate your honesty.” He had, after all, been half expecting something along these lines. His only real surprise was that it had taken so long, and that Blamey was so upset about it.

On the other end of the settee Freyberg coughed, “My government,” he rumbled, “has only asked my advice on the desirability of redeploying my command. We… that is, Tom and I, rather think our Governments have been talking between themselves, as the options I am to consider are essentially the same as his: Singapore or Australia. However mine are not orders, and Wellington say they will be guided by my opinion.”

Again Wavell nodded politely. “Thank you, Bernard” He turned to Molesworth, who was already blushing. “I take it you are here for my Indians, Moley?”

Molesworth nodded, “Yes, Archie. We seem to have a political accord developing with the Congress Party, but they don’t much like the idea of Indian troops defending British interests.”

Wavell raised a curious eyebrow “Any you may well need them for keeping order too, dare I say?”

“If Jinnah AML can’t be kept under control then yes, I rather fear we will.” Molesworth agreed sadly. “I knew it was going to leave you in the most dreadful bind, but I had not realized things would be this bad.” He glanced across at the two Dominion generals.

“No, that is quite alright, old man,” smiled Wavell gently “Perfectly understandable, given the circumstances.”

“So that’s it then,” said Blamey into the air before turning to Wavell. “Where do you intend to take the British forces? I’m instructed to invite you to Australia, but I’d understand if you told me to go and roger myself.”

Wavell looked blank. “I’m sorry — take whom where? I assure you, Tom, I’ve no intention of going anywhere at all, nor shall I without orders.”

“Oh come on, man” snapped Blamey. “Making bricks without straw is one thing, but you’re not holding Egypt with the rest of us bottling out.”

Wavell nodded “I take your point, Tom, and I dare say you are right, but I intend to do my best.”

“So you intend to stay?” asked Freyberg.

“Yes” replied Wavell simply.

“Good.” said Freyberg soberly. “Then so shall we. And I will inform Wellington to that effect.”

For the first time, Wavell showed some trace of passion “Really? Oh Ber… Thank you, Bernard. I thank you, and the Empire thanks you.”

“What’s left of it” muttered Blamey.

“That is rather the point, isn’t it,” said Freyberg, accepting Wavell’s gratitude with a gentle nod. “This is the Empire now, or so far as I can see.”

A sigh ran around the group. Someone had to say it, and it was typical of Freyberg to grasp the nettle.

“What are your instructions from London — if I may inquire?” Molesworth asked.

“As they have always been,” smiled Wavell. “London has had no end of things to say, but there has been no change to my strategic guidance.”

“What are they thinking?” muttered Freyberg.

“God only knows.” Blamey’s laugh was drier than dust. “God knows if they are thinking at all.”

“Be that as it may,” Wavell carefully avoided any trace of a smile,

“My position is clear, and not a little easier thanks to Bernard’s great generosity. But any further help… I should not like to beg, but I need troops and time, gentlemen, and any of either you might spare would not go unwelcome.”

Freyberg scratched his chin. “London may have gone mad, but our immediate problem, Archie, is that Tom over here is cursed with politicians not given the strategic vision the good Lord gave an ant. And, if you’ll pardon me for saying so, the Indian Government appears to be rather flustered. Not without reason, but history offers little sympathy for even the best excuses.”

“Is this really the sort of conversation we ought to be having?” asked Molesworth cautiously.

“If not us, then who?” asked Freyberg with no caution at all. “As far as I can see, everyone is worried over their own little patch, and praying like hell someone else is looking to the whole.”

“And no bugger is” agreed Blamey reluctantly.

“It can’t be done.” Jack Hunderford sounded really regretful. He’d been flattered by the invitation to attend the meeting and even more so that his opinions were heard so intently.

“But, we can get a Boeing 314 there, even if it does need some extra fuel tanks.” Secretary Cordell Hull was determined to make this rescue happen. Overnight the electronics engineers at the Naval Aircraft Radio Laboratory had studied the mysterious piece of equipment; they were already stunned by its implications. They’d wanted to know where it had come from and how, but those questions had been carefully evaded. The message was very clear, though; the technology the Tizard escapees would be bringing with them was worth its weight in gold. That was a separate issue from the political importance of bringing Churchill out.

