I made no attempt to rise to my feet, as I lay next to the lapping water on the slanted ramp. The reddish dirty bag rope dangled from my right hand. When I’d been out in the pier-end restaurant with Shawna, neither she nor any of the members of the Dwarfs, really had much to do with the Western White House machinations, except for Gularte and now Bob Elwell. In thinking about what Paul had said in guiding me, with respect to the ‘sinking of the Porsche,’ as my mind always went to in thinking about the incident, and my ever more strange meetings with Mardian, I’d come to realize that having certain information could risk the person who had the information. The White House’s level of power was so great that just a hint that somebody might need to be ‘taken care of’ at a lower level, particularly when things were falling apart all over, could be a terminal kind of discussion, or instruction, or order.
I was cold to my core. The canvas sack dangled against my leg, water cascading its way through the rough canvas threads. Whatever was inside the sack was soaked through unless somehow water repellant in some other way. Mardian had no trouble believing the package would be destroyed by the smallest of explosives, even the pound of C-4 I’d been saddled with wouldn’t have left much of the car to be recognizable if and when the wreck finally surfaced. There was little doubt in my mind that Butch wouldn’t be after the Porsche first thing in the morning. His enthusiasm had been most evident when he’d talked about it.
LT another very good chapter! The tangled web I referenced earlier is becoming more tangled with each chapter!
Thanks, Terry, for the nice comment and compliment. I am working away on the next chapter and I
hope you like it as much.
Semper fi,
Jim
Now this is truly headlong down the rabbit hole ! Given Nixon’s history with missing minutes, and the caption relating to the 3 marines leads one to believe perhaps there were other tapes in other places that weren’t part of the “official” record but daming none the less.
You obviously were subject of signifigantly more surveillance than you were aware of, and many players with “skin in the game” like Richard and Cobb, not all playing on your team.
Another superbly crafted installment, keeping us glued to the edge of the seat ! Trying to link all the tantalyzing morsels you’ve dropped for clues, Nixon tapes, JFK assassination, 3 dead Marines, Cobbs Yacht… it’s all lines and shadows…
Curiouser and Curiouser….
Thanks James, as your kind of in depth comment carries so much meaning and also offers additional insight
to others on here reading and commenting, as well. Thanks for that and the compliments inherent inside
the body of your work here.
Semper fi,
Jim
Never commit anything to paper or tape that you don’t want to come back and bite you in the ass !
Certainly reasonable advice Chuck, although such communications can also be set ups for allowing beliefs to be grown that would otherwise
have insufficient credibility to be invested in.
Thanks for the comment and for being you…
Semper fi,
Jim
Well it’s very obvious the Western White House is watching you all the time.
How else could they show up at the pier just as you have come out of the water. I would not feel comfortable with the tapes anywhere near my family knowing what you know so far. After all three marines died for some unexplained reason very close to the compound. A lot going on in this chapter. Thank you.
What is ‘near my family’ and how does it pertain when the reach of the powerful, compared to me, was beyond comprehension.
As today, although more so today, there was already no hiding out as technology had come so far, and much farther today.
Osama’s location was known and tracked from day one. It was just that they didn’t really want him for quite awhile.
The guy in Pennsylvania found out that there’s really no going to ground or being off the grid. The grid is everywhere.
As this same joker will discover up in Maine.
A lot going on, very true.
Thanks JT for spending the time and effort thinking things through.
Semper fi,
Jim
Never ever thought that is what would be in the frunk!! And again you leave us holding our breath to get more answers. Great read, don’t stop now Lt. Semper fi sir!!!
No stopping in sight Bob, and happy on a Thursday night to be half way through the next chapter already…
driven by the powers of motivation which you are very much a part of.
Semper fi, and thanks Bob,
Jim
James, Curiosity killed the cat. Information brought him back. We know you survived. Just how it will play out remains to be seen. Richard is the wild card. Who does he report to? Better to ask Butch to hold off on finding and raising the Porsche.
In Chapter 51 Gularte’s truck is used to drive to Dana Point. In this chapter the Volks is the means of transport. I’ll make some suggestions.
My opinion is to stick with the truck.
Some minor editing suggestions follow:
little doubt in my mind that Butch wouldn’t be after the Porsche first thing in the morning
Context implies Butch “would be”
little doubt in my mind that Butch would be after the Porsche first thing in the morning
/Some changes from the end of chapter 51./
Here: I pulled the bag slowly up and eased it over my left shoulder
Chapter 51: rushed the soaking package to the back of the truck and threw it inside.
