by Tom Carroll
“Good day, gentlemen,” he began, in near-perfect English. “And a special welcome to Mr. Colton Garrett, the new American secretary of defense. Our two nations have joined forces for many decades to protect the Republic of Korea. We are honored by your visit today, and I ask that you convey my expression of friendship and gratitude to President Harrison. My staff tells me you have visited our country previously?”
“Yes, Mr. President. Many years ago, I participated in an exercise known as ULCHI FOCUS LENS, and I worked in both Chinhae and Seoul. You have a beautiful country which I would like to see at some point. Perhaps one day my schedule will allow me to visit as a tourist rather than as a representative of the United States.”
The South Korean president smiled and said, “Ah, yes! I would welcome such a visit! I do hope you will give me the honor of serving as your guide someday should you find your way back to our shores. But today we have other pressing matters to talk about. Both our countries and the entire world, for that matter, are closely watching how we resolve this important and delicate issue. I have invited your delegation to meet with us face-to-face so that you can see with your own eyes that we are most sincere when we unequivocally state that the biological warheads which your government claims were stolen during transport through our country many years ago are not in the possession of this government. Additionally, you have my solemn promise that our government does not control these weapons and quite frankly, wishes they simply did not exist, wherever they might be. I believe that North Korea’s claim of the existence of these weapons is actually an excuse to avoid the reunification of the peninsula and the normalization of relations between the Korean people. As you know, the normalization of relations is our highest priority. I am as distressed about this issue as I am sure President Harrison is.”
Colt noticed President Kim had chosen his words and meanings carefully. He silently wished that the South Korean leaders weren’t quite so proficient with the English language. Using a translator had definite advantages, including the inherent delay the service required, a delay that usually bought a few extra moments in which to consider what had been said and develop a suitable and intelligent response. Colt was glad he had tasked his staff to take detailed notes so that the meeting could be reviewed in detail after they had returned to the Reagan.
“Thank you, Mr. President. As Secretary Unger has previously shared with me, South Korea maintains that the missing warheads are not in your country. It is important to add that the U.S. is not asserting that they are.”
President Kim appeared surprised and then doubtful as he looked at Ambassador Greer, who remained silent. The Americans had agreed that only Garrett would speak for the delegation unless the secretary addressed a specific question to someone on the team.
“You could have saved yourselves a long journey had your country shared that perspective with us days ago,” President Kim commented.
Colt Garrett looked directly into President Kim’s eyes. “Mr. President,” he stated, “to be perfectly clear, we don’t know where the weapons are, but we do know who stole them. Mr. O’Keefe, please share with President Kim our information regarding the theft of our warheads.”
The CIA chief of station began a high-level briefing of then-Major Cho’s responsibility for the warheads’ transport and eventual theft. He provided copies of the weapon manifests showing the accounting error, and he detailed Cho’s role in the incident. When finished, O’Keefe looked to Colt to indicate that the CIA’s part of the meeting had now concluded.
President Kim hesitated a moment, then spoke. “This appears to be only circumstantial evidence of General Cho’s involvement. There is no information that indicates he has the weapons or that he is aware of their location.”
Colt paused for several moments and then responded. “You are correct, Mr. President, but I’m not here to accuse or arrest General Cho nor place him on trial. I’m here to make it crystal clear that the United States will not tolerate the purposeful theft and continued withholding of these warheads. President Harrison has personally asked me to convey that message to you, and to make certain that everyone — and I mean everyone — understands the seriousness of this issue and its significance to my country. I am not a diplomat, Mr. President, and I am not even certain how long I will have this job. But I do need you to help me find these warheads before something catastrophic happens.”
Once again, President Kim hesitated before speaking, “I agree with you, Secretary Garrett,” he said. “You are not a diplomat. But I strongly disagree with your assessment of your career prospects. You may tell President Harrison that I understand the American position completely. The problem is that we do not know where your warheads are, and continued accusations will not resolve the matter.”
President Kim rose from his chair and walked around the table, shaking the hands of the four Americans. When he grasped Colt’s outstretched hand, he said, “I have enjoyed meeting you, Mr. Secretary. I was sincere in my offer to act as your guide should you return to my country.”
Kim accepted a small package handed to him by one of his aides, then presented it to Colt. “Please accept this small token of the friendship between my country and yours. It is a copy of my favorite guidebook of South Korea. You will forgive the actions of a doting father; my oldest son is the book’s author.”
Colt accepted the book and thanked President Kim, adding, “I had hoped we would be leaving today with something else more critical.”
“I have already given you everything I can,” President Kim replied, and then he turned and exited the room.
Osan Air Base, South Korea
The VIP lounge of the Air Mobility Command terminal at Osan Air Base was typically occupied by senior officers waiting for a flight to another duty station or perhaps a leave destination. This afternoon, the secretary of defense and his party were waiting for an Osprey to be refueled for their return flight to the Reagan. While sipping on a cup of coffee and snacking on a bag of stale chips she purchased from a vending machine, Commander Jen Abrams was speaking with the NCIS agents. Not far from them, Colt Garrett was sitting with Lenny Wilson near a large window, looking out at the activity on the runway. They watched as two F-16C Fighting Falcons from Osan’s 36th Fighter Squadron accelerated down the runway and ascended into the evening sky. Colt thought the Falcon was one of the most beautiful airplanes in the U.S. inventory — even if it was an Air Force platform. To him, the Falcon just seemed to reflect the perfect balance of design and performance.
