“The FBI can handle it, Mr. President,” Hoover said, making it a proclamation.
“I’m sure the FBI, as ever9” Roosevelt said solemnly, “will deliver to the country whatever it is asked to deliver.”
“It will, Mr. President,” Hoover said, equally solemnly.
Donovan suspected the President was playing Hoover for his, Donovan’s, amusement, but there was no question that Hoover was oblivious to it.
“The FBI will of course have a major and continuing role in this Project,” Roosevelt said. “But that will be somewhere down the Pike. What I’m concerned about right now, and the reason I have asked you here, Edgar, is something that’s going to happen almost immediately.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. President?” Hoover asked. If he were a soldier, Donovan thought, Hoover would be standing at attention.
“The British and the Germans have also been working on splitting the atom,” Roosevelt said.
“The Germans?” Hoover asked. Roosevelt nodded.
“Dr. Conant has arranged to send two of his associates, chaps named Urey and Pegrani, to England to see how far the English have gotten,” Roosevelt said. “And to see what they can find out about the German effort. They’ll be leaving very shortly.”
“Would it be possible, Mr. President,” Hoover asked, “for me to send a couple of my agents with them?”
“Bill has something like that in mind, Edgar,” Roosevelt said.
“”Something like that’?” Hoover quoted. “Do I see a hook in there?”
“Bill thought about sending Commander Douglass. Or to have Douglass recruit some people from ONI and send them.”
“It’s an FBI function, pure and simple,” Hoover said, annoyed.
“You know,” Roosevelt said, “I thought you would say something like that, Edgar.”
“It’s a statement of fact,” Hoover said. “Nothing personal, Bill, you understand.”
“Before I say this, Edgar… and pout if you like’ ” Roosevelt said, “I want to remind you that you were given the FBI in large measure because of the efforts of Bill Donovan to get it for you.”
44 Bill knows I’m grateful Hoover said, not very graciously. “But with all respect to naval intelligence-”
“I’m not finished, Edgar,” Roosevelt cut him off. “What I have decided to do, and the operative word is ‘decided,’ is something entirely different.”
He paused there, then put on his smile again.
“You will, of course, recognize this as yet another manifestation of my Solomonlike wisdom’ ” he said.
He got the expected chuckle.
“It occurred to me,” the President went on, “that if… when… we find ourselves in this war, it will undoubtedly be necessary for us to do certain things of doubtful legality. Things that neither the FBI nor any of the service intelligence agencies would like to be connected with.”
“The FBI Hoover said, “will do whatever is necessary, Mr. President.”
“Edgar,” the President replied, “under your leadership, the FBI has become the most respected agency in the government. I don’t intend to-I will not-see the escutcheon soiled.”
OK, Edgar, Donovan thought, wiggle out of that one if you can. ,You are very kind, Mr. President, to say that,” Hoover said. “However, in the national inter-”
Roosevelt shut him off by raising his hand.
“Edgar,” he said with a toothy smile, “I learned a long time ago that if you’re going to do something of questionable legality, the first thing you do is find yourself a good lawyer.”
Hoover laughed, but it was forced. He took the law seriously, and didn’t like jokes made about it.
“So I’m going to give these necessary-but perhaps a little underhanded-missions to Bill, who is the best lawyer I know,” Roosevelt said.
“I don’t quite understand, Mr. President,” Hoover said.
“Among other things you are to do, Edgar,” the President said, “is not only to look the other way when you suspect COI is doing something it shouldn’t, but… and this is very important… you are to divert the eyes of other people who may be asking questions.”
“Isn’t that tantamount to giving COI a license to break the law?” Hoover asked.
“It is giving him license to do whatever I tell him to do in any way he can most effectively do it,” the President said.
“If this carne out, Mr. President, it would be damaging, very damaging, politically,” Hoover said. “I respectfully suggest, Mr. President, that the FBI can handle this sort of business, when necessary, better than anyone else.”