Susan walked into President Qing’s suite, her Secret Service security detail remaining in the hallway. President Qing greeted Susan, “Madam President, it’s an honor to meet you.”
Susan smiled. “The honor is all mine.”
President Qing skipped pleasantries and went straight to business. “I’ve heard from my finance minister and my military advisors that you want to meet. What is so urgent?”
Susan took a calm breath. “The Soviet Union is on the brink of starting a war in Eastern Europe. And I think you can help stop it.”
President Qing’s face hardened. “What does a war in Eastern Europe have to do with China? And why would I help you?”
Susan nodded. “I’m not asking you to help me. I’m asking you to help the world and help China.” Susan paused. President Qing remained silent. She continued, “A war in Eastern Europe is bad for everyone. Global trade will come to an abrupt halt. Everybody loses.”
President Qing frowned and remained silent.
Susan continued, “I organized a trade summit with the leaders of Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, and the Soviet Union to discuss the oil and gas pipeline being constructed in their countries. I want you to be a part of that agreement. The United States can offer you a ten percent reduction in tariffs for your participation.”
President Qing crossed his arms. “What do you want in return?”
“In return, I’m asking you to come up with a way for China and the Soviet Union to become economic partners. It’s the only way President Tremonov will adhere to a peaceful relationship with the other Eastern European countries.”
President Qing stroked his chin. “It has become difficult for us to obtain the natural gas and oil required to support the recent population growth in Beijing. The Soviet Union has an oil and natural gas reserve near the area. I have reached out to them on several occasions to discuss a rail system. They have ignored my communication on the topic.”
Susan nodded. “How long since you last reached out to them?”
President Qing raised his eyebrow. “I’m not sure, maybe three years ago. But the Soviets are in a desperate economic situation. I don’t see how they could pass up the opportunity.”
Susan leaned forward. “Would you be willing to propose the idea again at tomorrow’s meeting?”
President Qing responded, “What assurance do I have that the Soviets will keep their word?”
Susan took a deep breath. “Every country will vote on whether to continue the partnership on a quarterly basis. If the Soviets break their agreement with China, the United States will dissolve the partnership. President Tremonov will gain two powerful enemies: the United States and China. Tremonov is no fool. He won’t risk fighting a two-front war against the United States and China.”
President Qing nodded in agreement. “I’ll propose the idea. But that is all I can do. I have no control over President Tremonov.”
Susan stood up and shook hands with President Qing. “I understand. I’ll have a representative from our trade office meet with your finance minister to talk details. President Tremonov doesn’t know you’re attending the meeting tomorrow. Please keep this information secret.”
President Qing responded, “You have my word. I’m glad we had the chance to meet in person. I look forward to strengthening the relationship between our countries.”
48
The Eastern European trade meeting included four nations: the Soviet Union, Ukraine, Belarus, and Latvia. Susan waited until the other leaders arrived in the conference room to inform them that the Chinese president would be joining the meeting.
She requested that the Chinese leader, President Qing, arrive five minutes late in order to give Susan an opportunity to inform the other leaders of his attendance. By keeping the Chinese involvement a secret, Susan led President Tremonov to believe that he still had the upper hand in the negotiations.
As the leaders entered the room, Susan warmly greeted each of them and kindly asked them to place all electronic devices at the far end of the table. It was overly cautious but she couldn’t take the chance of an information leak.
Fresh flowers were placed on a table at the entrance to the conference room. In front of each chair was an eloquent black placard with a name printed in gold letters, accompanied by a small centerpiece of flowers and a pitcher of fresh water. Coffee, tea, and assorted pastries were at the far end of the conference room table. Susan’s nameplate was at the head of the conference room table, with President Tremonov to her right and President Qing to her left.
The leaders of Belarus, Latvia, and the Ukraine arrived just before 9:00 a.m. Susan graciously greeted them and explained that the Chinese president was invited at her request. She gave her word that the Chinese involvement would be beneficial to all of Eastern Europe. She casually looked down at her watch: 9:06 and President Qing had yet to arrive. She felt a bead of sweat begin to form on her lower back. Susan moved toward the door of the conference room with the intention of ducking quickly outside to check if President Qing had arrived. She was three strides from the door when it was quickly flung open. President Qing walked through the door accompanied by two security guards in black suits, white shirts, and black ties. They wore similar clothes to the American Secret Service agents but their presence was much more ominous. They looked more like Triad hit men than presidential security guards.
After exchanging brief pleasantries with Susan, President Qing scanned the room. All other conversations ceased after he entered the room; the other leaders stared at Susan and President Qing. Susan immediately recognized the awkwardness of the situation and began the introductions.
“President Qing, allow me to introduce you to the rest of the group.” Susan stepped in front of President Qing and walked across the room.
President Qing cautiously followed Susan. After the formal introductions, the president of Belarus made a joke about the pastries and his wife complaining about his weight. President Qing laughed, and the ice was broken.
