by Van Torrey
It was Philip Johnson’s turn to speak. “There is something else, Ms. Hunter. You may not have projected that far at this point but it will probably dawn on you that accepting this nomination and being confirmed by Congress will place you in a very favorable position to be the party’s nominee and potential winner of the next presidential election. The other side has no one of consequence waiting in the wings and it will take too long for our party’s primary opposition to get organized enough to field any significant opposition. They were all betting on Louis Nichols’ nomination and candidacy as a foregone conclusion.”
After a long moment of silence, Rachel Hunter spoke up. “So what you’re really telling me here, gentlemen, is in accepting this nomination, I am effectively preparing myself to become President of the United States, one way or the other.”
“One way or the other,” nodded Braxton ominously.
CHAPTER 6
COUP D’ÉTAT
“A coup d’état is nothing more than political engineering.”
Unknown
*
History had shown many times that as the memory of a political revolution fades in the minds of the citizenry for whom it was expected to benefit, the basic principles behind its execution become obscured by successive leaders who no longer have the vision or passion for the purity of the original concept.
Chong Gang-Du, the uninspiring second successor to his grandfather’s establishment of North Korea after World War Two, in spite of his impressive pedigree of dictator predecessors, was not cut out of the same cloth as his grandfather or his father. He quickly became known as “Compassionate Leader,” but unlike his father, he was not up to the ruthless and cold-hearted leadership methods required to manage the fragile economy and powerful military culture of North Korea that had been perfected by his grandfather and father. Such was the case of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the DPRK, a.k.a. North Korea, now in the hands of a third generation of the Chong family after the nation’s founding in the late 1940’s by the patriarch of the Chong family, known as the “Great Leader.”
The DPRK was originally conceived as a fledgling Communist worker’s paradise modeled after and under the protective wing of the former Soviet Union and its despotic leader, Joseph Stalin. The idea of an ideologically pure Communist state benefitting every citizen equally from the efforts of all, stagnated and subsequently succumbed to blight through a perfect storm of insufficient natural resources, failed central management of a fundamentally weak economy, weather conditions injurious to agricultural sustainability, and ingrained corruption at many levels of government.
Chong Gang-Du, the chosen third generation scion held power for three years after the death of his father. Regardless of how consistent his policies seemed to echo those of his grandfather’s revolution, it gradually became evident that his former soft life of Swiss boarding schools and current familial duties as a young husband and father were no match for the ambitious lust for power of his father’s surviving sibling, and aggressive military generals who questioned his every move among themselves while lusting quietly for the supreme power Chong Gang-Du held so tenuously.
Chong Gang-Du’s aunt, “Madam Chong,” as she was known in the high governing circles of the Communist politburo of North Korea, was his father’s sister who had risen to a position of power when her brother was the dictator. Although she was aggressive in attempting to initiate policy and seize even greater authority, her moves were held in check by her stern brother who often lectured her in private about her independent ways. “I warn you, sister, do not allow your shadow to fall on me in public or in our meetings with the others. If our father would have wanted you to ascend to the presidency after his death he would have made it clear to all what his desires were. Together we will govern this country, but you must always remind yourself, and that impotent husband of yours, that it is I who has the ultimate authority in all matters in the DPRK. I will not stand for insubordination or disrespect, especially from you!” he said ominously.
After her brother’s death, Madam Chong paid lip service to the transition of Chong Gang-Du into power. For weeks there were solemn events honoring the departed “Dear Leader.” Madam Chong was always dutifully present at such functions, showing deference to her nephew in public and even supporting him as he gradually took control of the many positions that had cemented his father as undisputed leader of the DPRK. In private, and depending on who else was present, Madam Chong began almost immediately to skillfully and stealthily plot his overthrow and plan for what she felt was her destiny of leadership in the wake of her departed father.
In order to avoid the appearance of a coup d’état that could negatively permeate through the dominate culture of the military establishment and further destabilize the fragile government, his familial rivals, led by Madam Chong, cleverly and gently persuaded Chong Gang-Du, the older brother, to relinquish power in favor of his younger brother who had recently been living in a southern Asian country since the death of his father. “Nephew, you have told me privately from times in your youth and, most recently during periods of difficulty during this transition, you have no passion for the challenges of continuing the Chong dynasty began by your grandfather. I can remove those burdens from you gracefully by arranging for you and your family to go to Switzerland where you can live in dignity and great comfort.” Madam Chong offered enticements of returning to Switzerland on a generous stipend with his young wife and child, free from the constant burdens of managing a dysfunctional country, and being the potential target of forcible attempts to undermine his authority and seize power, to say nothing of his life. This package offered by his aunt made the choice to leave North Korea in dignity an increasingly easy one for the disillusioned Chong Gang-Du.
After having been recalled from voluntary exile as the new “Visionary Leader,” as he immediately became known by dictated fiat of Madam Chong, Chong Gang-Du’s weak and completely inept younger brother stumbled along as the leader in name only of the DPRK for less than a year before it became evident to the most senior People’s Party representatives and the heads of the military that the old adage of “nature abhorring a vacuum” was about to be fulfilled in the form of an abrupt change of power. His aunt, Madam Chong, and her husband, were on the verge of secretly deposing the young man and seizing power, under the guise of saving North Korea from disastrously misguided leadership, while continuing the revolutionary standards of her father, the founder of the DPRK.
