Covenant - THE CONTROLLER 01
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“Holy shit! Pardon me, sir, but that would make them sitting ducks for attacks by the PLO, Syrians, you name it.”
“Don’t worry Stephen. You’re going to be addressing an assemblage of representatives from the PLO and all the Arab countries at the same time I’m doing business with Israel. You are going to impress upon them that if I am willing to use nuclear weapons against an old ally, I will surely not hesitate to use them on other aggressors. So clear your calendar; you’re going to be leaving for Saudi Arabia soon. The arrangements will be announced as soon as the CIA makes the startling discovery that Israel is now our foe.”
“What makes you so sure that they’ll ever realize it?” Adam was being sarcastic again.
“Because there have been enough clues fed to their operatives to ensure that they come to the correct conclusion.”
“You know, sir, if I didn’t know you better, I might think that you’ve staged this whole thing to set up the Israelis to be a scapegoat.” Stephen wanted to test Richard’s composure.
“Stephen, I would never take American lives, or any lives for that matter, unless it was under war conditions and I had no alternative. I didn’t start this, but I’m sure as hell going to end it. It’s time these idiots in the Middle East were brought to task, once and for all. They are either going to make peace, or they are going to die, if not by their own hands, then by ours.”
“I wish I knew who this source of yours is so I could see some credibility in what you’re saying.”
“Stephen, to reveal my source would be a betrayal that could have repercussions that we don’t want to think about. Just consider this, when the CIA brings the evidence to our attention, you will have your proof that my source is credible. Do you agree with that?”
“If this scenario plays out the way you have outlined, then yes, I will believe anything your source has to say.”
“How about you, Adam?”
“I agree with the vice president. If this evidence turns up as you said, I’ll be a believer.”
“Good, then I expect the two of you to come up with worst case scenarios as to how these nations are going to react to our ultimatum. I want to have a counter for any objection that they may raise. I don’t want them to be able to make a case for business as usual. I want the fear of God in them. I want them to be absolutely positive that the United States is going to decimate the Middle East if they don’t cooperate. Stephen, when you go to Saudi Arabia, you must convince the attendees at your meeting that it would be suicide to take any action of a hostile nature. That includes allowing terrorists that they harbor to stage any act.”
“What can I tell them about the Israeli situation?”
“Exactly what I just told you, that we are demanding they disarm or face annihilation. I think they are smart enough to put two and two together and see that we will be demanding the same of them eventually.”
“All right, is each of you clear on this? If not speak up now. I’m going to go back to Camp David while we wait for the CIA to give us our ammo. As soon as we have that, we will meet at Camp David to go over final preparations. By then I’ll have my speech to the Israeli Prime Minister ready, and I’ll run it by both of you. Stephen, you’ll run your speech by Adam and me; I want us all to be on the same page. And by the way, do it yourself, no speechwriters. Also, don’t confide in anyone what we are up to; absolutely no one is to know about this but the three of us.”
“Don’t you think it would be better for you to remain at the White House, sir?” Adam felt the president’s presence was necessary.
“No, Adam. By returning to Camp David, I think I will be defusing the media. They will think that it is business as usual. If I stay here they will see it as a sign that a crisis is underway. I want to keep them out of this for as long as we can. Let them continue believing what Christine gave them at the briefing, namely that our embassy was attacked by an unknown terrorist organization.
“We each have our tasks, so let’s get to them.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Christine intercepted Richard as he was making his way toward the helicopter for his trip back to Camp David.
“Mr. President, could I have one minute?” She wanted more, much more, but under the circumstances, it just wasn’t possible.
“Sure, Christine, what’s up?” He walked toward her and away from everyone else’s earshot. When he got next to her he motioned that they should walk farther away and placed his hand on her shoulder to guide her. A shiver went down her spine to her toes at his touch, a shiver she welcomed and wished would occur more regularly.
“I’m having a difficult time keeping the press at bay on the embassy situation. Any suggestions?”
“I know you’re on the hot seat right now, but I anticipate some news within the next twenty-four hours. Don’t say anything to the press about that though. As soon as I have some new information worth sharing, I’ll contact you. I managed to listen to part of your last briefing and I have to say that my faith in you has been amply rewarded.” He reached out and grasped both of her hands in his, very gently at first, then more securely, almost as if he didn’t want to let go. He looked deeply into her eyes and said, “I want to keep you close to me.”