President Qing relaxed and mingled with the rest of the group. Susan’s anxiety doubled with every minute that passed. President Tremonov was a no-show. The conversation between the leaders began to die down. Susan looked at her watch—it read 9:15. Susan dragged out the conversation with stories about Greg and Tommy.
At 9:18, President Tremonov walked into the room with the look of a king standing above his peasants. He scanned the room and his posture went rigid. Susan quickly pounced on President Tremonov and greeted him with a smile and a handshake. Before Tremonov could completely process the situation, Susan stepped behind him and closed and locked the conference room door. She didn’t get to see the look of shock on Tremonov’s face, but the other leaders had a front row seat.
Immediately after she locked the door, Susan disarmed Tremonov. “You missed out on tea and crumpets.” Tremonov’s face was blank; he muttered under his breath in Russian. Susan walked to her chair at the head of the table. The rest of the leaders also sat down at the conference room table.
President Qing broke the awkwardness. “President Tremonov, please have a seat, we’re all very interested in working with you.”
Tremonov’s pride wouldn’t allow him to leave the room. He silently walked over to the seat with his name placard and sat down. Susan’s trap had worked—not exactly as planned, but it worked. Tremonov and Qing were at the table together. What happened at the table was up to them.
Susan opened up the speaking by formally thanking everyone for their attendance and commitment to peace in the region. “This morning, I want to discuss the framework for a unilateral trade agreement between our countries. As a starting point for the agreement, the United States will reduce all tariffs on goods imported to the United States from China by ten percent.” Susan paused to let the message sink in. “And we will eliminate tariffs on all goods imported to the United States from the Ukraine, Belarus, and Latvia.”
Susan scanned the room and settled her eyes on President Tremonov. “The
United States will also reduce tariffs on goods imported from the Soviet Union by ten percent.”
Susan briefly scanned the room again. She held her gaze on President Qing. “Are there any objections?”
Susan waited. Then she smiled. “Fantastic, point one of the Eastern European and Chinese Trade Agreement is settled.”
President Tremonov sharply interrupted, “I didn’t agree to anything.”
Susan replied, “Is a five percent reduction in tariffs better for you?” Her quick wit got a chuckle from the other leaders.
Tremonov’s face turned a dark pink with anger. “Stop the charade. What do you want in return?”
“It’s not about what I want, President Tremonov. It’s about what we—”
Tremonov’s anger got the best of him and he interrupted before Susan could finish. “Who do you mean by we?”
Susan replied, “The leaders of the world. The ‘we’ includes you.”
President Tremonov moved his cold stare to President Qing, who nodded his head in agreement with Susan. Susan noted the slight weakening of Tremonov’s posture and jumped into the conversation. “As the leaders of the world, we want peace and prosperity for all of humanity.” Everyone at the table nodded in agreement.
“Agreed,” grunted Tremonov.
“Fantastic,” replied Susan.
The president of the Ukraine jumped into the conversation. “I speak on behalf of Ukraine, Belarus, and Latvia.” He nodded his head toward each country’s leader as he spoke. “In the spirit of peace and prosperity, we are proposing that the workforce used to build and maintain the Soviet pipeline through our countries be staffed with seventy-five percent local workers, who will be managed by the government. We will not ask for a percentage of the profits from the oil and natural gas flowing through the pipelines, only a portion of the construction and maintenance work for our people.”
President Tremonov stiffened in his chair. The knuckles on his right hand turned white and he increased the pressure of his grip on the edge of the table.
President Qing interrupted before Tremonov could respond. “President Tremonov, I believe this arrangement will leave you with idle workers. I have a proposal to employ those workers that will benefit us all.”
Tremonov furrowed his brow and stared at President Qing.
President Qing continued, “I would like to begin the construction of a pipeline between your largest oil fields in the southeastern region of the Soviet Union directly into Beijing. And eventually a railroad line following the same routes. I’m open to your thoughts on how to collaborate on such a project.”
President Tremonov cleared his throat and scanned the room. He was wary of the offer from the Chinese. “What are your terms for purchasing oil and natural gas from the Soviet Union?”
President Qing replied, “We will agree to the same terms as your European customers. I hope that this is a first step in our countries becoming business partners.”
The focus of the room went back to President Tremonov. “Over half of the pipeline will be within the Chinese border. What capital investment are you willing to make?”
President Qing smiled. “Our engineers estimate the project will cost a total of fifteen billion dollars. As a part of the agreement, both of our countries will contribute five billion dollars to the project as an up-front capital investment. It will keep us both honest.”
Tremonov looked around the room. He took a moment to consider the offer. “The details need to be worked out. In principle, I agree.”
President Qing stood up and in good faith extended his hand across the table toward Tremonov. Tremonov stood up, looked President Qing in the eye, and shook his hand.
President Tremonov sat back down in his chair with a sense of accomplishment. In his mind, he had gained an alliance with the Chinese and lost nothing in the relationship with Eastern Europe. Trade negotiations were notoriously difficult to enforce and he had no intention of honoring any agreements made with his Eastern European neighbors.
