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“This is the time, isn’t it?” Greene said, and began to tell Major Derwin about Operation Ost.

Five minutes or so later, General Greene concluded the telling by saying, “I’m sure that you can understand, Major, since compromise of Operation Ost would not only be detrimental to the interests of the United States but would embarrass the highest officials of our government, why it behooves all of us to exert our maximum efforts to make sure it is not compromised.”

“Yes, sir, I certainly can,” Major Derwin said.

“And why any officer who does anything, even inadvertently, that causes any such compromise might as well put his head between his knees and kiss his ass goodbye? Because, even if his court-martial doesn’t sentence him to spend twenty years polishing the linoleum in the solitary confinement wing of the Leavenworth Disciplinary Barracks, his military career is over.”

“I understand, sir,” Major Derwin said.

“I really hope you do,” General Greene said. “We will now get into your duties with regard to the Pullach compound and Operation Ost. They can be summed up succinctly. They are invisible to you, unless it comes to your attention that someone is showing an unusual interest in them. If that happens, you will bring this immediately to the attention of Colonel Mattingly or myself. Or, of course, and preferably, to Captain Cronley or Captain Dunwiddie. You understand that?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Any questions, Major?”

“Just one, sir.”

“It is?”

“May I ask about Captain Cronley, sir?”

“What about Captain Cronley?”

“Sir, as I mentioned, two months ago, less, I saw him at Holabird as a second lieutenant—”

“If you are asking how did he become a captain so quickly, Major, I can tell you it was a reward for something he did.”

“May I ask what, sir?”

“No,” General Greene said. “But I can tell you—although his promotion order is classified Secret—that the promotion authority was ‘Verbal Order of the President.’”

“Yes, sir.”

“Unless you have something for Major Derwin, Colonel Mattingly?”

“No, sir.”

“Then what I am going to do now, Major Derwin, is have the sergeant major put you in a car and send you over to see Major McClung. He will get you settled in quarters and then show you where you should begin your duties as inspector general.”

“Yes, sir.”

“That will be all, Major. You are dismissed.”

[THREE]

The I.G. Farben Building

Frankfurt am Main

American Zone of Occupation, Germany

1225 29 December 1945

It took Captains Cronley and Dunwiddie and General Gehlen five minutes to get from General Greene’s office to the “back door” of the huge building, which until the completion of the Pentagon in January 1943 had been the largest office building in the world.

The office of the chief, Counterintelligence Corps, European Command, was in the front of the extreme left wing (of six wings) in the curved five-story structure. The “back door” was in Sub-Level One between Wing Three and Wing Four.

First they had to walk down a long corridor to the connecting passageway between the wings.