Fine’s face was expressionless, but Colonel Stevens thought he saw in his eyes a hint of surprise, even annoyance.
“Helene?” Fine asked.
“Documents Section can handle that,” Capt. Dancy said.
“They’ll need four hours.”
“Why so long?
“Charity asked.
“They don’t have very much of the proper paper for the photographs,” Dancy explained.
“We have to use their paper; it produces a characteristic grain, and image flatness. The Hungarian is different from the Yugoslavian.
And the only place we can get it is on the local black markets. It is also lousy paper, and it takes that much time to be sure. In case they have to print the photographs twice, or even three times.”
“But they will be able to come up with what we need?” David Bruce asked.
“Probably in forty-five minutes,” Helene Dancy said.
“I’m using the worst possible scenario.”
“Have -we got a team to photograph?” Fine asked.
“They have all been photographed, Stanley,” Helene Dancy said.
“Several times, in work clothes, suits, even in Black Guard uniforms. Printing is the problem.”
“That’s not what I really meant,” Pine said.
“I’ll rephrase. Is a team available?
If there is more than one available, which is the better of them?”
“I was out there when this came up, Stanley,” Colonel Stevens said.
“There are two teams finished with training, one in the last week.”
“Did Jamison give you any indication which was better?” Fine asked.
“There is a problem,” Stevens said.
“The teams that have finished their training have been trained to go in to Tito, not Mihajlovic.”
“God!” Bruce said. There were two major guerrilla forces in Yugoslavia.
Colonel Draza Mihajlovic led a force of Royalists, and Josip Broz, who called himself “Tito,” led a larger force of Communists.
“It was necessary, David,” Stevens said.
“We had to appear evenhanded, and that meant sending teams to Tito.”
“What about the team in training?” Bruce asked.
“Mihajlovic,” Stevens said.
“But it’s a communications team. No specific training for something like this.”
“What about Janos?” Helene Dancy asked.
“When does he get out of his cast?”
“Friday,” Charity said.
“Who the hell is Janos?” Bruce asked.
“The first lieutenant who broke his ankle,” Dancy furnished.
“Well, we can hardly take his cast off one day and jump him in the next,” , Bruce said.
“Janos was trained to go in to Mihajlovic,” Dancy said. I “And we’re not going to jump them in anyway,” Charity said. Bruce snapped his head around to look at her. Charity smiled, and added, “Are we?”.
“We may have to,” Stevens said.
“With Dolan under the weather, I think we I have to leave him out of the equation. And that means there’s no one but that ‘ young pilot… whatsisname?” i “Darmstadter,” Helene Dancy furnished, i “Darmstadter,” Stevens said,”… to fly the B-25. Which means either para| chuting them onto Vis or, for that matter, into Hungary, or sending them by ;| submarine.” 1 “I can fly the B-25,” Fine said. | “No,” Bruce said.
“You’re the control.” | “Doug Douglass can fly the B-25,” Charity said.
Bruce looked at her.
“He’s not… assigned to us,” he said.
“Can’t that be arranged?” Charity asked.
“TDY or something?”
“We’re getting ahead of ourselves,” Fine said.
“The first decision that has to be made is about the team. Do we send in a Tito team?”
Charity looked at Colonel Stevens.
“No,” Stevens said flatly.
“What’s the difference Helene Dancy asked.
“For the men, none,” Stevens said.
“But we will not send an officer on this who has been selected to go in to Tito.”
“May I ask why, Sir?” Fine asked.
“No, I’m afraid I can’t tell you, Stan,” Stevens said.
Fine looked curious, but shrugged.
“It looks as though we’re back to Janos,” he said.
“And to flying him in rather than jumping him in, because of his ankle. And since I can’t fly the B-25, we’re also back to Douglass. May I ask that you reconsider, Sir, my flying the B25?”
“Out of the question,” Bruce said.
“And we’re not even sure of Janos,” Stevens said.
“Helene, get the medical officer at Whithey House on the horn and get a report onjanos’s ankle. Specifically, what shape he will be in when they take the cast off, and for how long.”