“That’s not the problem.” Hunderford was the head of flying boat operations for Pan American and was reputed to be the only man Juan Trippe ever listened to. There was nobody around who knew more about operating big flying boats. That was why he was in the room. “Landing flying boats on water is a very difficult operation. We make it look easy because we train the living daylights out of our crews and only fly in and out of carefullymaintained operating bases. Every one of our pilots has landed a dozen times or more at each base on the route before we let them take a Clipper in there. Landing at an unknown Scottish loch, or even worse, a lake, is impossible. Think of it this way. The flying boats that could do it can’t get there and the ones that can get there can’t do it. The Clippers look big and tough, but that’s just their size. They’re really very fragile. Rough water or a floating log will do for them. You’d be better off with one of the British boats. The Empires are much tougher than our Clippers. That’s why ours are economically viable and theirs aren’t.”

“Any other problems?” Hull was disappointed by the blunt rejection of the initial plan.

“Navigation will be the big one. We have homing beacons at all our staging points and the pilots fly to them. You won’t have that for this flight. That alone rules a flying boat out. After three thousand miles, you could be hundreds of miles off and one lake or bay looks much like another. No, if this is going to work you need a landplane and you need the best navigator in the world. He has to fly that aircraft right to the airfield and get down first time. He can’t mess around flying search circles or he’ll have fighters on his back.”

“We haven’t got a landplane that can make a direct flight from the East Coast to Scotland and back. Not yet anyway.” General Arnold sounded depressed. He’d seen the hurried first report on the cavity magnetron as well and wanted more. “We could fly in from Iceland, though. We have a base there; the British occupied it under Churchill in May and the Marines took it over immediately after Halifax pulled the plug. The last thing we wanted was an enemy-controlled base that close to us. A Flying Fortress could get from Iceland to Scotland and back. If a suitable airfield in Scotland can be found, of course.”

“That doesn’t solve the navigational problem.” Hunderford was slightly relieved at the course the discussion was taking. He had been terrified that one of his beloved Boeing 314 Clippers would be commandeered for this madcap mission.

“If we’re going to use the Flying Fortress, it might well. Remember the interception of the liner Rex a couple of years back? Well, the intercept was plotted by a Lieutenant Curtis LeMay; he gave up flying pursuit ships in order to become a navigator and a bombardment man. Well, he’s a Captain now and he’s available for this mission. Jack wanted the best navigator in the world? He’s it. I can even offer you some aircraft. The British wanted Flying Fortresses, so we have arranged for twenty of the new B-17Cs to be delivered off the production line for them. The first B-17C flew a few days ago, but there is no way in hell we’re going to deliver the British ones. Not this year and not next year when they were due to get theirs. We can paint that prototype B-17C up in British colors and fly it over there. With LeMay doing the navigation, we’ve got a good chance of pulling this off. Worst comes to the worst, we can always claim we were delivering the aircraft according to contract.”

The meeting cracked up laughing at the idea of an unannounced

midnight landing at an unknown airport in potentially hostile territory being a delivery according to contract. Eventually, Secretary Stimson wiped his eyes and shook his head. “This might just be crazy enough to work. Find that Captain LeMay. Tell him what needs to be done and see that he gets the mission ready. This raises another question, in passing. Those twenty B-17Cs the British wanted aren’t all the aircraft we have stockpiled here for them. My staff tells me we’ve got 230 Hawk 75s of assorted types, 250 P-40Bs and P40Cs and a hundred Hudsons all sitting on airports waiting for an owner. Why hasn’t the Air Force taken them over?”

“They’re all export birds, Mister Secretary. The Hawk 75s have 7.5mm French machine guns or .303inch British ones. Their throttles are French-style, meaning the pilot has to pull them back to increase power, not push them forward. There’s other differences as well; mostly metric instrumentation and minor differences in the engine. The P-40s aren’t really P40s; they’re Hawk 81s. Wrong caliber machine guns again, French-style throttles and instruments, different engines. They’d need a major rebuild to make them suitable for our use and they still wouldn’t be up to the standard of the current production models. All taking them over would achieve is slowing down production of the ones we really need. We’d be better off giving them away. I reckon the Chinese could use them.” Arnold looked around to see the other members of the meeting nodding.

“Not just the Chinese.” Cordell Hull was thoughtful. “If we get Churchill out, he’ll set up a government in exile. All the British Dominions and a fair number of colonies are sitting on the fence right now, waiting for a lead. He’ll give it to them and they’ll tell Halifax to stuff his armistice.”

“Why?” Arnold had assumed the rest of the British Empire would follow London’s example.

