“Well,” grinned the admiral, “you have one advantage—you know you don’t know anything, which is more than I can say for some people in this Department.” He reached for his pipe and struck a match. (I was to learn that he smoked more matches than tobacco.) As the pipe went out he glanced at me.
“Leighton tells me you are not too happy about coming here for duty.”
“It breaks my sea cruise,” I explained, “and I don’t like to give the Selection Board an excuse to pass me over.”
“The last Board picked you up,” he said.
“Yes, sir.”
“And a year ahead of time,” he went on.
“Yes, sir.”
“I am not supposed to discuss the proceedings of the Board,” he continued, “but I was a member of it and, confidentially, I served notice on them that I would not approve a list that failed to reach down through you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I needed you here, and you can depend on me to look out for you in the future.” He fumbled with his pipe.