“I just don’t get it,” said Lenny, looking glumly into his paper coffee cup, “Why can’t the Air Force make a decent cup of coffee?” He poured his half-empty cup into a trash bin.
Colt sighed, “I thought you were talking about the meeting in the Blue House. What do you think Kim meant by his comment that his government does not control the weapons and wishes they did not exist?”
Lenny looked up from his notes. “I really don’t know,” he answered. “Maybe he was reflecting on the jam he’s in. I mean, those warheads were stolen when he was only about 20 years old. Presidents come and go. It wouldn’t surprise me if the South Korean military has them hidden and are keeping the fact from him.”
Colt was still pondering the meeting. “And did you see the look on Kim’s face when the CIA chief of station told them about General Cho’s involvement? I had a definite feeling they already knew or somehow suspected it. Regardless, they seemed quite surprised that we knew.”
“Maybe you’re reading more into it than is there, sir. They’ve got to be sweating this problem — big time. They are well aware that our relationship is dramatically one-sided, and they clearly want this to go away. I sure wouldn’t want to be General Cho right now. I have a feeling the ROK marines might be finding themselves under some serious pressure.”
“OK, maybe I am overthinking — I’ll concede that. But it’s been a very long day, and this diplomacy stuff is not my skill set. Maybe I’m just tired.” Colt leaned back i
nto his chair and closed his eyes.
There was something odd about the meeting with Kim, and he couldn’t put his finger on it. It was nagging at him, but experience told him it was useless to keep thinking about it when he was this exhausted, and particularly when he had a headache. His migraines had started again after he was appointed secretary, and his recent lack of sleep and changes in his diet were enough to trigger a bad one. He had suffered from migraine headaches since childhood, but fortunately, the accompanying pain and nausea had decreased over the years. Now he just wanted to close his eyes and get some rest, but he still had to endure the long flight back to the Reagan.
Watching his friend, Lenny could tell Colt was having another headache. The man was working pretty hard and really wasn’t taking care of himself. Lenny left the VIP lounge in search of some aspirin.
Secretary of Defense Cabin, the Reagan
Rear Admiral Carlisle wandered slowly through his former cabin spaces and realized how badly he missed the luxury and privacy of the spacious suite. Garrett had made some changes: The furniture was rearranged, and most of the mementos depicting the admiral’s career were removed, perhaps discarded. Just two weeks ago, this aircraft carrier was his flagship and he was in command of the most powerful force in the Pacific Ocean. Now he was a minor player in a major event involving his country. All thanks to Colton Garrett.
Carlisle stepped into the sleeping quarters of the suite and carefully surveyed the room. Garrett had added no personal items except for a few items of clothing in the closet and a well-worn copy of Tom Clancy’s The Hunt for Red October next to a small clock radio on the nightstand. Carlisle looked into the head and then went out into the office area. He was about to leave altogether when the cabin door suddenly opened and in walked Special Agent DeSantis, followed by Secretary Garrett. Both Garrett and DeSantis were surprised to find the admiral in the cabin.
“Good evening, Admiral. Are you lost?” Colt inquired, standing just inside the door.
Carlisle seemed to gather his thoughts for a moment. “No, sir. I haven’t seen my briefcase in a while and thought I may have left it in my closet — I mean your closet. Sorry to have bothered you, sir.”
He briskly walked to the cabin door and let himself out.
“Well, that was strange!” Colt said to himself out loud as he poured himself a glass of water from the faucet and sat down to remove his shoes.
“Good night, sir,” Anna said, then headed for her stateroom.
A few moments later, Colt heard a knock at his cabin door. Wishing he could ignore it, he got up from his chair, crossed the cabin, and opened his door to find Commander Jen Abrams standing there.
“What can I do for you, Jen? Weren’t we going to debrief our meeting with the South Koreans tomorrow morning?”
“I wanted to ask you something, sir. I’ll only take a minute, but first, I need to use your head.” A few minutes later, Jen came back into the cabin’s office area and joined Colt at the small conference table.
“I really don’t understand that Seoul meeting at all,” she said. “Why would they ask us to come, and then not tell us anything? It doesn’t make any sense, sir!” Colt was exhausted and not in the mood for this or any other discussion.
“I agree with you,” he responded, his head throbbing. “But I need to think about it further, and right now, I have a splitting headache and I need some sleep. I do want to hear your thoughts, so let’s continue this tomorrow. Stop by in the morning for coffee and we’ll talk more.”
After Jen left his cabin, Colt headed back into his bedroom, changed out of his clothes, and fell into his bed. Jen is right, he thought. Something doesn’t make sense. And he quickly drifted off.