“Because they’re like us in 1776. A few polite requests and words of regret for offense unwittingly caused would work wonders, but Halifax won’t give them. He’s like every other weakling who has been bullied all his life. When he has a victim of his own, he takes all his own life experiences out on them. Given a lead, the Colonies will stay in the war. I feel sure of that. Even if they don’t realize it themselves, they’re looking for an excuse to cock a snook at London. And when they do, we can offer them a whole new air force, all of their own.”

“One other thing.” Stuyvesant looked at the files he had in front of him. “We touched on this earlier, but it’s becoming a critical issue in our evaluations. We don’t have a bomber that can get from the East Coast to Berlin and back again. Even if we use Iceland as a forward base, that’s a long haul. If we are going to prosecute the coming war from here, we’re going to need an aircraft that can do that.”

“We surely will. You’re an aircraft man, Stuyvesant. As an investor, at least. Would you care to go over to Boeing and Consolidated and get briefed on what their aircraft can do? Seeing what they have in mind might help you get the plan of attack more clearly defined.”

“I’ll do that, Sir.”

“Welcome to Bangkok, Igrat. How do you like our new airfield?”

“I prefer flying boats, Snake. So much more comfortable.”

Suriyothai smiled at the use of her nickname, something that was known only to a tiny handful of people around the world. “We don’t have suitable landing points for flying boats. I’ve looked. It has to be land planes, which is a problem for us. Long haul airlines are built around using flying boats. Anyway, what have you brought me?”

“We came across this in our business. You know we are working for the U.S. Government now?” She handed over the Noth report, complete with its bloodstained cover.

“I do. I was pleased to see Phillip has finally admitted the correctness of my opinions.”

Igrat sighed. The relationship between Stuyvesant and Suriyothai was complex. On some levels, he was her mentor and teacher; on others the two were deeply divided. Their personal relationship added extra layers of complexity to the cocktail. While the two had some pretty spectacular rows over the years, their mutual respect had avoided the simmering dislike that existed between Stuyvesant and Loki. “He hasn’t. We are simply acting as advisors and analysts, providing that leadership with accurate information it can rely upon.”

“Being part of the political leadership here works. And this isn’t being involved in politics?” Suriyothai tapped the bloodstains on the cover.

“That wasn’t us. That was Loki.”

“Ahh, this comes from him then.” Suriyothai grinned broadly at Igrat who was distinctly uncomfortable at having been caught. “Sit down while I glance at this.”

Igrat watched while Suriyothai started to read the Noth report.

Quietly, one of the maids brought in a bowl of fresh fruit and a pot of tea. The minutes ticked by as Suriyothai thumbed through the pages. Eventually, she looked up at Igrat. “And what did Phillip think of this?”

“He said it was probably the dumbest strategic idea he had ever read. And given some of the strategic plans he has seen over the years, that is saying something. After he finished making choking noises, he said it was a typical product of an amateur strategist who had no idea of logistics, movement constraints or political realities.”

Suriyothai laughed delightedly. “He is not losing his touch then. Did he go red?”

“Oh yes. The plan there has been abandoned though. Germany will be hitting Russia next year. We will be getting confirmation of that shortly, but everything we know points that way.”

“And that will be a bloody war indeed. Igrat, please tell Phillip that nobody else needs to know that this plan had been abandoned. Who was this Odwin Noth by the way?”

“One of Loki’s people, but a renegade, so I believe. One who had god-like delusions.”

“I see. Well, no self-respecting strategist would take this seriously, but I am not dealing with such people out here. The ones who understand strategy know well the threat that faces us and what we must do to overcome it. Those who do not will be convinced by this and will be scared out of their wits by it. Phillip has done me a great service by sending this over. Odwin Noth may have been a fool and a renegade, but he has supplied me with a vital piece of the puzzle I am solving here.” She paused for a moment, “Igrat, is Phillip in a position to get Secretary Hull to ease up on us? The American refusal to sell us arms hurts us badly and may yet force us into the arms of the Japanese.”

“No, I’m sorry. I don’t think so anyway. I’ll ask when I get back. However, there are great quantities of arms ordered by France and Britain stored in the United States. If you can find a way of breaking them loose, they should solve your problems.”

“That is a useful thought. Igrat, I will have a car drive you back to the airport. Next time you come here, tell Phillip I will accept no arguments. You and I will go shopping together.”