“You implied that these gangs are engaged in political activities; can you elaborate on that, Mr. Director?”
“Certainly, Mr. President. Certain politicians and community leaders of Hispanic and African heritage are forming alliances with these gangs. Actually, they are morphing into quasi-political organizations at the grass roots level. They provide the muscle to get out the vote, for their candidate of course, and thus influence elections. They intimidate the opposition through threats of violence and occasional acts of brutality. The fact that they are receiving even small shipments of military type armaments is disturbing. These gangs have the potential to become private armies. Several of these gangs number their members in the thousands. They control whole districts, let alone neighborhoods. This is the source of their grassroots intelligence.”
“These politicians that you allege are aligning themselves with these gangs, who are they? What offices do they hold?”
The Directors of the FBI and Homeland Security looked at each other. “They are mostly members of your own party, Mr. President. They include local and state officials, as well as several Hispanic-American and black members of the U.S. House of Representatives from California and the southwestern states,” volunteered the FBI Director.
“What I am hearing is that in order to stop these raids, the U.S. Army will be required, and that there is the possibility that they are linked with political turmoil along the border, centered in southern California. Their foreign ties seem to be with China or Asia, rather than the Middle East.”
Jim Cunningham responded, “That’s about it, Mr. President,” while the others simply nodded in agreement.
“How many men did you lose?”
“I lost twenty men, Señor Ito.” Jesus Gonzalez did not find that particularly disturbing. It was only the loss of Gordo and Ramon that bothered him. The fact that a sharp shooting Texas Highway Patrolman killed Ramon was what irritated him. If he could find a way to exact revenge on the Texas Department of Safety in his next raid, he would do so.
“And did you make much money, Señor Gonzalez?”
“Alas, what the news people say and what we recovered are vastly different. I suppose the bankers skimmed off a great deal. We only relieved the Americans of one hundred thousand dollars between all three banks, not the five hundred thousand they allege. They are lying and pocketing large sums. These Yankee bankers are stealing and blaming us.” Jesus Gonzalez had carefully concealed the actual amount of cash from Chan’s agent.
“The vaults of two of the banks were locked. Our tragedy happened in trying to dynamite one open. That is why we only took one hundred thousand dollars instead of millions. It was the vault of the smallest bank that was open. We know better next time.”
“And you left no wounded behind?”
“In this, the reporters are accurate. We left only the dead.”
“And there are no attempts to locate or follow you?”
“To locate us, yes, to follow us, no.”
“Our friends at the border crossings are well paid. They see nothing and tell us what they see and hear. And their American compatriots tell them much. We left by a variety of routes. This the Americans have not figured out. Some think we are based in Texas. Others think in Mexico, but they do not know how we come and go.”
“You are satisfied with the performance of your men?”
“Si, almost all did well. Only three ran, and the Yankee policeman shot them in the desert.” Jesus Gonzalez read of the finding of two bodies in the desert, shot by Corporal Carlson. He didn’t know if the third was also killed and being denied by the Americans to arouse concern, or if he escaped to die in the desert, or lived to return home. He would have to send someone to visit the man’s home to find out. Jesus Gonzalez was not about to admit to Chan that one man was unaccounted for.
“How soon will your army be ready to raid again, Señor?”
“In a few weeks, perhaps. A little more training is needed. Why, is there any rush? The Americans will be looking for us. Is it not better to wait for a while? Texans are very upset with us. I now am more concerned about Texans in general than their mostly incompetent police.”
“You have several capable, trusted lieutenants, I presume, Señor Gonzalez?”
“Unfortunately, I lost two of my best. They will be hard to replace, but I will make sure of the new ones. You must have something in mind, Señor Ito.”
“Yes, I do. First, I want your best lieutenant to form a small raiding band. His mission is to conduct small raids in Texas. He is to have a free hand in killing, raping and robbing. How he does it is between the two of you. Isolated ranches, truck highjacking, causing train wrecks so that they can be looted of their goods, ambushing policemen on the highways, carjacking and robbing at gas stations, convenience stores, and whatever. While he is doing his business in Texas, you and the bulk of your army will be busy elsewhere. Do you think you could conduct a raid fifty-five miles north of the Arizona border? It would require much careful planning.”
“Yes Señor, I think we could do that, if there are not a lot of police units involved. Our one brief battle did not create battle hardened troops.”
