by Jerry Bruce
She sat on the couch and Richard sat next to her.
“I wanted to fill you in on my meeting with Ralph Blocker. We had quite a talk. I made a few concessions in order to get him to keep quiet about what he’s learned.”
“Does he really have the identity of our sponsor?”
“No, but what he does have is information that could lead to the identity of the individual, at least according to him. I don’t know how accurate his information is at this point.” Richard felt nothing would be accomplished by going into details with Christine.
“So, what kind of concessions did you make?”
“I promised him that in exchange for his sitting on the story, you would give him preferential treatment. You know, give him any tidbits you can before giving it to the others. Definitely on the QT, though. We don’t want to upset the rest of the media. You don’t have to give him an exclusive every time, just see that he is content with an elevated status. For the more significant announcements, give it to him first.”
“That’s doable. But I find it hard to believe that he’d back off such an important story for just that.”
“Well, Christine, I did make other concessions. I told him that whenever the identity of our benefactor could be released, if ever, that he would get the exclusive. That way he’ll get his big, career making story, just later than sooner. I also promised him that in the not too distant future I would give him another exclusive of significant importance.”
“Such as?”
“Well, it’s something that I can’t even tell you about just yet. I can’t tell anyone, in fact, mostly because it isn’t anywhere close to being a certainty. I just wanted him to feel as though he wasn’t getting hurt too badly in the deal.”
“I’m still surprised he went for it. You must have really convinced him how vital it is that the sponsor’s identity be protected.”
“I tried my best. It took some doing. He said if I ordered him to sit on the story, he would do it, but I wanted it to be voluntary on his part—no coercion. I think it worked out better that way, and he seemed more comfortable with the arrangement.”
“I still want to keep a close eye on him, though, Mr. President. I don’t think I’m being paranoid, it’s just the nature of the media that makes me wary of their promises.”
“I’m glad you feel that way, because I don’t want this guy changing his mind. There’s too much at stake.”
“I won’t let you down, sir.”
“I know you won’t.” With that, Richard took Christine’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Christine felt a shiver at his touch. She had longed for a closer relationship with Richard and felt that he was having similar feelings. She was about to tell him how she felt when he stood and walked over to his desk. Disappointed, Christine rose, thanked the president for his time, and left.
* * *
After Christine left his office, Richard attempted to tend to business but found his concentration lacking. He couldn’t stop thinking about Christine. He was fascinated by her charm. He couldn’t understand how a happily married man could entertain the sort of thoughts that he was having. It would be different if he and Veronica were having marital problems, but they couldn’t have been happier. He would have to put a stop to his daydreaming about Christine, it wasn’t fair to Veronica or him and no good could come of it. He came to the conclusion that he was toying with Christine as a diversion, something to give him a respite from the demands of his office. This would have to be the end of it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Richard looked over the notes he’d made after his meeting with Ralph Blocker. He read, over and over again, the details that Blocker uncovered about the benefactor. There were no names associated with a specific individual. There were, however, the names of corporations, various phone numbers and several addresses, all located in the Manhattan area of New York City. Blocker had indicated to Richard that he was certain that if the man at the top of these corporations happened to be the same guy, then that would be the sponsor of the projects.
In spite of Richard not being able to get Blocker to reveal the source of these clues, Blocker was quite adamant about the source’s veracity and reliability. Richard wanted to have this information checked out by his own investigators, but he knew if the Controller got wind of it, all bets would be off. He decided to stay in touch with Blocker regarding any new information he might uncover, and to file the information until such time as it might be worth investigating. Blocker was quite insistent that he be allowed to continue gathering as much information as he could find, and Richard didn’t argue in view of Blocker agreeing to keep him posted.
* * *
“Good morning, Richard. How do you like the warm summer weather you’re getting in your part of the country?”
So, he’s not in the Washington D.C. area, Richard thought to himself. “I’m glad for it so far, but once it gets to the hotter months, I might have to spend more time at Camp David, where it’s a little cooler.”
“Yes, quite so. Washington can get terribly hot and muggy.”
“Why are you calling? Surely not to discuss the weather.” Richard thought about asking the Controller what the weather was like where he was located, but had second thoughts.
“I believe you’ve had enough time to think over my offer of helping you become the first world president. The time rapidly approaches that I must begin taking action, so I would like your answer. I trust you have reached a decision?”
“Yes, I have. I’ve decided that if I’m ever going to see the full fruit of my—excuse me—our labors, I would need to be in a position to influence the outcome. So I accept your offer.”
“Well spoken, Richard. I see you realize, as I did many years ago, that it is very difficult to let go of one’s pet projects. I’m glad you want to continue our relationship. We can accomplish so much. I will start making preparations.”
