We Were Beautiful Once (39 page)

“I am afraid so. But I must caution you: this cannot be disclosed at this time, since it would present an embarrassment that even your Mr. Freedman could not fix.”

Nick offered what he knew. “South Koreans opposed the truce negotiated by the U.S. and its allies. I read that in June '53, nearly twenty thousand North Korean POWs stormed the barbed-wire fences. Security had apparently disappeared. The soldiers quickly mingled with the locals who were quite willing to provide shelter. The allies, concerned that the North would call off the Armistice, issued their own spin on what happened. General Clark's headquarters released a press report calling it ‘... a breakout and not a release by their guards.'”

Seymour slid his hand through his hair. “Yeah, but, what we didn't know was that the North Koreans saved face by retaliating, by refusing to release a number of allied POWs. Outside the U.N. Security Council members and Korea, the rest of world never came to know this other piece of the story, did they, Mr. Lee?”

Lee didn't answer Freedman's largely rhetorical question. “Mr. Lee, do we have any idea where they ended up?” Nick asked.

“The North Koreans were incensed, believing that the president of South Korea had ordered anti-Communist prisoners to be freed, defying the U.N. structured armistice for reasons that, as they put it, were too obvious to explain. They steadfastly refused, even to this day, to acknowledge that they'd kept the hundreds of soldiers.”

“Were all the men they held back only from that development?” Nick asked.

“No, there were others not repatriated. Mainly from Camp 13. We have gathered other information that indicates that U.N. soldiers, likely Americans, had mined Kuneri, near Hung Nam and Ham and near Camp 13. Special operations oversaw the laying of these and other minefields.” He handed Nick a report. The government had blacked out most of the information. “I have a report we confiscated. It's classified secret. I have the translated copy. You can read it, but unfortunately it must stay here.”

Lee handed the report to Nick, who read the part that included names he recognized.

The interrogator indicates that Lieutenant Trent Hamilton, RO 10435789 was Special Forces April 20, 1952, when his squad of seventeen men was dropped into the Yalu River Estuary islands.  Once in contact with Man-O-War was to provide radio contact with Skatefish and then train partisans. The second phase was to include contacting prisoners in POW camps and establishing E&E routes. Assignment included survey troop movements, create maps of the various landmines/landmarks and supervise the laying of minefields. Jump succeeded, but radio contact failed two hours after insertion. Subject speaks Mandarin. Subject cooperative. Signed Colonel Cho
Tat Wah, CCF, PRC, October 1952. (
Translated 1955
.)
 

The aide half-speculated. “I have studied the entire record. My opinion? Hamilton could have been caught with the maps, or that Hamilton detailed the location of the minefields. My conjecture. What is not conjecture: further intelligence indicates that many POWs used in mine clearing operations were killed, and those that weren't ended up in Death Valley.”

“So is this where the allied POWs that weren't repatriated were last located?”

“Yes, we believe so. Anyone not accounted for ended up there. Where they went from there is anybody's guess.”

“Do you know if Roger went there?” Nick asked.

“We do not. For some reason, those that survived the mine detail were only known to the enemy...  as were the four or five hundred sacrificed for the escapes that occurred in Seoul in June.”

“So you're telling us you don't know what happened to the ones that ended up in Death Valley?”

“There were secret negotiations after the war between North Korea and the U.S. envoy in Switzerland, but they never resolved the matter.”

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning those men were left behind.”

“Meaning that's what the government is trying to cover up.”

 

 

JACK HAD EVERY INTENTION OF WATCHING NICK grill Hamilton for the second day. At 8:30 a.m. he was still in pajamas. He stumbled into the living room, flicked on the TV and fell back on the front sofa, confused, mumbling,
“8, 7, 6, 5...  8, 7, 6... 5, 8, 7...   6, 5... ”
Cartoons blasted from a kid's morning show while he hummed a ditty that went, “I hear the dogs a-whispering for me to come and listen.” A chicken in the cartoon squawked while being chased by a fox. He laughed. He looked out the window to see if there were any strange cars up the street. There was.  A late model four-door, maybe a Ford, he thought. He took a swig from the bottle of gin he held fast in his right hand. “The godless devil's soul for all you ask of me...  ” Jack chortled.

