The Honor of Spies

"Anyway, Gehlen is willing to turn over to us all his assets, data, and--very important--agents-in-place. He has two reasons. He personally doesn't want to fall into Russian hands. More important, he doesn't want his family to fall into Russian hands."

"In other words," Frade said, "he's covering his ass and wants to set up his own private Operation Phoenix?"

"You could put it that way, I suppose," Dulles said. "But it's not black and white. In our way of life, things are seldom simple."

"His second reason," Graham went on, "is that he believes the United States will ultimately, inevitably, go to war with the Soviet Union--"

"So does my grandfather," Clete said.

"--in which case his information and especially the agents-in-place would be of great value," Graham finished.

"Do you think we're going to have a war with the Russians?" Clete asked softly.

"I don't think the possibility can be dismissed out of hand," Dulles said. "There are a number of knowledgeable people--General George Patton among them--who think we will."

"Among other things that Canaris's delegate offered to give us--in fact, did give us--are the names of Soviet spies in the Manhattan Project," Graham said.

"The Russians know about that atomic bomb?" Frade asked, his surprise showing.

Dulles nodded. "And are trying very hard to steal it for Mother Russia."

"Jesus Christ!"

"What Gehlen and Canaris want is for us to provide sanctuary for their men--and the families of their men--in South America."

"To which they will be flown, via Lisbon, by South American Airways?" Frade asked.

Dulles said, "There are two problems here with which I think you should be made familiar. Colonel Graham is--understandably--uncomfortable with you being aware of them."

"Which are?"

"Colonel Donovan and, of course, the President," Dulles said. "Perhaps I should have said, 'The President and, of course, Colonel Donovan.' "

Graham said, "What we should have done when Canaris made us this offer was refer it to Colonel Donovan. If we had done that, the chances are that Donovan would have gone to Roosevelt, strongly recommending that we make the deal. And the chances are that Roosevelt would have gone along with it."

"But you didn't go to Donovan with it?" Frade asked incredulously. "Is that what you're saying?"

Both Graham and Dulles nodded.

"Donovan, we decided, would have gone to Roosevelt," Dulles said, "which meant that others would learn of it. For example, Vice President Henry Wallace. Wallace is a great admirer of Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union. He would have insisted that Russia, as our ally, has a right to any and all intelligence Gehlen would provide. And the President would have gone along with him; FDR really believes that Stalin can be trusted; more important, that he can control him.

"Mrs. Roosevelt believes both things, that the Soviet Union is a trustworthy ally and that her husband can control Joseph Stalin."

"Then how is it that the Russians 'don't know' about the Manhattan Project, the atomic bomb?" Frade said.

"There's a difference between not having been told about it and not knowing about it," Dulles said. "Of course they know about it. The question then becomes who told them about it, and how much they have been told. Or how successful their espionage has been . . .

"Since the Soviets don't officially know about it, and inasmuch as they are our trustworthy ally, and allies are not supposed to spy on one another, J. Edgar Hoover is having a hell of a time dealing with Russian spies. He's not even supposed to be looking for them. Counterintelligence is intended to keep the Germans and the Japanese from learning about it."

"But the Germans know about it?"

"In two ways," Dulles said. "Generally, because it's no secret in scientific circles that everyone is working to develop a nuclear bomb; and also, with some specificity, because Gehlen's agents in the Kremlin have access to the material the Soviet spies are sending. And I think we have to presume that the Germans are sharing at least some of their knowledge about the Manhattan Project with the Japanese."

"My God!"

"So after a good deal of thought, Colonel Graham and I decided we could not refuse what Gehlen and Canaris were offering, and also that we could not take the proposition to Colonel Donovan. That we would have to conceal the operation from him."

"Which is on its face disloyalty and more than likely constitutes dealing with the enemy," Graham said. "Which is one of the reasons I thought it would be best to keep you in the dark.