Chaplain's interrogation

The Chaplain's interrogation marks the moment when the military's arbitrary power, stripped of all pretense of justice, descends directly upon the most gentle and vulnerable figure in the squadron. Chaplain Robert Oliver Shipman, already reeling from the news of Nately's death in the mid-air collision over Spezia, is seized at the airfield by three officers who identify themselves only as being "from the government." They drag him away from the stunned crowd of survivors, past the hostile sneer of Captain Black, and into a waiting staff car. The chaplain, who had been moving toward Yossarian to share his grief, is instead driven to Group Headquarters and led down a wobbly flight of wooden stairs into a damp, gloomy basement room with a low cement ceiling, unfinished stone walls, cobwebs, and a huge centipede. There, a blinding spotlight is shot into his face, and on a small bare table his interrogators lay out a set of brass knuckles, a box of wooden matches, and a length of heavy rubber hose. The chaplain is terrified, his teeth chattering, his limbs without strength, and he realizes that these men might beat him to death and no one would intervene.

The Interrogation and the Charges

The interrogation is conducted by three men: a stout, pugnacious colonel with a large head and mustache; a lean, hawk-faced major who speaks with a reverential sorrow and calls the chaplain "Father"; and a third officer without insignia who remains silent at first, then takes charge with a cold, penetrating gaze. The colonel and major immediately pronounce the chaplain guilty before any questions are asked. The major declares that the chaplain has committed "a very serious crime," though they do not yet know what it is. The interrogation proceeds through a series of absurd and circular accusations. The chaplain is asked to write his name in his own handwriting; when he does, the major claims it is not his handwriting, because it does not match a photostatic copy of a censored letter on which Yossarian had written "I long for you tragically. R. O. Shipman, Chaplain, U.S. Army." The chaplain recognizes Yossarian's handwriting but denies writing it himself. The colonel then produces a signed statement from Colonel Cathcart asserting that the chaplain stole a plum tomato, and a notarized affidavit from Sergeant Whitcomb stating that he knew the tomato was "hot" from the way the chaplain tried to unload it on him. When the chaplain protests that Colonel Cathcart gave him the tomato, the colonel summons Colonel Cathcart from a closet, who denies giving it. The officer without insignia then produces another statement from Colonel Cathcart swearing that the chaplain refused to co-operate with prayer meetings, and another from Sergeant Whitcomb stating that the chaplain opposed sending form letters of condolence. The chaplain admits to opposing the letters, calling them "insincere and dishonest," but the officer dismisses his objection, asking what difference it makes if they bring solace to families. The chaplain is formally charged with being Washington Irving and taking "capricious and unlicensed liberties in censoring the letters of officers and enlisted men." He pleads innocent, but the colonel and major pronounce him guilty. The officer without insignia then accuses him of "the commission of crimes and infractions we don't even know about yet." When the chaplain protests that he cannot answer for unknown crimes, the major declares, "If they're his crimes and infractions, he must have committed them." He is found guilty of those as well.

The Release and Aftermath

Having extracted a verdict of guilt on all charges, the colonel abruptly tells the chaplain to "take a walk." The chaplain, shocked, asks if they are not going to punish him. The colonel replies that they are, but they will decide how and when later, and orders him to leave. The chaplain is warned not to try to leave the island and that he is under surveillance twenty-four hours a day. He staggers out of the basement, filled with a scalding and vindictive resentment. In the lobby, he intercepts Colonel Korn, who is trotting up the steps. The chaplain declares that he is not going to stand for it any more and demands to speak about the crash. Colonel Korn dismisses him with bored disinterest, but the chaplain persists, asking for permission to take his protest to General Dreedle. Colonel Korn grants it with mischievous merriment, then reveals that General Dreedle is out and General Peckem is in. The chaplain is stunned. Colonel Korn then warns him that "the jig is up" between him and Dr. Stubbs, who has been telling men they do not have to fly more than seventy missions, and that Dr. Stubbs is being transferred to the Pacific. The chaplain protests that he has not seen Dr. Stubbs, but Colonel Korn pokes him in the chest and says, "Adios, Padre." The interrogation has broken the chaplain's spirit, but it also ignites in him a new, desperate resolve. Later, when he learns of Orr's escape to Sweden, he declares that he will persevere, that he will nag and badger Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn, and that he will punch Captain Black in the nose. The interrogation, intended to crush him, paradoxically becomes the catalyst for his transformation from a timid, self-doubting figure into a man determined to resist.