Chapter 13: Buddhists and Blacks

I’m not gonna help nobody get something my negroes don’t have. If I’m gonna die, I’ll die now right here fighting you, if I’m gonna die. You my enemy. My enemies are white people, not Viet Congs or Chinese or Japanese. You my opposer when I want freedom. You my opposer when I want justice. You my opposer when I want equality. You won’t even stand up for me in America for my religious beliefs, and you want me to go somewhere and fight, but you won’t even stand up for me here at home.

Muhammad Ali

3 May

Roger met with us, comfortable that the Cultivators assured all discussions were utterly secure.

“It was a good brainstorming session. Brute Krulak is a fascinating man, who can describe rational strategies combining both counterinsurgency and national level attack, when MACV seems to be thinking of refighting the Korean War with some counterinsurgency.

“Did you say Brute Krulak?” Micki asked in a voice of eagerness.

“Yes. Do you know him?”

“Oh yes. Very well.” In my head, I heard, we will reassure her.

“I don’t know what to call it -- mentor? May-December? He knows a hell of a lot about helicopters, but he had no prejudice about looking for information. When he learned that I knew some valuable things, he respected my knowledge and intelligence.

“Maybe it’s that neither of us are tall. I’m a practicing and ethnic Jew, but he has a Jewish heritage. At some point, very warmly, isolated in Saigon, we got physical. Very, very, nicely physical. No obligations. Friends first. I’d love to see him again.”

“Micki, you’re on terminal leave, right?”

“Yes.”

“Would you entertain cutting off the leave, and coming to work to me as staff -- not sure what to call it, but researcher or something not administrative. I’m guessing I can bring you in as a GS-14 equivalent.

Roger and Harold, your telempathy will permit a discreet relationship between Brute and Micki.

“Yes, definitely. Mobility is going to be a big part of Vietnam, if it escalates. I can also do some mapping and operations research. What other skills do you need?”

“Obviously, a secretary or two. Someone who knows intelligence, and I can get someone from INR. A Southeast Asian area specialist. The more that I think about it, the more you make sense, because my INR colleagues are weak on the military aspects.

I reminded everyone that we had friends now in CINCLANT targeting. Commander Bill Devens, and Arvid Esterhazy and Arnie Black, both of whom are both being promoted to lieutenant commander; Dawn Cunningham, an illustrator and editor who maintained the technical library, and Mary Maguire, their target mathematician. Arvid is moving to CINCPAC to set up a targeting team. Arnie is now Bill’s understudy, and would probably fill his role if Bill goes to you.

“Roger, how about a Naval Aviator as your military assistant? You may want a second one, perhaps more junior, from a land service.

He agreed. “Special Forces would really be good.”

Civil rights

“This is becoming a more and more critical matter. Perhaps we need to set up a “war room” like the one that we created for Cuba, and now use mostly for Southeast Asia. Greg, would you take on running it, or would that feel like being a token? Your academic background in communications makes a hell of a lot of sense there.”

“Not at all. As you point out, I do have relevant knowledge.” He smiled. “This is the only place that I’ve ever found where people just think of me as having the color of dark chocolate.”

“Our regular visitors to the White House are going to be a source of information, sometimes at the level of what I’ll call very reliable hunches.” Even the women don’t really know yet that they have some access, remotely, to the feelings and sometimes thoughts, of JFK and LBJ. If Greg hooks up with Frankie, that will give him indirect telempathic linkage to JFK and LBJ.

When I mentioned the women that were visiting the White House: initially Arlene, Frankie, Terry, and Edie, something pinged in Frankie’s mind. She looked intensely at Greg, realizing he was the only person in the Clan who definitely was taller than she, and quite possibly, stronger. After our meeting broke up, she wandered over to him. “Hey, big guy. How about working out together some? Marcyne is about the only other person comparable to me in strength, until I thought of you. My initial thought is the gym and the dojo, but if you’re interested in some more intimate workouts, I’m interested too!” Frankie happened to enjoy, in day-to-day wear inside our building, outfits based on either the green and white of Lincoln Junior High, or the black and gold of Mountain High. She looked better in the former. As opposed to the original uniform, though, depending on how she felt on a given day and what she planned to do, she might wear true athletic shoes, sneakers with a stacked high heel, or outright CFM ankle-strapped sandals.

