DeMille is the leader of the Writer’s Section at Socotra House mostly through default. Everyone else is too lazy. By training, he is an engineer with a specialty on safe reactor operations. It is harder for him to let go the basic organizational skills than it is for the rest of us. For example, while Melissa does not let the identification of her gender at birth, her naming, post-pubescent activity and reproductive consequences deter her from articulating certain issues as being of particular interest. She shares some of those with Amanda, our legal counsel. But she had left the circle to perform some part of her morning ritual and DeMille wanted to get some regular business done in her absence.

“OK, we can’t talk about student debt, the inflation thing or that crazy sex-ed for kids in kindergarten. That would just mean talking about them again and being told we can talk about them here but not in public. We have a different set of issues. Like actually publishing stuff that might be amusing and useful, which is what we used to do before everyone got so sensitive about everything.”

Splash was alert, and it was too soon to tell if it was regular medication or fentanyl intoxication. “So, we published that book about Admiral Showers and his experience in bringing down the Empire of Japan and the emergence of the modern Intelligence community. There is more about that from our old pal Rex, who actually had a minor role in the second Big War and some real hands-on experience in that conflict in Southeast Asia.”

“We are still having trouble with that topic, even though Amanda seems to think that anything more than twenty years ago is acceptable and not subject to direct offense.”

“That is why we are doing that book about the CROSSROADS atomic tests that exposed thousands of American sailors to all sorts of bad stuff.”

“Yeah, we are doing that story because there is no one to get offended about a bunch of young people getting exposed to radioactive debris in the tropical sun.”

“That is coming along. But the one the Chairman asked about is the one he got warned about. That is a little unusual in the publishing game, since we try to interject a little humor into some big changes.”

“Yeah, I looked at that material about organized anti-social behavior that married up with government officials, how the government itself was changing, and some of the events of what they are calling the American Century.”

Loma had been half-dozing in the gray morning with a soft rattle of raindrops on the aluminum roof of he bunkhouse. The reference to a hundred year period being in the possession of the people who lived around here woke him up. “Lotta soiled laundry about that. They should capitalize it the same way. The ‘Age of Dirty Linen’ has a little more descriptive power.”
“That is why there is some problems with that story. Apparently one of the contributors was in the muscle end of the business. The ‘secret’ end of the show.”

“Aren’t they all dead now? Why would it matter?”

“They had families, and those are still around. The Chairman actually met some of them, and the concern was that bringing up old stuff could cause problems, and the way they traditionally dealt with problems…”

“Was to make them go away, right?” The was from Rocket, who was making an angular motion with his right arm, hand extended with fingers locked straight.

“Exactly. Hollywood made films about some of the stories. Completely exaggerated, of course. But it was a reflection of something unique about the start of a century of American dominance in the world.” DeMille paused at the sudden sound of rushing water from the multi-use latrine. “So, before our legal observer gets back, I want to sum up what we should be looking at.”

Buck smiled, since he is the only one in the circle with credits toward a doctoral degree.

“Yeah. Quick sum? Organized crime in New York was the petri dish. Organized control of prostitution and gambling is a tradition as old as modern civilization. Add Prohibition, an experiment in eliminating public drunkenness and lewd behavior, and there was an opportunity to bring a vast money stream into the provision of vice. The criminals and the cops had a natural adversarial relationship. That was a civic problem suddenly impacted by a major conflict in Europe. The Federal government had a role in port security formalized by assigning responsibility to the Navy Department. The vast expansion in the Army and Navy to deal with the war meant transitioning part of the civilian workforce into temporary military duties. In New York, the logical choice for Law Enforcement was to sign up for the Navy reserves responsible for a sort of quasi-law enforcement responsibility that blended into their regular line of work. And it gave the criminals a means to operate in support of their old adversaries.”

DeMille heard the door close and the click of heels. “Yeah, so this is actually the story of how individual criminals played significant roles in the invasion of Sicily, were rewarded for their service by being sprung from jail, all of it sort of secret. The deals impacted a post-war Presidential election while the cabinet seats for Army and Navy were abolished, a Defense Department established, and some impromptu spook organizations established that thought they were going to be the new leaders of the Department of State. What used to be small parts of three organizations- Army, Navy and Department of Justice- is now a colossus of 17 different groups in Washington that think the same thing. And with new technology, have a comprehensive set of data on every citizen’s finances without troublesome warrants.”

Amanda took a few delicate steps around her chair and sat down gracefully, sweeping a lock of hair from her eye. “Now,” she said, “We can get started with the production meeting.”

There was silence in the circle. No one was going to bring up the matter of Lucky’s family, their relationship with the Intelligence community, the conduit of information from Italy through France after a great conflict, the establishment of a de facto and unresolved matter of the establishment of a fourth branch of government. One that can purchase commercial access to the location and contact information of every smart phone in the country, not to mention imagery of every home every day. “I could tell you a story but would have to leave some of the names out,” said Buck.

Amanda frowned. “If you are going to get historical, rather than topical, we will need footnotes and stuff.”

“That is the part History itself is telling us to leave out. Because it isn’t dead yet. And it isn’t even past.”

Melissa was the first one to laugh, but in a moment she was far from being alone.

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