Susan looked around the room. “Now that we’re all friends and economic partners, let’s make sure we stay friends. As part of this agreement, we will hold a quarterly conference. At that conference, each country will vote whether or not the agreement should continue. If more than one country votes against the agreement, all tariffs and agreements between countries will be reset to their present state as of today.” She paused to let the information sink in.
Susan focused on Tremonov. He curled his front lip and shot her a hard stare.
Susan looked around the room. “Do we all agree?”
President Tremonov looked down at the table. He couldn’t deny the agreement had the potential to pull the Soviet Union out of a depression. If he violated the agreement with the Eastern European countries, they would surely vote to end the agreement. The Chinese would block the port of Vladivostok in retaliation. At that point, the Soviet Union would face the threat of fighting a two-front war against China and the NATO coalition. Tremonov cursed himself for allowing the American, a woman, to back him into a corner.
One by one, each leader verbally replied, “Yes.”
President Tremonov was the last. He stared at Susan with cold eyes. He finally relented. “Yes.”
After Tremonov’s commitment to the agreement, Susan stood up. “Gentlemen, the world is a better place when we are peaceful allies and economic partners. Today we made great strides in a positive direction for humanity.”
President Qing stood up and started the celebration by clapping. The other leaders followed.
49
Susan collapsed into her seat on Air Force One, the effects of sleep deprivation hitting her hard. Before asking her any questions, General LeMae handed her a Miller Lite and Senator Reynolds tossed her a package of Reese’s Cups King Size. Susan cracked open the beer and took a long swallow.
Senator Reynolds couldn’t hold back his curiosity. “So what happened?”
Susan raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders. “Tremonov agreed to the railway between his oil fields and Beijing. I really didn’t have any control over what was happening. It was up to Tremonov and Qing. They made it happen.”
Senator Reynolds shook his head in disbelief. “Wow, I didn’t think they would ever agree to work together.”
Susan took another long swallow of Miller Lite. “Tremonov had no choice. The Soviet Union has some real economic problems.”
General LeMae kept a serious look on his face before asking, “You think Tremonov will hold to the agreement?”
“I think so. If he doesn’t, the Chinese are going to be awfully upset. He won’t risk agitating powerful enemies to the east and west,” said Susan.
General LeMae nodded his head. “He’s no fool. He won’t risk starting a two-front war.”
Susan slouched in her seat. “Don’t celebrate yet. If I get impeached, I won’t be able to follow through on our end of the deal.”
Senator Reynolds sighed. “I’ve got some bad news on that front.”
Susan opened the package of Reese’s Cups. “Can’t be any tougher than what I just went through.”
“Vice President Wilkes has been the person drumming up support for your impeachment. Through the grapevine, my staff found out he’s been meeting with senators and congressmen and pushing them to consider your lack of action against the Soviet Union as an act of treason.”
“Since when did it become treason to be cautious about starting a war with another nuclear power?” replied Susan.
“My staff just started to put the pieces together this week. Of course, there’s no tangible evidence, it’s all hearsay. Wilkes did a good job covering his tracks.”
General LeMae jumped in. “I knew it. I should have cut that son of a bitch off at the knees when I had the chance,” he grumbled under his breath before changing topics. “I got word from General Gillingham that the NSA analysts don’t believe the terror attacks were tied to the Soviets. They think it was a domestic terrorist. Sop
histicated, but domestic. No suspects at this point and it doesn’t look promising. Whoever did it, they were a pro. Likely trained by one of our intelligence groups.”
Susan turned to General LeMae. “Can you get General Gillingham to make that statement publicly?”
General LeMae nodded and smiled. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
The engines came to life as Air Force One picked up speed on the tarmac. Susan finished her beer, closed her eyes, and fell asleep before they reached cruising altitude.
She was homesick and missed the boys. Talking over Skype in the evenings was better than nothing but it just wasn’t the same as being there in person. Her heart sank every time she ended a Skype call with the boys.
While Susan crossed the Atlantic Ocean back to Washington, DC, President Tremonov and President Qing both made public statements in Geneva praising the newly agreed upon trade agreement. Photos of the two leaders shaking hands and smiling found their way into the twenty-four-hour news cycle. President Tremonov released a press statement to the Pravda newspaper in the Soviet Union stating that effective immediately, the security threat level would be officially reduced to the normal peacetime level of DEFCON 5.
Vice President Wilkes walked out of his attorney’s office with his wife. They stood on the street corner. She turned to him and asked, “Honey, I know I’ve been pestering you for years to update our will. But why did we have to do it in such a rush today?”
Vice President Wilkes looked his wife in the eye and smiled warmly. “I love you, dear. I’ve been planning this for a long time. I don’t know why I held off for so long. I just wanted to get it over with, while it was on my mind.” He kissed her on the cheek. “I need to be at the Senate session this evening. I’ll be late for dinner.” Vice President Wilkes gave his wife one last hug and walked slowly to the Senate building.
Selected: A Thriller Page 23