But when would the colonel have ever seen her before?

As they approached the field, the colonel saw the stalag next to it.

The colonel had seen the marshal use that look before, and rather than respond, he merely waited.

The colonel saw this picture on the table and was amused.

The colonel saw that Bowman did not know if he was supposed to reply.

The colonel looked up at the noise and saw a figure moving behind a tree.

The colonel then saw some of his troops watching him.

"The colonel didn't see fit to confide in me this time!"

Hence, as a member of the President's personal staff, the colonel also saw himself as above the law.

This, of course, fitted in well enough with the police theory, if the colonel could have seen his wife making a murderous attack upon him.