“Exactly what kind of preparations? I haven’t heard anything definite about a world government being established.”
“That is by design, Richard. At this very minute meetings are taking place in Europe with the topic of discussion being a world government. I have someone attending each meeting, and he’ll be notified of your decision momentarily. Then he will offer your name up for candidacy for the top office. That is why I needed your decision today, Richard. The United States was purposely left out of these meetings so that it could be determined if any dissenting votes were raised because of disapproval of the United States and its policies. It was felt that a United States presence in the meetings might put undue pressure on the participants. This way they are free to voice their opinions candidly. Probably in a day or two, the United States will be invited to become a participant. You should pick someone such as Hamilton to represent the country. The stronger the individual, the better. I will admit that even though I told you I might submit Hamilton in your place, I doubt he would be selected. Everyone knows that you are the reason for the advances the world has made over the last few years. If any American would be considered, it would be you. My people will make sure the name of Richard Sinclair is on the ballot.”
“I had no idea that things were actually underway, but then I guess that was the intent. Do you have any idea when something will be announced publicly?”
“Soon, very soon. I expect the meetings to conclude in several days with a consensus on several points, not the least of which will be who, besides yourself, might be seeking the office.”
“So this is definitely going to happen?”
“The decision to form a world government was made several months ago. Now it is a matter of ironing out the details. The first stage is to elect a leader who can implement the plan adopted by the panel of nations, the ones that are in session now. If—no, I should say when—you receive an invitation to Paris for a meeting with President LeClerc, you will in fact be getting your invitation to address the lead members of the panel. They will be inviting only those nominees that the
y have accepted for the top office. After the nominees have accepted or rejected their candidacy, the world will be told of the formation of a world government. Details will be released outlining the election process, along with the names of the nominees.”
“How will the election be structured?”
“For the first election, only one vote per founding member nation will be allowed. Each nation can choose its own method for determining for whom they will vote. For subsequent elections, the process will be that each nation that agrees to be a member of the world government will receive one vote. The number of votes required to pass a measure is still to be determined. Ultimately, it is envisioned that each nation will have a delegate who will sit on the general assembly, the delegate will vote per his nation’s directive. For the election of the world president, the delegates will vote for the person who wins the popular vote in their country—in some respects similar to the United States voting structure, but without the freedom for the delegate to ignore the popular vote, as the electoral college can do. Needless to say, to institute such a procedure will be an enormous task. The first president will be appointed after a vote of the panel. That president will remain in office until the first general election. So my guess would be that the first president would have to serve several years. It is being discussed as to how long the term should be, and whether a president should be allowed to serve multiple terms. Right now the leaning is toward multiple terms, each term being four years, with no limit. The assumption is that the people of the world will elect the person they want for however long they want him. A good president could serve for as long as he and the people choose.”
“I see a lot of thinking has already gone into this. One question, though, how are nations that have never had a general election going to take to this concept?”
“They have no choice. If they want to be a member nation, they have to agree to the election process. It definitely is going to be a hard pill to swallow for some nations that are used to dictatorial rule. It will be even harder for them to accept the concept of a government with legislative and judicial branches. That’s right, Richard; the panel has decided to adopt the United States structure. However, representatives will obviously be chosen using a different process. The details are one of the things the first president will have to work on. Basically, a nation would be crazy not to accept the conditions. A country’s economy could be severely impacted by not embracing membership.”
“What about existing organizations such as OPEC? What if certain OPEC countries decide to enroll and the others don’t?”
“That topic has already been discussed with the OPEC countries. They understand that only those nations enrolled will receive the benefit of doing business with member nations. The non-members in OPEC could sell their oil only to countries not participating in the world government. Needless to say, they realized immediately that they would go bankrupt under such conditions. No, Richard, all of the nations so far realize that past trade agreements will be subject to close scrutiny, possibly with some being nullified; however, most will remain intact.”
“In the example of OPEC, aren’t we then saying that non-members are going to be excluded from the world community? I don’t see that as being a step in the right direction. Shouldn’t we be striving for unity?”
“That is exactly why it must be this way. If any nation that chooses to act as a rogue doesn’t pay a price for such action, then how long would the rest remain true to the cause? We would end up right back where we started. We already know that there are nations that will resist to the bitter end, but that is their choice. Eventually they will have to join if they are going to survive. Remember, Richard, we are the good guys. The nations that resist will be those that are against peace and equality.”
“You’re right, of course. I was just hoping, probably unrealistically, that everyone would see the benefit of forming such a union and would cooperate voluntarily.”
