Valuable Commodities

"Yes, you are. Of course, if nobody briefed you, you could hardly have known."

Clearly there was a great deal more to this, of which I was not aware. I waited for him to decide to cut me in now.

"She is in great danger. Her family in occupied Denmark is very active in the resistance to the Germans, and her uncle, as I understand it, is a very prominent scientist. The Nazis want her uncle to "cooperate" on some project, but he is a pretty fiery character, and will not. The Nazis can not put pressure on any of his family because they are all incommunicado in the resistance, probably moving back and forth to Sweden, but at any rate out of their reach. A British intelligence report to the NEI government advised them that an agent in Denmark had tipped them off that the Gestapo had discovered his brother living and working for a Dutch oil company in the East Indies. Dutch naval intelligence had a list of known Nazi sympathizers residing in the NEI, and they were suspected to have radio communications with Germany.

"One of them was spotted booking passage on an inter island steamer for Tarakan, and this alerted someone in Java that the local Nazis might be up to some hanky-panky with the brother and the niece. At that point, evidently, an alert went out to get the niece out and away to some safer place."

"Then," I offered a connection, "Commander Vermeulen in Tarakan simply made use of the facilities at hand to get her out and away, and I was available. Do I follow?"

"Well, I guess so. What happened to the brother?"

"Her father died of malaria in December. They had a comfortable home there and that's why the daughter didn't want to leave. That had been home for several years." What else should I say at this point?

"And?"

"On our several survey flights throughout the Indies for the admiral I had flown through Tarakan, well, three times through the summer and fall of last year, and," I wanted this to sound professional, "become acquainted with Miss Andersen."

"Ah, there's more to this story than I imagined. Go on."

"The evening after Commander Vermeulen suggested I assist in some way, I proposed to her. I knew already that I loved her. We had flown a recon of Davao Gulf just days before and we could see the invasion convoys forming up. I figured Tarakan with the oil was a reasonable target, and I wanted her out of there and safe."

There was a long silence. I had been planning to do something that could get me in trouble, and I didn't want to put my neck on the block now after the fact.

"And you were going to fly her out to the south in your plane?"

"Well, captain, let's just say that the idea had occurred to me."

"All right. Go on."

"A Dutch civilian official married us the next morning before we left for Balikpapan. I had her in the jump seat next to me in the plane. It worked out fine."

"Very cozy, lieutenant. Very cozy, indeed. Why did you delay so long at Darwin?"

"Well, for one, nothing had made her movement to you so time sensitive, and I decided to lay over a couple of days to get some maintenance done on the plane. Then the Japs came and that changed everything."

"Fine. Quite understandable." His attitude seemed to pass that all off as no longer pertinent. "That's all water under the bridge now." He closed thus one book, while opening another. We sat a moment in silence, and I could hear the gears grinding in his head.

"All right. Thank you for your excellent service, lieutenant. Let's take Mrs. Shepherd with us and go up and see the ambassador." He rose and led the way. I introduced Annaliese to him and they chatted briefly, and I could see quickly that this was a high point in his day. In a very fatherly tone he asked her playfully if her husband was taking good care of her, and did she like Australia? She replied with a bright smile and he told her that if I was ever mean to her she should let him know... and he would take care of that!

Annaliese was not entirely sure he was joking until he chuckled and then she could smile back.

The captain took us up to see the ambassador and all seemed to move very quickly from there. The captain made some recommendations, the ambassador handed out some revisions and instructions, and his approval. There was a minute of light banter characteristic of professional diplomats and our time with him was over. As we departed I was reasonably sure things had gone well, but could not discern all that went on. They obviously had covered several tangents of the problem unknown to me.

Back in his office things became more evident. The ambassador was pleased and would let the Danish embassy know that Annaliese was safe, and, confidentially, now the wife of an American naval officer. As far as we went, our personal arrangement was thought quite suitable as a cover. There was no way the Gestapo would ever connect the niece in Tarakan with Mrs. Shepherd in Canberra. The marriage would be certificated by the American Embassy, her presence in Australia cleared through immigration, and I would be ordered to duty at the new U. S. Naval Air Facility at Sydney for the duration of the war. My orders would read for additional duty to the Embassy as assistant naval attaché for air and pilot. Mostly, my duty was to blend into the Australian society and make Annaliese comfortable and safe from the intrigues of the Gestapo by hiding her in plain sight.

I could hardly believe my good fortune.

A little stunned, I thanked the captain for his confidence and his support. He said to check in with him once a week and spend my time getting settled and oriented. We would evolve things as we went along and he would use me in several projects in the works.

I thought that was just great.

The Embassy driver dropped us back at the hotel. We had a light dinner in the dining room and talked and I explained what I could about where we were and what would be happening. Many of the details were so very new to her and she was surprised. She knew of her uncle only slightly. They had last been in Denmark in 1935, and she had been only ten years old. We reviewed what all had happened and then what lay before us. A new life was opening up for both of us together, and we were both very excited.

In our absence the captain had had one of the staff order in flowers for the bride, and they greeted us as we returned to our room. She was thrilled and happy, and pleased to be with me, and her smile lit up my heart.

I kissed her lightly, and she melted into my arms.

"Please, Leo," she whimpered sweetly, "make me yours." Her eyes were pleading and grateful and loving and wanting... "Make me, like you did on the beach, please!"

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