'Of course.'
'Is there going to be press coverage?' Hood asked.
'We absolutely will not solicit coverage, but we will make an announcement,' Kline said. 'We want Dhamballa to know he cannot scare us away. We're sure some press will be in Gaborone, but there will be no additional statements, no press conferences. The Church has a narrow line to walk between supporting its mission and defying the will of a native faction.'
'What kind of precautions are you arranging for the bishop's security?' Hood asked.
'We're working with local authorities,' Kline said.
'Is that all?' Herbert asked.
Kline regarded the intelligence chief. 'We have other options open to us,' he replied. 'The bishop will be safe.'
'I have no doubt,' Herbert said.
'Why is that?' Kline asked.
'Because, Edgar, I'm betting you've invoked the Madrid Accords,' Herbert replied.
It was the first time Herbert had ever seen Edgar Kline seem surprised. 'You've been busy,' Kline said.
'We both have,' Herbert replied.
'Back up,' Hood said. 'I'm not familiar with the accords.'
'Three years ago, the Vatican signed a secret agreement with the Ministerio de Defensa de Espana,' Herbert said. 'In exchange for aggressive support from the Vatican, tha, prince promised to provide ground troops in the event of action un-
110
OP-CENTER
dertaken against the Church in any developing country.'
Kline waved his hand dismissively. 'The Madrid Accords are not a secret,' he said.
'Not if you happen to read the Fraternal Vatican Minutes, which is not available on-line or outside the Hall of Records in Rome. Or you might have read about it if you had access to the Spanish Alliance file at the Defense Ministry in Madrid,' Herbert pointed out. '/ only know about the arrangement because at two-fifteen this morning, I called one of our people in Spain. I asked her to look into the existence of any such agreements.'
'What prompted you to do that?' Kline asked.
'A visit you had from Deputy Chief of Ministry Rodriguez very early this morning,' Herbert replied.
Kline's pleasant features darkened. 'You had me watched.'
'That's right.'
'I'm very disappointed, Bob.'
'So am I,' Herbert replied evenly. 'You asked for my help, but you didn't tell me everything.'
'There wasn't much to tell,' Kline replied.
'There was enough for you to withhold it,' Herbert pointed out.
'We have security issues that I did not wish to discuss or disclose,' Kline replied. 'The ramifications of another nation lending that kind of support go beyond the current crisis.'
'Gentlemen, now I'm the only one who's confused,' Hood said. 'Bob, would you tell me what's going on?'
'I've pretty much told you all I know for certain, Paul,' Herbert said. 'Edgar wanted our help locating Father Bradbury. I brought Mike aboard, set things in motion, then found out that there are other players. That this situation may be bigger than we were led to believe.'
Herbert did not want to say anything to Kline about the call from Shigeo Fujima. For all he knew, there might not be a connection. If there were a connection, he wanted to keep that contact to himself.
Hood looked over at Kline. 'Mr. Kline?'
'The involvement of the Spanish military is a very delicate
MISSION OF HONOR
111
aspect of this 'situation,' as Bob describes it,' Kline said. 'The Vatican does have a defense arrangement with the Spanish military. The agreement does not affect the main body of the military. It is only with the Grupo del Cuartel General, Unidad Especial del Despliegue.'
'That's the Spanish military's equivalent to Striker,' Herbert said. 'A rapid deployment unit about two hundred commandos strong. They're based in Valencia, on the Mediterranean.'
'Correct,' Kline replied. 'The only time we ever expected to call on them is if there were an imminent threat against His Holiness or the Vatican itself. I didn't tell you about their involvement because they're not going into Botswana in an official capacity.'
'They're going to Father Bradbury's parish in Maun as tourists,' Herbert replied.
Kline seemed even more surprised than he had been a minute before. 'What makes you think that?' he asked.
