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A.R.Yngve
PARRY'S PROTOCOL
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Chapter 35
"Where were we?" Abram asked.
"Even if Roosevelt's and Franklin Carter's secret organization was meant to serve the President's need for intelligence, there are good reasons for believing that it soon broke off from the White House."
"Which reasons?"
"First, the inferior quality of Roosevelt's successors. Roosevelt died, and Harry Truman picked up the gauntlet in 1945. It's well known that he was against the revival of the OSS; which would have ruined the arrangement with a 'dummy' to cover a real network. I don't see how Roosevelt's men could cooperate in complete confidence with Truman -- there's nothing in the history books to support that possibility."
Abram feebly raised an arm to object: "But... it took until 1947, before president Eisenhower could start the CIA from the remains of the OSS force."
"Yeah! And all the time, the CIA concept was officially supported by a former OSS veteran -- Dulles, the Secretary of State."
"Do you think Dulles was part of of Roosevelt-Carter's old network, then?"
"Not sure. I think I he was just being used for the dummy cover without knowing it, just like Bill Donovan. The question is instead, whether President Eisenhower was a co-conspirator -- I mean, he answered directly to Roosevelt during the War. He was one of the inner circle. He appointed Dulles. But Truman, a vice president -- I doubt it..."
Parry hesitated for a moment.
"Then again, it's possible that Eisenhower -- being an old military man -- was loyal to the Pentagon intelligence networks, rather than any President-made network. In that case, Roosevelt's and Franklin Carter's men would not have told him about the real purpose of the CIA... he thought the CIA was 'real', and the secret presidential organization went unchecked. If so, the organization was for the second time without direct presidential approval. After that... I have no clue."
"So where is the evidence that Roosevelt-Carter's network would have survived? Where would I find traces of them today?"
Parry leaned at the glass wall with stretched arms, thinking.
After an extended pause, he said: "First of all, the first co-conspirators must be very old, some of them must surely be dead by now. I'd suggest a computer-check of the old files on intelligence officers, high-ranking officers, employees of John Franklin Carter's department, and the staff close to Roosevelt.
"Try to match those names with a list of all the oldest men in top places up to today -- the final matching list shouldn't be very long. The rest is up to you."
Abram turned away from the glass wall, rubbed his face with one palm, and looked to the door.
"To chase old men..." he said. "Do you realize what you're demanding of a man in my position? And if you should be right -- the CIA being an unknowing dummy, a secret network that might still exist -- the risk is pretty big that someone grows curious when I start poking around..."
"Like I said before, Doc: You've got everything to lose. But aren't you curious?"
"What would you gain from this, Parry?"
"I know what you think, Doc -- that I'm an over-intelligent maniac. But on one point I think we can agree: most conspiracies fail, because nosy people start asking questions -- people like you and me. That's all you need to know."
"So... what is your own, unofficial motive to bring up this matter to investigation?"
Abram started at a sudden, dry laughter from Parry.
"What do you think, Doc?"
Abram spun around, seemingly struck with alarm. He watched a wildly staring, furiously grinning man with bloodshot eyes glare back with his fists clenched by his sides: nothing in his features suggested other feelings than suspicion, anger, and alert caution.
"Let's quit for today," Abram said, a tone of defeat in his voice. "I've got a lot of work ahead of me."