/Suggest drop the sentence from chapter 51./
Chapter 51: I headed down to the street where Gularte and Elwell waited in his truck. The cab proved so large that the bench seat held all three of us with plenty of room to spare.
/Suggest we keep the truck and change references to the Volks in chap 52/
Here: The Volks, just toss your own goggles and mine, plus the bag onto the passenger seat and come back
Change “The volks” to “The truck” or “Gularte’s truck”
“and come back” is negated by the following
“Wait inside the car,” I instructed,
Drop “and come back”
The truck, just toss your own goggles and mine, plus the bag onto the passenger seat.
OR
Gularte’s truck, just toss your own goggles and mine, plus the bag onto the passenger seat
latch will not operate,” replied, keeping my voice
Add “I” before “replied”
latch will not operate,” I replied, keeping my voice
risking almost everything, as since I’d known Haldeman took it very badly
“as” and “since” seem duplicate. Drop one.
risking almost everything, as I’d known Haldeman took it very badly
information whatsoever to no one but either the Chief of Staff or myself
Reads a bit smoother if “no one but either” is changed to “no one except”
information whatsoever to no one except either the Chief of Staff or myself
In Chapter 51 “Gularte’s 1970 Ford F100 was our choice of vehicles.”
as we both headed over to the Volks.
I climbed in and took the wheel before starting the little German people’s wagon.
Change “volks” to truck.
Drop second sentence
finally going silent as we both headed over to the truck.
I said the words, started the Volks, and headed for my driveway.
Maybe end with “I said,”
Begin new sentence “Gularte let’s head for my place.”
I said, “Gularte let’s head for my place.”
Bob had thrown the package in front of my seat
Sorta works as is – but since single bench seat in truck maybe change “seat” to “feet”
Bob had thrown the package in front of my feet
I felt the cold moisture bleed from it as I drove.
Change “I” to “we”
I felt the cold moisture bleed from it as we drove.
There had been and was not now a knot to secure the short but heavy rope
Seems contradictory:
Could substitute “but” for and”
There had been but not now a knot to secure the short but heavy rope
/which assumes you untied the knot/
OR
Reword to “never been”
There had never been and was not now a knot to secure the short but heavy rope
I trusted Mardian to a degree, not to have informed me if the bag was booby-trapped
Maybe drop “not”
I trusted Mardian to a degree, to have informed me if the bag was booby-trapped
there appeared no trip wire or detonator
Could add “to be” after “appeared”
there appeared to be no trip wire or detonator
staring down into the ness.
“mess” instead of “ness”
staring down into the mess.
I could never expected to see: “San Clemente Three USMC.”
Drop “could”
I never expected to see: “San Clemente Three USMC.”
The three dead Marines, where and when it had all started
Add “was” before “where”
The three dead Marines, was where and when it had all started
Had he been right in his expressing his opinion
“his” twice. drop “his” before “expressing”
Had he been right in expressing his opinion
face my wife, while the tup water ran behind me.
“tub” instead of “tup”
face my wife, while the tub water ran behind me.
leech out the salt from the tape itself, depending upon what kind of take it is
“tape” rather than “take”
leech out the salt from the tape itself, depending upon what kind of tape it is
C60, C90, or C120 on their labels
/ Number after “C” is play time. – these usually were cassettes?
/Longer play time may have thinner tape./
“You have a micrometer with vermeils on it. Just take one tape and refold a piece about thirty times and measure that in vermeils and you’ll be able to convert to microns.”
/I cannot find “vermeils” anywhere as a unit of measurement./
Maybe “mils”
“You have a micrometer with mils on it. Just take one tape and refold a piece about thirty times and measure that in mils and you’ll be able to convert to microns.”
/mils are one one thousands of an inch./
taking a sip from his Hamms bottle
“Hamm’s”
taking a sip from his Hamm’s bottle
morning as they weren’t about to go anywhere.”
No need for closing quote
morning as they weren’t about to go anywhere.
Blessings & Be Well
Dear DanC: Much needed repairs to the artwork here and especially in picking up the truck and Volks juxtaposition.
As usual, you make the work better than it would ever be without you.
Semper fi, my friend,
Jim
Jeepers,, Jim! You get into more stuff than my new Siberian Husky pup! If I didn’t believe you are still alive…
Really wondering if you are still going to listen to those tapes, especially “The San Clemente Three”.
I’ll leave the small edits to the customary crew.
Semper Fi, my friend – hope we can meet sometime before Agent Orange finally does me in.
Thanks Craig for your usual special form of compliments. I cannot write some things here because the
answers to some of your apropos questions follow in the next chapters…which, of course, you already know.
