“I want to talk to you seriously later,” Donovan said. “There’s something I want to ask you to do for me.”
“Name it,” Chesty said. Tit for tat, he thought.
“On the train,” Bill Donovan said.
He could hardly tell Whittaker here that the President wanted Whittaker Construction to gear up with all possible haste for a monumental, multibillion-dollar, highly complex engineering construction project that was concerned with refining a mineral element that had never been refined in quantities larger than a pin could pick up.
The project was now official. As of yesterday, Saturday, December 6, the Office of Scientific Research and Development had been given several million dollars to get things started. And they were still working on building chain reaction at the University of Chicago.
The only thing they were certain of was that if this were going to work, they would need large quantities of an isotope called U 235. Right now in all the worldincluding what the Germans were known to have-there was.000001 pound of uranium 235.
At one minute after 2:00 Pm., there was an announcement over the public-address system. It was urgent that Colonel William Donovan call Operator 19 in Washington for an emergency message.
“God, it must be nice to be that man’s confidant Chesty said to Donovan as Donovan went looking for a telephone.
,I never voted for him Donovan said. “It’s just that I have this awesome respect for Harvard men.”
The door to the box opened again two minutes later, and Donovan beckoned Chesty to come out of the box. He was not smiling, Chesty saw, and he didn’t like the look in Donovan’s eyes.
,That was John Roosevelt@” he said. “The Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor.”
,Jesus Christ!” Chesty said.
,I,m wanted in Washington,” Donovan said. “Will you have your chauffeur take me to the station?” ,Certainly,” Chesty said.
“Or to La Guardia,” Donovan said. “John’s trying to find me a seat on the threefifteen Eastern flight. He’s going to call right back.”
Chesty Whittaker went back to the box and motioned to Edward. Donovan was called to the telephone as Chesty was telling Edward he was to take Mr. Donovan to Pennsylvania Station, and then come back for him.
When Donovan returned, he said, “It’ll be La Guardia.”
“They found a seat for you?” Chesty asked.
Donovan’s eyebrows went up.
“Young Roosevelt just told me that by the time I get to La Guardia, there will be an Army Air Corps plane waiting for me.”
“Ooohooo , ” Chesty breathed.
“If you still want to go to Washington, Chesty”‘ Donovan said, come with me.”
“How would I get back?”
“I presume that for the immediate future there will be no restrictions on travel Donovan said. -It will take them time to set something like that up.”
Chesty Whittaker made two quick decisions. He would go to Washington. For some : reason (and he didn’t think it was just CYNthia, but he acknowledged that she was part of his decision) it was important that he go. And there was no car in Washington.
“Edward,” he said. “I’m going to Washington with Colonel Donovan. After you drop us at La Guardia, I want you to drive the Packard down there. Take it to the house on Q Street. If I’m not there, I’ll leave word what you’re to do next.”
“Is something wrong, Mr. Whittaker?”
Chesty looked at Bill Donovan, who nodded before he replied.
“The Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Edward. It looks as if we’re at war.”
Rangoon, Burma 0930 8 December 1941
When Dick Canidy went down to breakfast in the villa in Kemmendine, the houseboy first gave him a cup of coffee and then extended a tray on which sat a small packet of waxed paper tied with a string.
“It came this morning, sair,” he said.
Canidy nodded, picked up a knife, and cut the string around the package. Inside was mail: a four-inch stack for Ed Bitter, and a halfinch stack for Canidy.
“A couple of eggs, up,” Canidy said. “Juice, toast. Is there any ham?”
“No, sair, but small steak.”
“Please,” Canidy said, and then, handing him Bitter’s mail, added: “This is for Mr. Bitter. Go wake him up with it.”