***

While Mitch waited for the trial to resume he took some pictures from an envelope that Art Girardin had received from his father several weeks back. The pictures were gruesome.  Photos of dead bodies, bulldozers, military vehicles, cars and men in the vicinity of piles of dirt. When Art showed them to Nick, Mitch and Kathy, no one knew what to make of them.  

Holding one photo of a man standing next to a car, Mitch turned to Nick, “Look at this picture. Tell me what you see?”

“Soldiers shooting the breeze next to an army sedan.”

“Yeah, and who's the tall guy remind you of?”

“I dunno.”

“Umm, what do you think Kathy?”

“Who's it supposed to be?”

“All rise.” Picolillo yelled.

 

“Your Honor, the plaintiff recalls Trent Hamilton to the stand.”

Lindquist advised Hamilton, “Sir, you are still under oath.”

“Your Honor,” Nick began. “Based upon certain answers Mr. Hamilton gave, I would like to cross examine Mr. Hamilton as an adversarial witness.”

“Would you like to be heard, Mr. Harris?”

“No, sir, no objection.”

“Proceed, Counsel.”

“Previously, I'd shown you Map B-2, is that not correct?”

“I'm not sure.”

Pointing to the map, Nick asked, “On that easel, there's Map B-2. Tell me if you recognize the hex symbols along the route I'm pointing to.  Come closer if you need to.”

Hamilton did not move. “Think I already testified to that...  no idea what those marks mean.”

“Sir, is it not true that Hamilton Helicopters used such a symbol as a trademark for parts?”

“May look similar,” Hamilton conceded.

Nick handed Hamilton a copy of drawing. “I show you Plaintiff's Exhibit 96. It's a logo or a trademark. It's identical to the mark on the map, isn't it?”

“Similar.”

“Can you explain the striking similarity?”

Harris stood up. “Objection, speculation.”

“Sustained.”

Nick handed Hamilton another document. “Please look at Plaintiff's Exhibit 98, a certified copy of the trademark application for Hamilton Helicopters showing the hexagonal design. Note the trademark was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, in 1955. Note that the design is a series of hexagons within hexagons.” Nick gave Hamilton a moment. “Look at page two...  is that your signature, Vice President, Hamilton Helicopters, Inc.?”

“Looks like it. I don't remember signing this.”

“But you did.  You're not denying that, are you?”

 “Saying I don't recall. Would you remember something signed thirty years ago?”

“We have established the striking similarity of the registered trademark for Hamilton Helicopters and the marks on the map B-2, did we not?”

Brushing Nick off, Hamilton responded, “If you say so.”

“If you don't recall signing the trademark registration form, isn't it possible that you forgot you'd made those marks on that map almost thirty years ago?”

Hamilton paused. His jaw jutted forward. “I don't know.”

Nick raised his voice. “You don't know what?”

Hamilton pursed his lips. “If I forgot, it means ‘I don't know.'”

Nick followed up immediately. “So it is possible you made those marks on Map B-2?”

Harris catapulted from his chair, yelled, “Argumentative, your Honor, the witness testified he didn't know where the marks came from.”

Lindquist leaned forward turned in the direction of Hamilton. Calmly, he said, “The witness will answer.”

Hamilton's face flushed pink.  He coughed. “I...  don't remember.”

“So if you don't remember, sir, it's possible you did make the marks.” Nick said smugly.

Hamilton leaned forward.  Stared at Nick threateningly and shouted, “No, I did not, do you understand, no, no, no!” The room echoed  ‘no, no, no,' and Nick waited until it dampened into silence.

“Mr. Hamilton, does the name Cho Tat Wah ring a bell?”

Hamilton hesitated and looked at his hand. ‘No, what kind of name is that anyway?”

“Mr. Hamilton, I will ask the questions. Would you not remember the Commandant of Camp 13?”

“No, why should I?”

“Because previously you'd testified you were the ostensible spokesman for the POWs, so it seems logical you'd remember your counterpart?”

“Don't remember.”