Semper fi,
Jim
Deeper and deeper into the abyss we go!!
A strange but accepted form of a compliment. I’ll take it as such.
It was a sort of abyss, but in plural form.
Thanks for the help in thinking about it and all the other rare, but quite a few, people like you helping me along.
Semper fi,
Jim
Those tapes were so hot I’m surprised they didn’t dry off immediately. Can’t wait for the next chapter. Thank you again Jim
Tim
Most welcome Tim, and yes the tapes were something else indeed, and a shock to discover
as I had no idea what could possibly be kept in Mardian’s son’s trunk that would be of
any relevance whatsoever. But that was life then, and as I came to know in later years with
the CIA, not that uncommon at all for powerful figures and situations.
Semper fi,
Jim
staring down into the ness.* Inside are (* mess)
while the tup * water ran (* tub)
depending upon what kind of take * it is, of course.” (*tape)
“Tapes” , Haldeman , !!! Oh boy here we go, from the White House or was that later in time ??
Then there’s the one marked about the three Marines, so that’s really intriguing !!!
Great read James, wow what next ??
Semper Fi
Thanks for the help SgtBob and the compliment, as well…
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim,
Thanks for a new chapter.
Especially one that ties back into the 3 dead marines.
MAYBE we will have SOME light shed on that “incident.”
Next time you plan a caper, you might as well post a note in the local newspaper. Seems like a lot of unexpected people showed up to the dive to get the frunk package.
Secret information is damned hard to keep secret, not typically because of its value in being sold or any of that,
but simply because humanity loves to be in possession of secrets but loves even more to be known as having such stuff…and, unfortunately, usually the only way a person can prove that he or she has such information is to reveal some or all of it.
Semper fi,
Jim
Don’t tell me, let me guess. The voice from the back of the Lincoln was President Nixon. Another outstanding chapter James.
Thanks for the thought and guess Charles. No, it wasn’t Nixon.
No president travels at night in a limo without a huge entourage and Nixon was no different.
Thanks for always being on here to comment too…
Semper fi,
Jim
Good point, Jim
As a side note with Nixon.
When we played gin in the men’s locker room at the golf course, it was very
‘private’
Just the four of us, Nixon, Jack Brennan (a loyal Marine and Aide to Nixon who just passed away on October 20, 2023), and my golf partner.
Believe it or not, there were a few Secret Service wandering around the area
Thought I heard a rumblin’
Calling to my name
Two hundred million guns are loaded
Satan cries, “Take aim
Exceptional writing. I am surprised Kissinger let Haldeman speak first. However, HK probably save your ass. So is this the missing tapes from Nixon’s secret tapes. Nixon’s personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, claimed to have accidentally erased the missing minutes, which are you found?
Two things strike me is who was giving up the dwarfs? Why were you bugged ? I guess paranoia strikes deep Into your life it will creep It starts when you’re always afraid Step out of line, the men come and take you away
What astounds me is that these tapes were valuable so why not put them in a baggie then in the bag in case of water or rain?
Why were they treated so lackadaisically?
Engrossing stuff.
I know this is going to turn out to be a mauve herring.
Chills
Thanks Rich for the usual interesting and great comment.
There were no little plastic baggies back in those days, not available in regular grocery stores
anyway. The bag was not secured for underwater exposure because the person who placed it there
obviously never could have conceived of the Porsche spending time underwater (that part was me, as you know).
At least that’s my conjecture.Things that are truly secret many times are not classified that way, or even at
all. The classification alone declares the stuff to be vitally secret and important, like all the stuff that
is being bandied about today with presidents and others possessing it when they shouldn’t. If nobody thinks it’s secret
then nobody much cares about it unless it looks obviously that it might have cash value.
Semper fi, my friend,
Jim
What was in the bag was a surprise but remembering the Nixon problems shouldn’t have been….wow, that picture an actual?
Comment on mistakes vs Ahau….even as a Basic School rookie we were train in an order thought process; your little slice of heaven in California was a much more complex space! You are correct in turning up your video surveillance now!!!
I probably shouldn’t ever admit that I have surveillance where I live, everywhere
nad in many forms. PTSD strikes deep and is often shared with substantial paranoia.
Thanks for the usual great comment and more will be reveal as this thing continues to develop.
Semper fi, my friend,
Jim
Are you leading in to a story on DALLAS? 🙂 By chance James. sounds possible to me. great segment, by the way!!
Thanks for that analogous comparison Harold. Very complimentary.
Much appreciate the support and loyalty
Semper fi
Jim