you are in our country.'
A half hour of pleasantries followed, and a discussion of subjects ranging from the raid at Wonsan to a recent coup attempt in the Philippines.
As tea was served by white-jacketed attendants, Magruder leaned back in his chair.
'I suppose we should touch on the main reason we're here,' he said, gesturing. An aide handed him a copy of CBG-14's orders which he slid across the table to Duong. 'As you can read there, we have been directed to assist your government in every way possible short of actually participating in combat. It is the belief of the Joint Chiefs that combat operations which resulted in Americans flying missions against That nationals would not be productive for either government.'
Duong gave a wry smile as he flipped through the pages. 'I tend to agree, Admiral. Especially given the curiously anti-American flavor of the demonstrators lately.' He shook his head sadly. 'I've not seen anything like this in Thailand before. I wonder sometimes if the rumors of foreign leadership among the insurrectionists are not true. Most Thais like Americans!'
'This is a somewhat awkward situation, actually,' Magruder said. 'On the one hand, we're supposed to demonstrate our support for your government. On the other, we're to keep a low profile and try not to get shot at. Sometimes our orders can be a little… contradictory.'
Duong laughed. 'The very essence of bureaucracy! In any case, there should be no problem. Our people will take heart with the knowledge that one of America's supercarriers is anchored at Sattahip. Our aviators will be inspired flying alongside yours. But we certainly do not envision a combat role for your people.'
'So what is the military situation?' Magruder asked. 'Our sources haven't been very informative on that point.'
Duong gave a massive shrug. 'The That CIA believes the insurrection in the northern districts is simply a renewal of the old communist guerrilla offensive. The Communist Party of Thailand was never able to secure a strong power base among the people they pretended to represent. We've had very little trouble out of them since we beat them in the Chong Cham Mountains in 1982.
'This… this new movement appears to have begun about six months ago.
If it is the old CPT, then it has been reborn, with new leaders, new sources of supplies and arms, everything. They are elusive, well-armed, and well-supplied. Their leadership and discipline appears to be quite good. On an individual level, their soldiers are not as good as ours, not as well-trained.'
'Have there been many major engagements? How bad is it up there now?'
Duong pursed his lips, then made a so-so gesture with his hand.
'Militarily, the insurrection is not a serious problem, though obviously we are concerned. So far, most of what we have seen are skirmishes and raids, coupled with attempts to extort rice and other supplies from the local villages. The greater danger is less direct.' He exchanged glances with Colonel Kriangsak.
'I would have to agree,' Kriangsak said in a low, cultured voice. 'Some of our officers feel that the government's current policy is too lenient, too soft on communism. This has raised the possibility of a coup.'
'Toss out the old guard so that we can do things right,' Magruder said.
'We have been responding to the threat in strength,' Duong continued. 'A number of army units have already been transferred to the border, and others are scheduled for movement within the next few days. Air groups have been repositioned north to both Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.'
'What about the possibility that the rebels are being supplied from Burma?' Marusko asked. 'I'm still worried about those MiGs.'
'There is some evidence that the rebels are being supplied across the border,' Duong said. 'But there is no proof.'
'Those MiGs look like pretty good proof to me,' Marusko said. 'Your average jungle-fighting guerrilla doesn't normally pack MiG-21s as part of his personal armament!'
'Burmese support is a possibility, yes,' Duong admitted.
'Actually,' Kriangsak said, 'we haven't yet been able to confirm that they have MiGs. Rangoon has denied the incident.'
'But there seems to be no other reasonable explanation.' Duong shrugged.
'I suppose the MiGs could have been Chinese aircraft, though what reason the PRC would have had to cross several hundred kilometers of Burmese territory to attack one of our planes…' He waved one hand helplessly in the air. 'It makes no sense.'
'Burma is still the most likely enemy,' Colonel Kriangsak added. 'They have been Thailand's traditional enemies for centuries, and there is little doubt that it is they who are supplying the rebels in the northern provinces.'
'We also have to know whether our air operations can continue over your territory,' Magruder said. He paused to take a sip of tea from the cup at his elbow. 'We grounded all ops yesterday except for routine CAPS. I don't want my command to blunder into a combat situation before we know what the score is.'
'We will be strengthening our own air patrols along the border, of course,' Duong said. 'I should think there would be no problem for you to continue your flights as well. My government is especially anxious to make use of your Hawkeye early-warning aircraft.'
Magruder nodded. 'No problem there. Also, we will be in a position to pass on satellite reconnaissance photos of the border. That might help make the situation up there clearer. And something more.' He handed another set of papers across the table to the general. 'My staff and I have been discussing the possibility of loaning you a TARPS aircraft and crew for a few days.'
'Excuse me,' Duong said. 'TARPS?'
'Stands for Tactical Aerial Reconnaissance Pod System,' Marusko explained. 'It's a strap-on pod carrying special cameras and infrared imaging scanners. We sling it from the belly of a Tomcat, and it gets us close-up pictures… better and faster than we can usually manage from a satellite.'
'We thought that might be useful for locating guerrilla trails and camps,' Magruder added.
Duong examined the written proposal for a series of TARPS flights over northern Thailand, then passed it over to Kriangsak. 'That could be of enormous benefit,' he said. 'Your orders, however, are to avoid combat. If those MiGs reappear…'
Magruder grinned. 'If that happens, General, maybe you'll have your confirmation of Burmese involvement.'
'That might not be wise, General,' Kriangsak said softly. 'With all due respect to our American friends, the risk of an incident involving them is great. Next time the Burmese intruders could well try to down an American plane instead of one of ours. That could precipitate an unfortunate incident.'
Duong's pudgy fingers drummed on the tabletop for a moment. 'Point taken, Colonel.'
'There is a further difficulty,' Kriangsak continued. 'So far as the dissident officers are concerned, too much reliance on American help might be as bad as inaction against the communists. We must be seen to be handling this ourselves, without farang involvement.'
Magruder smiled. 'I think we can manage to stay inconspicuous, Colonel.
Here's what we can do…'
They continued to work out the details of the joint That-American operation.
Thailand had been winning her long fight against Communism, but for many years Bangkok had been losing another war, the war against the drug lords of the Golden Triangle in the northern part of the country, and now the drug war was high on the agenda of the White House. Washington was concerned that the resurgence of guerrilla activity in northern Thailand might somehow be connected with the Golden Triangle's deadly trade, in the same way that Marxist rebels in South and Central America funded their operations with cocaine. For years, heroin traffic in the region had been controlled by various warlords in the area who, in turn, answered to a cartel ? mostly Chinese ? based in Hong Kong.
With the U.S. Navy helping the That army in its operations against guerrillas, the CIA, the DEA, and other organizations with an interest in the region could get a good look at the area's drug trade as well. Guerrillas and drug smugglers would be using the same trails, even the same camps. The fact that communist insurgents were operating within the Golden Triangle at all meant that they were somehow linked with the local drug lords. No one, including the That army, moved through some parts of Thailand's north hill country without their approval.
None of this was discussed openly with Duong, of course. TARPS reconnaissance of the border region would
