A Mighty Endeavor (11 page)

“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 B-17 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.”

Bang Phitsan Palace, Bangkok, Thailand

“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 Indo-China 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 Indo-China 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 Indo-China.

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 Indo-China. 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 Indo-China 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 Indo-China. 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 Indo-China 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.”

British Embassy, Bangkok, Thailand

“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 Indo-China.”

“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 Indo-China 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 Indo-China 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.”