Landsiedel gave a glowing account of Dugan's exploits, winding up with:
"He's the greatest actor I've ever seen or heard of, General. He doesn't use make-up or costumes or anything like that. He can just work himself into a role till he feels like it from the inside out. He can be old or young, Japanese or American, a professional man or a breezy workingman, any time he feels like it. People believe him. If he had happened to turn crook, he'd have been the greatest confidence man of all time. He's anybody, General. Mr. Anybody."
The general waved the eulogies aside.
"That's all right, Colonel. I'll take your word on it. Is the man loyal, or just clever?"
"He's pathologically loyal, General. Because of his family background."
"What is his family background?"
"I thought you knew, sir. Half-Irish and half-Aleut."
"Half-what?" snapped Coppersmith. "I thought he was one of those American Japanese what-you-may-call-ems?"
"Aleut. Aleutian Islander. Sort of like American Indians or Eskimos, sir. I don't really know. They're Christian — Russian Orthodox. The Russians converted them before we bought Alaska. Dugan once told me that his father was Catholic and his mother Russian Orthodox but that he had joined the Presbyterian Church."
Coppersmith said, "Never mind the religion. How could anybody get to be an Irish Aleut? It doesn't seem possible to me."