Greg, for all his experience as a Naval officer, was rather shy. Somehow, when I looked at his dark skin, I knew that he was blushing even though I couldn’t see it.

I could see, however, that when Frankie licked her lips. his went dry. She giggled happily, and crooked a finger at him.

He caught Margaret’s eye, and Margaret walked over to the pair. “Frankie, how would you feel about Margaret joining us?” Greg concentrated on suggesting trust me to Margaret.

When they got to Greg’s room, he was able to use his size and command experience to get the two to listen. “First, both of you are exciting women. Second, I’m not averse to that, but I’m less experienced and more shy than you might think.

“When I first was recruited for the Clan, Margaret literally didn’t think of my color, as opposed to Arlene, who didn’t care about it. Margaret, getting back to my shyness, I’ve wanted you since then. Arlene also was special. Of course, I now appreciate every woman in the group, but everyone has specific attractions.”

“Sure, Greg. You’re obviously physically powerful, while my physique sometimes makes me feel like a freak among women.” Frankie reached out and hugged Margaret. “At least Margaret is fairly tall, if not the jockette that I am.

Margaret tended to wear not miniskirts, but skirts and dresses that had slits, wraps, or both. She often adjusted them so her long legs flashed, rather than being on constant view. In like manner -- she flashed back to her reputation, among the students, for her “living bra” -- she would wear things that clung to her moderate sized and very shapely breasts, rather than low-cut tops. It was a different style than Frankie, who, if she wasn’t emulating Jackie Kennedy, liked her cheerleader and athletic outfits that bared her legs, but not with outright provocation.

The two women flanked Greg on the couch. “Ahem.” Margaret did make a point of opening the slit of her dress, exposing her pretty legs. She started to place one of Greg’s hands on her thigh, then raised it to her breast. With her other hand, she turned his face to hers, opened her mouth, and kissed him, her tongue probing.

“Greg, please hold me, take me, so that I don’t worry about breaking you. I don’t want to be a frail woman, but I don’t always want to be the strongest in the room.”

Greg and Margaret sensed Frankie’s desires. These were things that she didn’t want regularly. They certainly were not things that she would risk with LBJ, given his need to control and his fascination with her confidently pushing back.

They assisted Frankie in undressing, and then lying on her back. Margaret squatted on her face. “Close your eyes, Frankie. You’re safe. We are, however, going to do things to you.”

Greg, standing at the edge of the bed, raised Frankie’s feet to his shoulders, and, for a minute or so, tightly wrapped his arms around her legs. With no need to touch her, he knew that she was lubricating copiously, and the scent of her musk just confirmed it. He himself felt extremely self-assured and secure. Confident that it was just what she wanted, he moved his hips quickly, driving his full length into her, just enough to brush but not hurt her cervix. Frankie screamed in pleasure. When she could catch her breath, she slurped at Margaret’s nectar, making no pretense at trying to give her oral sex. Margaret fully understood, and took vicarious pleasure in Frankie’s passion.

Greg himself was lost in sensation. Suddenly, he felt a wet fire inside him, and then convulsive pumping in his groin as he squirted again and again. As he lowered her legs, careful not to collapse, his hand brushed Frankie’s groin and felt a happy puddle.

Margaret lifted off Frankie’s face, and this time, buried her face in Frankie’s groin, very much intent both on driving Frankie into new climaxes, but also in recharging and strengthening her sexual magick with the mixed fluids there, in unusual quantity. After a series of convulsions from Frankie, Margaret rolled to the side. She smiled at Greg, stuck out her tongue, and invited him to share.

Greg found himself growing hard again, a bit surprising for a man of 35. He became aware of an imposed thought: You have seen the younger ones growing taller and stronger. Why do you think the older members of the Clan are excluded? Where the young ones are moving their muscles and bone to an older biological age, your reproductive system is moving back to its teenage perception. There was a laugh in his thoughts. As opposed into your shy teenage years, you will not lack for willing playmates. He felt his erection growing to the twitching point. Excite yourself further by realizing you are fucking what a President fucks.

When George Reedy convened the briefing, he was visibly angry. “Not only is Bull Connor arresting children, he’s now using dogs and fire hoses against them.”

