Caine Mutiny, The - Herman Wouk [257]
Queeg hesitated. “Well, by then, yes, I think.”
“Please read your comment of 1 July on Lieutenant Maryk.”
Queeg stared at the photostat for a long time, hunched over, and began mumbling, “ ‘This officer has if anything improved in his performance of duty since the last fitness report. He is consistently loyal, unflagging, thorough, courageous, and efficient. He is considered at present fully qualified for command of a 1200-ton DMS. His professional zeal and integrity set him apart as an outstanding example for other officers, reserve and regular alike. He cannot be too highly commended. He is recommended for transfer to the regular Navy.’ ”
“Thank you, Commander. No further questions.”
Greenwald walked to his desk and sat. The witness looked toward the judge advocate appealingly. Challee stood slowly, like an old man with rheumatism. He approached the witness stand, and seemed about to speak. Then he turned to Blakely. “No cross-examination.”
“You are excused, Commander,” Blakely said. Queeg went out of the courtroom in the same way that Maryk had seen him pass through the wheelhouse a thousand times-shoulders hunched, head down, feet scurrying, the balls rolling in his fingers.
Greenwald said, “Defense has finished its presentation.”
“Recess until one o’clock,” said Blakely.
CHAPTER 37
The Verdict
Challee had the face of a man sailing into a fist fight when he rose for his opening argument.
“If it please the court, I am almost at a loss to discuss the case the defense has presented. I have nothing to refute. It’s no case at all. It has nothing to do with the charge or the specification. It has nothing whatever to do with the accused, or the acts for which he is undergoing a general court-martial.
“The defense counsel’s very first question in this trial was, ‘Commander, have you ever heard the expression “Old Yellowstain”?’ I objected then, I object now to the entire strategy and tactics of the defense counsel before this court. His one idea has been to twist the proceedings around so that the accused would become not Maryk but Commander Queeg. To a certain extent he has succeeded. He has dragged out every possible vicious and malicious criticism of the commander from the other witnesses, and forced Queeg to defend himself against them in open court, on the spur of the moment, without preparation, without advice of counsel, without any of the normal privileges and safeguards of an accused man under naval law.
“All right. What has defense counsel proved in this orgy of mudslinging, insults, trick questions, and defamation? Let’s assume that everything he tried to prove against Commander Queeg is true-which I don’t for a moment concede-even so, what has he proved, I say, except that Queeg was not a good officer? What has he tried to bring out except that the commander’s term aboard the Caine was an unhappy mess of bad judgment and poor administration? Did that give Lieutenant Maryk the right of summary relief of command? Can this court possibly endorse the precedent that a captain who seems to be making mistakes can be deposed by underlings? And that his only recourse after that is to be placed on the witness stand at a general court-martial to answer every petty gripe and justify all his command decisions to a hostile lawyer taking the part of his insubordinate inferiors? Such a precedent is nothing but a blank check for mutiny. It is the absolute destruction of the chain of command.
“The one issue in this trial was the insanity of Commander Queeg-the insanity, not the mistakes or misdeeds or poor judgment. The language of Articles 184, 185, and 186 excludes every possibility except the complete, utter, and unmistakable madness of the captain. The defense made no effort to establish such a justification for the simple reason that it never existed. Captain Queeg always was and still is as sane as any of us, whatever his errors may have been, and defense counsel knows it.