The Visionary Leader’s aunt knew without the support of the People’s Army, the commanding force of North Korea’s social and political infrastructure, her takeover could not succeed uninterrupted. With that fact in mind, she took a calculated risk and informed General Fhang Jhai, the Commanding General of the powerful People’s Army, of her plans just hours before the planned disposition of the “Visionary Leader.” The ambitious General, well aware in advance of the many rumors surrounding the scheming of the Chong family, sensed his timing was at hand. If he failed to strike at this precise moment his opportunity to ascend to supreme power in the DPRK might be lost for years to come.
With her plans in readiness Madam Chong went with her husband to the residence of the “Visionary Leader” late at night to arrest him and seize power in what was planned as a bloodless coup.
To her great surprise, as she entered the previously well-guarded compound housing quarters of her nephew she was seeking to depose, she and her security team were greeted by General Fhang and a sizable number of elite North Korean special operations troops who were now deployed around the presidential residence.
“General Fhang, I didn’t expect this level of support,” remarked Madam Chong guardedly. “I took your offer of support as a passive one and didn’t expect your physical presence here. I doubt that you and your men will be needed further,” she concluded dismissively.
“Yes, well, Madam Chong, I didn’t want anything to go wrong so I decided to come here myself to supervise the secu
rity of the operation. Furthermore I must tell you there has been a change of plans at the last moment,” he said carefully.
“Change? What change? My husband and I are now in charge,” Madam Chong said sternly. “I think you are on the verge of being insubordinate, General.”
General Fhang approached the woman looking at her sternly and announced carefully and quietly, “Madam Chong, you, your husband, and your staff are now under arrest for attempting acts of treason against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The Visionary Leader has authorized me to use my authority as Head of the People’s Army to stabilize the situation and restore order to the government. You will be taken to my headquarters for interrogation. I intend to determine who your co-conspirators are and arrest them as well.”
In one last and futile moment of defiance, Madam Chong looked through hateful eyes at General Fhang and announced, “You will hang for this General and whatever family you have will be sent to a labor camp where they will be worked and starved to death.”
“You speak lies, Madam Chong,” replied Fhang. “Soon you will find yourself speaking truths you will choke on, truths that will seal your fate forever. You will be begging for death after you lament your treasonous acts.”
Given the overwhelming force of numbers and elite nature of General Fhang’s loyal troops, the coup was over bloodlessly in a matter of two hours, with General Fhang completely in control of the government of the DPRK by noon the following day.
Madam Chong and her husband were taken to a private prison operated by General Fhang in Pyongyang, separated from each other, and harshly interrogated to determine the identity of their co-conspirators in the plot against her nephew. At the end of the second day Madam Chong’s strength was ebbing and her capacity to resist was no longer viable. She became aware that the end was near for her and she racked her brain for any gambit that could potentially save her life. From out of the recesses of her nearly exhausted memory she remembered a secret operation that had been conceived by her brother and senior members of the DPRK Reconnaissance Bureau just before his death. It involved an audacious plan to attempt to infiltrate a small nuclear weapon onto the territory of North America using an ocean-going fishing trawler out of Wonson, North Korea, and moving it by sea to Vancouver, British Columbia under cover of its vast harbor resources and cosmopolitan urban environment housing many diverse Asians. Once there, a sleeper cell of DPRK agents would hide the weapon and wait for a team dispatched from North Korea to move it into position somewhere in the United States Pacific Northwest where it would be detonated. It would take at least one, possibly two years to implement, given the complicated logistics of preparing a warhead that could be transported safely by sea and pre-establishing the sleeper cell in Vancouver to carry out the plan. It had been left to the Reconnaissance Bureau to refine the plan and to begin the process of carrying it out. Madam Chong was not in on the details of the plot, having been taken into the confidence of her brother as he broad-brushed a number of initiatives he had conceived to perpetrate acts of terror against the United States. After his unexpected death, Madam Chong remained in the dark as to whether these initiatives died with him. Regardless, she had bigger fish to fry domestically involving the transition to power of his elder son and she had gradually forgotten her brother’s ideas about exporting terror to the North American mainland. However, her current situation fueled the fires of desperation and she urgently played her ace.
General Fhang was self-medicating an unbearable headache in his private quarters with prodigious amounts of fine Russian vodka. As the pain gradually was reduced it was replaced by lingering doubts about his coup d’état and his paranoia about the loyalties of those around him. I must root out all those who are not absolutely loyal to me and remove them from any seat of power that could challenge me, he thought. Consolidation of power must go forward ruthlessly until I am sure of everyone’s loyalty, he continued as random thoughts of failure steeled his resolve to trust no one in the process. If there is any doubt, purge them with extreme prejudice, he concluded. General Fhang drained another large tumbler of vodka, further clouding his brain while relieving his pain in the process.
Fhang’s aide, Colonel Young, cautiously knocked on the door of Fhang’s private quarters knowing the danger of catching the General after he had consumed too much vodka. “Enter, fool. Can’t you tell that I have a headache and don’t wish to be bothered?”