Bobby Kennedy had had it. “Burke Marshall is going to Birmingham. Does anyone have a problem with my ordering the FBI already there, plus some DOJ attorneys, to begin a highly visible investigation that Connor is violating civil rights?”

“Just be careful,” JFK pointed out, “that Hoover is going to look out for his own bureaucratic power agenda. He also hates King.”

4 May

At the CIA Station in Saigon, Station Chief John Richardson debated what he should report to Washington. He and Ambassador Nolting were not on good terms. Ideally, they had complementary roles, with CIA having a rapport with Ngo Dinh Nhu, the President’s brother and chief adviser, while the Ambassador had the official relationship with President Diem.

Eventually, he decided to send a spot report to CIA Headquarters, bypassing the Ambassador. He remained troubled, however, for not having an audience to discuss strategy.

“Tension growing between Buddhists and Catholics, especially in Hue, where Catholics will be celebrating the birthday of Diem’s brother, the Archbishop of Hue, Ngo Dinh Thuc. Display of flags other than the national one had been banned, ostensibly to prevent the use of Communist flags. The Catholics, however, have been given a dispensation to fly Catholic flags.”

6 May

In Vietnam, Catholics flew the Vatican flag to celebrate the birthday of Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc, the brother of President Diem. They flew it with a government waiver of the prohibition of display of other than the national flag.

“Lorna, what’s your interpretation?”

“Terry, you may want to join in. Archbishop Thuc is extremely conservative, but also has ties to American anticommunist supporters of Diem, such as Cardinal Spellman.”

Terry pointed out “What I’ve heard is that Spellman is backing away from Diem. President Kennedy might be able to act here without upsetting the American Catholic establishment.”

McGeorge Bundy set up a secure phone call with Richardson. “I’d like you to think about George Kennan’s Long Telegram, and the effect that it had on American strategy. Is it possible for you to give operational matters to your deputy, and devote a couple of days to coming up with your equivalent of the Long Telegram for US-Vietnamese relations, and, indeed, Vietnamese regional relations?

“This will go to Roger Hilsman’s new team, which the President has asked to take a fresh look. If it would be useful for you to come to DC to consult, that’s more than reasonable.”

7 May

Reedy told the group, “Connor and his police department have jailed over three thousand demonstrators. That was turning into an economic disaster for Birmingham. As with the Montgomery Bus Boycott, SCLC and the Senior Citizens Committee, who represented a majority of Birmingham businesses, came to an agreement.

“Jack, I’m thinking that economic pressure was damned effective in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. I wonder if there might be some Commerce Department people that know the urban southern economy, and might just do some studies that identify places that buttons can be pushed. No Federal involvement in the pushing, of course.”

“I like that. Might even put some of that on Bob McNamara’s research plate. Asking Secretary of Commerce Luther Hodges could be a problem, since he was a segregationist as governor. The more I think about it, the more that I think that this is the sort of quantitative problem that would appeal to Bob. It wouldn’t be the hardcore STEM research that I first mentioned, but let’s suggest it to him.”

8 May

This was the first day when our daily meetings addressed both foreign policy and domestic matters, the latter mostly in civil rights.

Vietnam

The President, of course, learned of a major incident in Viet Nam before we did. The duty officer immediately called the National Security Adviser, who would decide how quickly the President needed to be notified.

“Mr. Bundy, this is Lieutenant Commander Miller, the duty officer in the Sit Room. In Hue, Army of the Republic of Vietnam troops fired on Buddhists protesting the Vatican flag. Nine were killed and fourteen injured.

“The CIA station assessed this as a likely trigger to more and larger protests. They are getting in touch with Buddhist and other opposition leaders.”

We gathered around the large TV set, as the President opened his press conference, saying “I am gratified to note the progress in the efforts by white and Negro citizens to end an ugly situation in Birmingham, Alabama. I have made it clear since assuming the Presidency that I would use all available means to protect human rights, and uphold the law of the land. Through mediation and persuasion and, where that effort has failed, through lawsuits and court actions, we have attempted to meet our responsibilities in this most difficult field where Federal court orders have been circumvented, ignored, or violated. We have committed all of the power of the Federal Government to insure respect and obedience of court decisions, and the law of the land.