Headquarters, Republic of Korea Marine Corps, Hwaseong, South Korea
The South Korean Marine Corps historically operated with a great degree of autonomy, an autonomy that was about to come to a sudden and dramatic end. Yesterday’s meeting with the American delegation had caused high-level concern throughout both the South Korean government and the military. The South Korean officials had not anticipated that the Americans could so quickly and accurately have identified the individual responsible for the theft of the warheads. It was additionally distressing that the Americans knew that the guilty party was the commandant of the marines, the very man who now sat across the desk from Admiral Pak.
President Kim and Minister of Defense General Lee had made it clear that they held the navy directly responsible for what General Cho and his marines had done. This morning’s meeting between Pak and Cho was the first step in a plan to realign the marines back into the navy chain of command.
“General Cho,” Admiral Pak began, “the Americans believe you are the individual responsible for the theft of their warheads, and they also believe our government knows their whereabouts. Do you acknowledge you removed the warheads during their transport many years ago and now have them hidden somewhere?”
General Cho had been sitting silently, listening to Pak’s accusations. He finally said, “Admiral Pak, the Americans have either orchestrated an elaborate plan to discredit me and our country, or they simply have botched their own investigation. In either case, I can unequivocally assure you that I neither stole the biological warheads nor am I aware of their whereabouts. I continue to believe this is some sort of scheme that was hatched in the North to not only halt the reunification talks but also to cause us to further mistrust one another.”
Pak suddenly realized that General Cho had no idea President Kim already knew Cho had stolen and hidden the weapons and that he was now guarding them with his own troops. Admiral Pak also knew that his own chances for possible promotion to Minister of National Defense were dependent upon his ability to artfully and effectively resolve the missing warheads issue and remove General Cho from power.
“That is an interesting response, General,” the admiral commented. “You should know that if I discover you are lying to me regarding your involvement in this affair, the damage you will bring upon yourself and the entire marine corps will be devastating.”
The admiral stood and walked toward the door, turning back to leave the general with one final point. “You see,” he said, “the truth has an uncanny way of surfacing. When it does, I hope it aligns with your statements.” The admiral left the general’s office and closed the door behind him.
General Cho remained seated at his desk and proceeded to think through the situation he was in. First, no one other than he and a few of his trusted marines knew the location of the biological weapons. The admiral had to be bluffing. The Americans were much more likely to be concerned about the reunification talks than about the location of a few old warheads. Second, with Colonel Chang’s reckless sharing of classified information with the North Korean agent he was sleeping with, any relocation of the warheads would now have to be delayed until other world events caused the Americans to become distracted. Any unusual movement of South Korean forces could be detected by the Americans. Third, he would continue to deny any involvement with the warheads’ theft. There was no proof at all that he actually removed them. He decided instead to accelerate his interrogation of Colonel Chang to discover the extent of the North Korean penetration of his forces.
SECDEF Cabin, the Reagan
Colt Garrett looked at his reflection in the mirror above the sink as he moved the electric shaver over his face. Like most men performing the daily ritual, he approached the task in the same way each morning, shaving each portion of his weathered face in the same sequence he had used since becoming old enough to grow a beard. He noticed his ever-receding hairline and the growing amount of gray in his thinning hair, wondering to himself, Where have all the years gone? Am I turning into my father? But when he looked closer into the mirror, he saw a man staring back who had lived a good life, made a few mistakes along the way, and hopefully had learned from them. He hung his robe on the hook behind the door and stepped into the shower stall.
The “Hollywood Shower”
that Colt was enjoying this morning, with its endless flow of water, was typically forbidden on a Navy ship at sea because it could consume more than 60 gallons of fresh water. A standard “Navy Shower” used only three gallons of water: a brief wet down, soap, and then a final spray to rinse the soap away. If Reagan’s 5,000 crew members each took a daily “Hollywood Shower,” more than 300,000 gallons of fresh water would be wasted every day.
For some reason, Colt seemed to do his best thinking in the shower. This particular morning he was fixated on yesterday’s meeting in Seoul with President Kim, and he recalled Kim’s statement that the government did not control the stolen warheads and wished they did not exist. Lenny thought Colt was seeing things that weren’t there, and maybe it was just the headache he was experiencing at the time, but it still gnawed at him. Okay, he thought, let’s walk through this one more time. If the South Korean government doesn’t control the warheads, was President Kim implying that another entity, perhaps the military or some subset of the military, does control the weapons without government knowledge? If General Cho was the last person to see the warheads all those years ago, perhaps he was doing this on his own. And if indeed the South Koreans had discovered that Cho had hidden the weapons without government knowledge, they wouldn’t just throw Cho under the bus like that — would they?
Colt turned off the water and toweled off before leaving the shower stall. He stood still for a few more minutes, continuing his thought process. If Kim knew the stolen weapons were secretly hidden in his country, of course he would wish they weren’t there! And then, with a jolt, it came to him. Was Kim saying he wishes the Americans would go and find the warheads and just remove them as if they were never there? But to remove the warheads, the U.S. would have to know their precise location, which at this point is the missing piece of the puzzle.