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The plan had been well thought-out, making use of data already collected by the previous mass murder operations of Aktion squads. Detailed statistics on the demographics of eleven million Jews.
The first stage would be mass evacuation under the guise of Arbeitseinsatz- the “labor effort.” Those evacuees not liquidated by “natural causes” would be “treated suitably.” The whole thing had the arrogant detachment of an academic conference, the participants conducting scholarly, high-minded discussions of optimal killing techniques…
A secret conference, revealed to posterity only because Herr Eichma
A conference held in the Berlin district known as Wa
Wa
Wa
Wa
My breath grew short and the ache in my jaw reminded me I’d been clenching my teeth.
I returned my gaze to the book. The pages before me were well thumbed, foxed to fuzz at the corners.
In the right margin the words had been penciled, in the neat, measured printing I’d come to know as Ike Novato’s:
“Wa
Several inches below that: “Crevolin again? Maybe.”
Then a phone number with a 931 prefix.
The Fairfax district.
Wa
Crevolin. It sounded like a hair-replacement tonic. Or something made from petrochemicals.
Some kind of code? Or maybe a name.
I dialed the Fairfax number. A receptionist recited the call letters of one of the TV networks. Surprise slowed my response and before I could answer she repeated the triad of consonants and said, “May I help you?”
“Yes. I’d like to speak with Mr. Crevolin.” Fifty percent chance of getting the gender right.
She said, “One moment.”
Click.
“Terry Crevolin’s office.”
“Mr. Crevolin, please.”
“He’s out of the office.”
“When do you expect him back?”
“Who is this, please?”
Not knowing how to answer that, I said, “A friend. I’ll call back later,” and hung up.
I dialed the Holocaust Center and asked for Judy Baumgartner. She came to the phone sounding cheerful.
“Yes, Alex, what can I do for you?”
“Milo asked me to look through Ike Novato’s books. I just came across something Ike wrote in one of the margins and thought you might be able to explain it to me.”
“What is it?”
“Wa
“Wa
“Whys that?”
“Wa
“Sounds like the Bund, reborn.”
“More like the Hitler-Stalin pact,” she said. “The extremes crushing the middle. We checked it out, never found any evidence it had happened. The prevailing wisdom is that it’s apocryphal- one of those urban folk myths, like alligators in the sewer system. But chances are this particular myth got a little special help. The rumor began circulating just around the time of Cointelpro- the counterintelligence program the Nixon administration set up to sabotage radical movements.”
“Where was this conference supposed to have taken place?”
“I’ve heard different versions, ranging from Germany to right here in the U.S. I’ve even heard claims that it took place on a military base- the confederation was supposed to have lots of members in the armed forces and in various police forces around the country. How’s that for something to feed your paranoia?” Pause. “Wa
“His landlady was an old radical with an interest in the Holocaust,” I said. “The two of them used to talk politics. She may have told him about Wa
“Well, given that, I can see why he’d pursue it. Blacks were a prime target of Wa
“Sounds pretty nuts.”
“So did Hitler, at the begi
I said, “There was something else in the margin. Crevolin. And a phone number. I called it and got the office of someone named Terry Crevolin, at one of the TV networks.”
“I know Terry!” she said. “He works in development- screening scripts. He worked with us last year on our war-criminal special-The Hidden. We won an Emmy.”
“I remember. Did Ike know him?”
“Not as far as I know, but I’m starting to see there were lots of things I didn’t know about Ike.”
“Could they have met at the Center?”
“No. Terry was just here a couple of times, for meetings. And that was last year, months before Ike showed up. Though I suppose there could have been a chance meeting if Terry dropped in without my knowing it. What exactly did Ike write in that book?”
“Wa
“The only thing that comes to mind is that Terry used to be involved with the New Left- even wrote a book about it. I recall his mentioning that. He seemed kind of embarrassed and proud at the same time. I guess Ike could have seen him as a source, though how Ike would know that, I have no idea.”
“A source on the New Left?”
“Maybe. Certainly not on the Holocaust. Terry wasn’t especially knowledgeable about that until we educated him. You’ve really got my curiosity piqued. If you find out anything useful, please let me know.”
I called the network again and got patched through to Crevolin’s office. He was still out. This time I left my name and said it was about Ike Novato. Then I phoned Milo at the West L.A. station, pla
I searched through the rest of Ike’s books, found no more marginal notes or Wa
Crevolin again?
Instead of implying Ike had been unsuccessful in reaching the network man, it might mean they’d talked and Crevolin hadn’t given him what he wanted.
But why had Ike believed Crevolin would he helpful?
A New Left veteran. And author.
Perhaps Ike had gotten hold of Crevolin’s book and found something interesting.