“Good. The next raid will be more of a logistical problem than the previous one. It will also require closer coordination between your teams. Your next target is Benson, Arizona. To ensure your safe return to Mexico, you will have teams take out the border crossing guards at two locations. You are to capture, not kill, your own Mexican guards, but you are to kill the American Border Patrolmen at Douglas, and Naco, Arizona.
“I suggest you dynamite Interstate Highway 10 west of Benson to block traffic on that highway and cut off any reinforcements the police might send from Tucson. If you destroy the Number 302 intersection of I-10 and Highway 90, you also prevent assistance arriving from Sierra Vista. Be prepared and conduct this raid in one month. Here is money to bribe the Mexican officials into cooperating at each border crossing. Of course, you must handcuff them to provide them with an adequate excuse. Pay them well. Here is five thousand dollars for each of them to ensure their cooperation. This suitcase also contains a bonus of one hundred thousand dollars for you and your men. Two larger trucks will be provided to you by the usual method to ensure that you carry enough food, water, gasoline and ammunition to accomplish your task. Your men are to be given free reign in looting, killing and raping for the excellent job they did at Alpine. Now, if there are no more questions, I would like a private word with my man.”
Jesus Gonzalez took the suitcase with the one hundred and fifty thousand dollars and thanked Señor Ito. Chan motioned to Ling, Chi’ing to follow him outside.
“Did you accompany our friends on the raid, Ling?”
“No, Honorable Chan. I did not think it wise. If I were killed or captured, the presence of an ethnic Chinese would raise questions.”
“Good thinking. What of the amount of money they stole from the banks?”
“I do not believe him. I think it was much more. I think he hid some of it on the way back, both from his men and my lowly self. I do not trust him.”
“It is well that you do not. You know how to contact me if necessary. I do not need to remind you to be cautious.”
Ten days later, two trucks were delivered. One was a five-ton cargo truck that carried Meals, Ready to Eat, an operating table, medical supplies and bottled water. The second was a 5000-gallon tanker truck of gasoline. An envelope contained instructions to establish a bivouac site on the Mexican Highway 2 between Aqua Prista and the Naco road junction. The raid was to be conducted the following day. No wounded were to be left behind. In a separate car, a surgeon and a surgical nurse arrived with the trucks. The surgeon was under indictment in Mexico City for revolutionary activities. It was easy enough to convince him that his skills were needed, and a place of refuge, along with a generous amount of money, awaited him for serving in a revolutionary army.
Jesus Gonzalez sent Felipe and a team of five men to discuss the border crossings at Naco, coming and going at the appropriate time. After a week of identifying all of the assigned guards and their residences and families, they were approached, and discussions were opened. No threats were made if the guards declined their generous offer. They were not told what would happen to their American counterparts, only that everything had been previously arranged with them. Since they were offered five thousand dollars as well, it was not to be discussed with the Americans; otherwise they would demand two times that of their Mexican counterparts. None of them declined the five thousand dollars, which constituted a year’s salary for them.
Francisco and his team did the same at Aqua Prieta with similar results.
A month later, as planned, they bivouacked overnight, and then crossed into Arizona by driving into the desert between Naco and Douglas without headlights along a route surveyed by Felipe and his team and marked by metal fence posts with flags tied to them. By 10:00, a company of one hundred and fifty men descended upon the Arizona town of Benson, population 5300.
Most of the citizens who were killed were those who attempted to protect their wives and daughters from gang rape. Several women tellers from the bank were dragged at gunpoint into the vans where they were repeatedly molested. The same happened to attractive women caught on the street or in the stores. When the raiders departed, they simply threw the women naked into the street.
Virtually every business in town was robbed. Law officers were shot on sight. Most were caught in their offices as had occurred in Alpine.
A number of the wounded citizens died because the medical assets of the town were overwhelmed. Sporadic gunfights between individual citizens and the raiders accounted for the deaths of twenty-seven raiders and over two dozen wounded. After the initial exchange of gunfire, some of the armed citizens survived by fleeing rather than continuing the fight. Two citizens died fighting when they ran out of ammunition. Others began sniping at the raiders with high powered rifles from the edge of town. Several merchants climbed to the roofs of their building to snipe at the raiders. Two were killed, one wounded, and two were unscathed. These five men accounted for over a dozen of the dead and wounded raiders.