“And you never met a man by that name in civilian life.”

Hamilton glared at Nick. “No.”

“Would it refresh your memory if I asked you had you ever met someone with that name in India?”

“Objection,” shouted Harris. “What does India or this name have to do with this trial, your Honor?”

“Overruled, please answer the question, sir.”

“No, it doesn't.”

Nick knew he was getting close to breaching the agreement he had with Harris, not to disclose Hamilton's nefarious trading operations in India in exchange for deep-sixing the photos of him and Rachel.

“Sir, let me call your attention back to map B-2. You previously testified that you did not know how those hexes got there. But, is it not true that you supplied information to your captors as to the very mine locations you and your men laid before you were captured?”

“No, that's not true.”

“Is it not true that you supplied information to Cho Tat Wah the commandant of Camp 13, as to the mine locations?”

“Objection!  First, it has not been established that a man by that name was the commandant of Camp 13, and this witness said he didn't know this man.”

“Sustained.”

“Sir, does the name Bud Rawlings mean anything to you?”

“Why, yes, he was with my company until this past year.”

“His position, sir?”

“He worked in sales.”

“International sales, the executive-in-charge, in fact.  Is that not true?”

“Yes.”

“I am handing you an affidavit, signed by Mr. Rawlings regarding what he knows about Hamilton Helicopters in India.  I ask you if this refreshes your recollection of the name Cho Tat Wah?”

A minute passed before, Lindquist interjected himself impatiently, “Well, Mr. Castalano, do you have any question pending here?”

“Yes, sir. Mr. Hamilton, does that affidavit refresh your memory as to who Cho Tat Wah is?”

“Well now, I do recall doing business with a Chinese man by that name. I called my contact Cho.”

“But you do not deny, based on your refreshed memory, that the man's name is Cho Tat Wah, do you?”

Hamilton hesitated and twisted his lip. “I do deny it, since I do not know a man by that name.”

“Sir, was Cho Tat Wah not the commandant of Camp 13?”

“I said, I don't remember.”

Nick looked over at Harris who by now was fuming. “Your Honor, may Counsel and I approach the bench?” asked Nick.

“Yes, to this side please.”

Nick went to the side opposite the witness chair. “Judge, I believe that this witness has answered untruthfully and... ”

Lindquist cut Nick off mid-sentence. “Counselor, I hope you have a good faith basis for that claim.”

“I do, your Honor.”

“Proceed, Counsel.”

Nick walked back to the podium while shouting the question at Hamilton. “Mr. Hamilton, do you still deny that given that the hexes are identical to your trademark, and given that you knew where the mines were, that you did not draw those hexagons?”

“I do not know what you are implying!”

Nick turned to face Trent. “Isn't it true you assisted Cho Tat Wah, the man you now do business with in India, and...  strike that, isn't it true you assisted Cho Tat Wah, the man you now do business with in India, in locating the mines, so they could be cleared using your comrades?”

“Objection, argumentative, and it has not been established he is doing business
in India
with this person.”

“Overruled, answer the question, sir,” Lindquist swiftly ordered.

“That is a scurrilous accusation,” Trent shouted.

“You will answer the question, Mr. Hamilton,” Nick said calmly.

“How could I possibly...  ?”

Nick grabbed a copy of the previous transcript. “You previously testified that, and I will quote you here, ‘They'd funnel various things through me. I'd communicate them to Colonel Levine. He was the highest ranking officer among us, until he was transferred. But for most purposes, you might say I was the lead man.' Was that not your testimony?”

“Something like that, yes, but I was no traitor.”

“I'll let others judge that, sir.”

“Objection.”

“Withdrawn. Your witness, Mr. Harris.”

“No questions, your Honor.”

 

 

 

ART'S EYES WELLED UP WHEN NICK SAID, that after talking to Preston, he would  continue with the case. Even Diane had surprised Nick with a show of support, “They hadn't come this far to turn back without more answers,” she said.  And Nick was still fuming over the blackmail attempt. He had Mitch call Jack to remind him that the subpoena was still in force. In the back row, Julie, Anna, Jack and Father Ryan sat quietly.