Honour Among Thieves

even know the name of the man who drove it, a Mr Samuel Smith. Then, in 1800, by direction of President Adams, the Declaration was moved to Washington, where it first found a home in the Treasury Department, but between 1800 and 1814 it was moved all over the city, eventually ending up in the old War Office building on 17th Street.' 'And, of course, we were still at war with Britain at that time,' said the actor. Cavalli admired the way Adams had not only learned his lines, but done his research so thoroughly. 'That is correct, Mr President,' said the Archivist. 'And when the British fleet appeared in Chesapeake Bay, the Secretary of State, James Monroe, ordered that the document be moved once again. Because, as I am sure you know, Mr President, it is the Secretary of State who is responsible for the safety of the parchment, not the President.' Lloyd Adams did know, but wasn't sure if the President would have, so he decided to play safe. 'Is that right, Mr Marshall? Then perhaps it should be Warren Christopher who is here today to view the Declaration, and not me.' 'The Secretary of State was kind enough to visit us soon after he took office,' Marshall replied. 'But he didn't want the document moved again,' said the actor. Marshall, Cavalli, the Lieutenant and the physician dutifully laughed before the Archivist continued. 'Monroe, having spotted the British advancing on Washington, despatched the Declaration on a journey up the Potomac to Leesburg, Virginia.' 'August 24th,' said Adams, 'when they razed the White House to the ground.' 'Precisely,' said Marshall. 'You are well informed, sir.' 'To be fair,' said the actor, 'I've been well briefed by my Special Assistant, Rex Butterworth.' Marshall showed his recognition of the name, but Cavalli wondered if the actor was being just a little too clever. 'That night,' continued Marshall, 'while the White House was ablaze, thanks to Monroe's foresight the. Declaration was stored safely in Leesburg.' 'So when did they bring the parchment back to Washington?' asked Adams, who could have told the Archivist the exact date. 'Not for several weeks, sir. On September 17th 1814, to be precise. With the exception of a trip to Philadelphia for the centennial celebrations and its time in Fort Knox during World War II, the Declaration has remained in the capital ever since.' 'But not in this building,' said Adams. 'No, Mr President, you are right again. It has had several other homes before ending up here, the worst being the Patent Office, where it hung opposite a window and was for years exposed to sunlight, causing the parchment irreparable damage.' Bill O'Reilly stood in the corner, thinking how many hours of work he had had to do and how many copies he had had to destroy during the preparation stage because of that particular piece of stupidity. He cursed all those who had ever worked in the Patent Office. 'How long did it hang there?' asked Adams. 'For thirty-five years,' said Marshall, with a sigh that showed he was every bit as annoyed as Dollar Bill that his predecessors had been so irresponsible. 'In 1877 the Declaration was moved to the State Department library. Not only was smoking common at the time, but there was also an open fireplace in the room. And, I might add, the building was damaged by fire only months after the parchment had been moved.' 'That was a close one,' said Adams. 'After the war was over,' continued Marshall, 'the Declaration was taken from Fort Knox and brought back to Washington in a Pullman carriage before it was housed in the Library of Congress.' 'I hope it wasn't exposed to the light once again,' said Adams as Cavalli's phone rang. Cavalli slipped into the corner and listened to the director tell him, 'We're back on the starting line, ready to go whenever you are.' 'I'll call when I need you,' was all Cavalli said. He switched his phone off and returned to listen to the Archivist's disquisition. '... in a Thermapane case equipped with a filter to screen out damaging ultra-violet light.' 'Fascinating. But when did the document finally reach this building?' asked Adams. 'On December 13 th 1952. It was transported from the Library of Congress to the National Archives in a tank under the armed escort of the US Marine Corps.' 'First a covered wagon, and finally a tank,' said the actor, who noticed that Cavalli kept glancing at his watch. 'Perhaps the time has come for me to see the Declaration in its full glory.' 'Of course, Mr President,' said the