“In the City of Birmingham, the Department of Justice some time ago instituted an investigation into voting discrimination. It supported in the Supreme Court an attack on the city’s segregation ordinances. We have, in addition, been watching the present controversy, to detect any violation of the Federal civil rights or other statutes. In the absence of such violation or any other Federal jurisdiction, our efforts have been focused on getting both sides together to settle in a peaceful fashion the very real abuses too long inflicted on the Negro citizens of that community.

“Assistant Attorney General Burke Marshall, representing the Attorney General and myself on the scene, has made every possible effort to halt a spectacle which was seriously damaging the reputation of both Birmingham and the country. Today, as the result of responsible efforts on the part of both white and Negro leaders over the last 72 hours, the business community of Birmingham has responded in a constructive and commendable fashion and pledged that substantial steps would begin to meet the justifiable needs of the Negro community.

The first question was about the statement on Birmingham? “I believe you said that the results of the efforts by Mr. Marshall have been that the business community has pledged that substantial steps will begin to meet the needs of the Negro community. Could you expand that? What kind of substantial steps?”

Frankie and Edie became aware that JFK thought to himself, now we get several reporters asking essentially the same question, getting the same answer, and then the next reporter repeats.

“No, that’s not quite what I said. I said as the result of responsible efforts on the part of both white and Negro leaders over the last 72 hours, the business community of Birmingham, and so on. So it is their efforts, and not the Federal Government’s efforts. I would think it would be much better to permit the community of Birmingham to proceed now in the next 24 hours to see if we can get some-- and not from here. I want the city and state to solve their problems as best they can, with the Federal government becoming involved only if necessary.

“Negro leaders have announced suspension of their demonstrations, and when the newly elected Mayor who has indicated his desire to resolve these problems takes office, the City of Birmingham has committed itself wholeheartedly to continuing progress in this area.

“While much remains to be settled before the situation can be termed satisfactory, we can hope that tensions will ease and that this case history which has so far only narrowly avoided widespread violence and fatalities will remind every State, every community, and every citizen how urgent it is that all bars to equal opportunity and treatment be removed as promptly as possible.

I urge the local leaders of Birmingham, both white and Negro, to continue their constructive and cooperative efforts.

“Mr. President, against the background or possibility of similar trouble developing in other Southern towns, I wonder if you could tell us how you regard the techniques that were used over the last few days in Birmingham by either side, dogs and fire hoses used by one side, and the use of school children and protest marchers by the other side?

What do you expect me to say? The Birmingham government officials are sadistic assholes?

“I think what we are interested in now is seeing the situation peacefully settled in the next 12, 24 hours. I think all of our statements should be devoted to that end. Quite obviously, as my remarks indicated, the situation in Birmingham was damaging the reputation of Birmingham and the United States. It seems to me that the best way to prevent that kind of damage, which is very serious, is to, in time, take steps to provide equal treatment to all of our citizens. That is the best remedy in this case and other cases.

“Mr. President, in the Alabama crisis at Birmingham, according to your interpretation of the powers of the Presidency, was there power that you possessed either by statute or the Constitution that you chose not to invoke or did you use your powers in your view to the fullest in this controversy?

“There isn’t any Federal statute that was involved in the last few days in Birmingham, Alabama. I indicated the areas where the Federal Government had intervened in Birmingham, the matter of voting, the matter of dealing with education, and other matters. On the specific question of the parades, that did not involve a Federal statute. The Attorney General, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, and the Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Legal Counsel, Mr. Norbert A. Schlei, will continue to monitor the matter.

Admiral Anderson

“Sir, the fact that Admiral Anderson was not retained as Chief of Naval Operations has been written about in such a way as to imply that he did not measure up to your expectations as the head of the Navy, that he might have bucked reorganization plans, that he opposed Defense Secretary McNamara on various things which you probably are familiar with. Is it true that he was not retained as a sort of warning to others in the Navy to get in line with the Secretary and yourself?”

“As you know, Secretary McNamara is coming to the White House. His replacement, Deputy Secretary Gilpatric, enjoys excellent relations with the Joint Chiefs and the Navy. Admiral Anderson will move to a new, responsible post, which will be announced at the appropriate time.”