“Please excuse me sir. I have a message from the Ministry of Internal Security. They are on the telephone and say it is urgent they speak with you.”
“Yes,” Fhang responded dully, as he looked out over Pyongyang under the night sky. Soon this city will be lit with my Brilliant New Light, he thought through the fog of alcohol that had dulled his brain functions. “Yes, these animals are trying to get some information from that madwoman, Madam Chong,” he responded aimlessly.
“I will take the call, Colonel. Perhaps they have called to tell me that the bitch is dead...so much the better.”
“Yes, what is it?” slurred Fhang into the telephone. “Is there no rest from you rabid dogs?”
“General, sir,” replied the caller, his words dripping with obeisance, “as you know we are...interviewing...Madam Chong and...”
“...DOG!...you are interviewing this woman like trying to kill a snake with a pop-gun,” shouted Fhang. “If you apply appropriate measures you will get the truth!”
“Yes, sir, I understand, sir. But that is just it, sir. The woman suddenly claims she is aware of some important information that you should be aware of that will help in your...transition...to leadership. She wishes to speak to you in person about this.”
“You running dogs can’t even do your jobs without raising me in the middle of the night to supervise you,” shouted Fhang into the phone. “This lying and manipulative bitch has all of you cowed by her cunning duplicity.”
“Yes, sir, but it is our duty to the people to report vital intelligence to those who can decide what to do with it,” the Internal Security officer retorted.
Through the fog of drunkenness those words, “...duty to the people...” resonated with Fhang in some dim visceral way, and he knew these were code for The State, the unifying force that was the DPRK. Fhang knew that until he had totally consolidated his nascent power, even the Ministry of Internal Security might hold some sway over him. Better to acquiesce to their request than to dismiss it out of hand, reasoned Fhang, even in his drunkenness. “I will be there soon, do not do anything more until I speak with Madam Chong myself.” Fhang lurched haltingly to the door of his residence and told his driver to take him to the prison.
General Fhang was escorted by the officer in charge of the prison to the basement room where Madam Chong was being held and interrogated. Even in his state of diminished awareness Fhang was surprised by the toll that two days of steady interrogation had taken on the woman. She looked at least twenty years older and being handcuffed to a straight-backed chair for hours at a time had reduced her to a mere shadow of her former self. Her black stringy hair was matted to her face and her eyes were puffy from stress and crying out in pain to her tormenters.
“Good evening, Madam Chong,” said Fhang carelessly after he had dismissed the others from the small room. “What is the importance of this information you have that has caused them to disturb my rest to come see you?”
Madam Chong looked at the General with thinly veiled hatred and summoned what was left of her dignity in what was possibly her last chance to save her life. “If I give you certain information that no one else knows which may be vital to your assumption to power and to your future relations with our sworn enemies, will you let my husband and I go?”
“Go? Go where?” spit out Fhang. “You can go to hell, you traitorous bitch,” he snarled. “If I would have allowed you to seize power, I would be dead by now...or worse, in one of the camps. I am not naïve.” Undeterred by Fhang’s cruel outburst, Madam Chong continued, “Would you be interested in
information about sleeper cells that have been dispatched by the Reconnaissance Bureau to commit acts of terror in other countries?”
“Nothing such as that may proceed without my permission,” answered Fhang dismissively. “You are speaking in lying fantasies to buy time,” he continued. “This is a ruse to protect your fellow conspirators...none of whom you have informed us about,” Fhang said angrily. “Name your fellow conspirators and we will speak of these other day-dreams of yours later.”
Madam Chong slumped in the chair against her restraints and began to sob uncontrollably. “I have told your men everything General. It was really only my husband and I who turned against the Visionary Leader, abetted by a few soldiers whom you already know about. We had no other help.”
“LIES!” thundered General Fhang as he kicked out at the chair holding Madam Chong, hurling her, tethered to the chair, to the concrete floor. “GIVE US NAMES BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER,” he raged.
As Madam Chong lay sobbing and choking on the floor, Fhang stormed out of the room and angrily told the interrogators to get the names of Madam Chong’s conspirators and to call him when this information was available. Fhang reasoned that with each passing hour these traitors could escape by boat or overland to South Korea or China and be lost to his revenge forever, even possibly to become martyred heroes in some perverse way. No, they must be identified and found as part of his consolidation of power, with no mercy shown to anyone until then, he swore to himself.
Two days later, after continuous brutal interrogation, the tortured and empty shells of Madam Chong and her husband were personally executed by General Fhang and buried in unmarked graves in the countryside far from the capital. Fhang personally arrested the hapless Visionary Leader and sent him to a notorious hard labor camp in the far northern reaches of North Korea, from which no prisoner had ever been released or escaped. The former Visionary Leader was never heard from again. His personal staff and close friends, to a man, were rounded up, brutally interrogated, and hanged together in public in Pyongyang as a warning to anyone else who opposed General Fhang. They were then buried unceremoniously in a mass grave far outside the capital. The Chong dynasty in North Korea that was supposed to have lasted indefinitely was officially out of business.