“When you see the list of the original enrollees, I think you’ll feel better. Only about one in a hundred nations has had reservations. So Richard, are we of one mind on this?”
“Yes we are.”
“Good. I have to admit that I’m surprised that you were totally unaware of these meetings that have been going on. I suggest you have a discussion with your CIA director about his agency’s lack of intelligence.” There was considerable sarcasm in the Controller’s voice, especially in the stressing of the word “intelligence.”
“I never said I wasn’t aware of the meetings, now did I.”
* * *
The next day, true to the Controller’s word, Secretary of State Mason was contacted by one of the panel members with an invitation for the United States to send a representative to the next meeting of the panel. He immediately approached Richard with the news, and was instructed to reply that the United States would be sending the vice president to Paris for the meeting.
Richard asked Mrs. Williams to see if the vice president was available as he walked into the Oval office and several minutes later she informed him that the vice president was on his way.
“Mr. President, the vice president is here.”
Stephen walked into the Oval Office without knocking.
“What’s up, Mr. President?”
“Have a seat, Stephen. Well, it’s like this. The United States has been invited to send a representative to Paris to attend a meeting. I want you to go. The meeting is in two days.”
“That’s really short notice. What’s the meeting about?”
“You’ll be meeting with a panel of representatives from some other nations, whereupon they will extend an invitation for the United States to join them in a cooperative effort to establish a world government.” He paused, awaiting Stephen’s reaction of shock.
“Well I’ll be.” He hardly knew what to say. “And they want you to be its president, right?”
“Not exactly. From what I understand, there will probably be multiple nominees for the position. There will be an election to choose a president. But I’m sure the panel will fill you in on all that. I have heard that I’ve been mentioned as a possible nominee.”
“Okay, I want to know just one thing, Mr. President. Do you want the job?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then we’ll simply have to make sure that you get elected. I’m not one to say I told you so, but I told you so.”
“Just go into that meeting as though you don’t know a thing. Hear what they have to say. They’ll probably ask you to report back to me to see if the United States is interested in joining. We, of course, are definitely interested but before I have you commit to anything, we’ll have to get the approval of Congress. Based on all we’ve heard from the Hill, that shouldn’t be a problem. Their biggest objection would be the impact that it might have on the country if my time were divided between two presidencies. I wouldn’t let that become a problem, of course, but they might not see it that way. Besides, I don’t see that the position would be ready for occupancy until after our current term is completed. I guess I should have asked this sooner, but I hope you don’t have anything on your schedule that would prevent you from attending the meeting.”
“Nothing that I can’t get out of. Besides, do you think for one minute that I would pass on this opportunity? Any idea how long I should anticipate being over there?”
“My guess would be a couple of days. Also, see if there’s been a decision made as to where this new government will be headquartered. It’s possible that the French may be pushing to have it there.”
“If it’s headquartered outside of the United States, would you still be interested in the presidency?”
“Yes, of course. It would simply require some adjustments in my personal life to accommodate the relocation.”
“I have to tell you, Mr. President, this is exciting news. I know we’ve talked about it once or twice, but now it’s becoming a reality.”
“Yes it is. I’m just as excited as you
. The joining of all the world’s nations into one governmental unit is almost too much to assimilate.”
* * *
Veronica was delighted that Richard wanted to have a quiet dinner with her in the residence. She cooked his favorite meal and had a bottle of wine decanted in anticipation of his arrival. He promised to be on time, and actually was.
“Hi hon!”
“You’re just in time to pour us a glass of wine. I already decanted a bottle. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes.”
Veronica sat down on the couch near the fireplace and waited for Richard to pour the wine. He handed her a glass and had a seat next to her on the couch. Richard lifted his glass in a toast.
“Here’s to us.”
She raised her glass to meet his and smiled before taking a sip. “Okay, what’s up?”
“What do you mean?”
“You insisted on having a private dinner, and now the toast. I’m assuming that it means more than just wanting to get laid.”
“You are such a trollop at times.”
“Trollop? Nobody uses that term anymore. Get with it, buster.”
“You’re right, I do have something on my mind that I want to discuss with you.”
“So spit it out.”
“Do you remember the discussion we had about taking a position as a world president?”
“Yes.” Veronica dragged out the response.
“Well, the United States has been invited to send a representative to Paris to meet with other countries to see if we’re interested in being a member of a world government. I’m sending Stephen as our representative. I have it on good authority that my name has been added to the list of potential candidates.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I’ve decided that it would provide me with the opportunity to see that the programs I’ve started will be completed. Nothing is definite yet. There would be several nominees, and then there would be an election.”