Christine’s heart was pounding as she watched him depart; she dared to wonder what Richard meant by “close.” His eyes hinted at more than a business relationship, but she couldn’t be sure. As she walked back to her office, she wondered if she appeared to others to be walking as shakily as she felt. It was several minutes before she could gain her composure and get back to business.
* * *
Richard had but one thought during the flight back to Camp David—did he make the right choices? In hindsight, he couldn’t help but second-guess his decisions. In the corporate world a bad decision might cost a drop in share price, but now he was dealing with human lives. He convinced himself that he had made the right moves and needed to put his doubts aside. He had done what was needed, and he could live with the outcome—he had to live with the outcome.
* * *
Richard hurried back to the cabin after the helicopter landed. He wanted to be near his office should any news come through. Veronica met him at the door and could see the concern on his face.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I‘ve put something into action that could have tremendous ramifications. I’ll either be impeached or applauded over the next few weeks.”
“I assume you’re referring to the situation with our embassy in Cairo.”
“Yes. I’m taking an action that could literally blow up in my face. What is the news reporting about the crisis? I’ve been too wrapped up in other things to pay any attention. We are telling them as little as possible for the time being.”
“They keep saying the same things over and over again. Since the initial reports hit the air, they haven’t had anything new to say. They seem to feel that it is worthy enough to dominate the airtime even though there are no new developments. So I guess you’re doing all right at keeping them in the dark.”
“Good, the less they know, the less they can use to crucify me. I’m going to be spending most of the next twenty-four hours in my office. I have to compose my thoughts on paper.”
“Do you think we’ll have to cut short our vacation? I hate to take the children back right when they have gotten into the swing of things.”
“I don’t see any reason why you and the children can’t stay here as planned. I may have to go back, but I can’t be sure at this point. The next few hours should tell. In the meantime, let’s have lunch, shall we? I’m famished and I can’t wait till dinner.”
They walked toward the dining room, hand in hand.
“I wasn’t sure when you were coming back and the children were hungry, so we ate. I’ll keep you company, though.”
“Where are the kids, anyway?”
“They’re out riding with a couple of the Marines. They should be back any minute now.”
“Randall has been watching the news with me part of the time, but Jennifer could care less. Randall’s only comment was ‘Dad has his first real crisis now.’ I guess he’s getting old enough to see the significance of this.”
“Well, I hope he doesn’t pay too much attention to what the TV news is saying and asks me instead.”
“Don’t worry about him; he has enough savvy to know where to find the truth.”
* * *
After lunch, Richard went to his office to prepare what he was going to say to the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Schmier. He truly liked the man and believed he really did want to see peace in the Middle East; but like so many others, the politicians who were calling the shots tied his hands. He wanted to be firm and leave no doubt, yet he wanted to keep Schmier as a friend, and hopefully as an ally. Richard felt that if anyone could understand his position, it was Schmier.
Richard had just finished jotting down his thoughts when the phone rang.
“Mr. President, we have word from the CIA. Director Thornton and General Wilson want to come out to Camp David to meet with you.” Adam knew this would probably give the president a lift.
“Good, have them fly out here, and I want you and the vice president here as well. We can have a dinner meeting. Did you guys come up with a speech?”
“Yes sir, we did, pretty good, I might add. We’ll bring it for your review. See you soon.”
Richard rang the kitchen steward and told him there would be four guests arriving for dinner and that they would dine in the smallest conference room in the Laurel cabin. Then he told Veronica that he was sorry, but dinner with the family was not to be. He did smooth things over by agreeing to play a game of Monopoly with her and the children after the guests departed.
He then set to doing a final review of his comments for the prime minister. Richard knew that he would have to be aggressive, possibly hostile, with Schmier, if he were going to make the kind of impact that he wanted. The hardest thing was going to be his tendency to talk with the prime minister as a friend. He would have to prepare himself before their conversation by forming a mental image of the Marines that were gunned down while they slept.
* * *
The four men arrived shortly after six. They were escorted to the Laurel cabin and to the conference room to await the president. Richard arrived shortly thereafter. When he entered the conference room, the four were standing around or, in the case of Thornton, pacing in silence. The president shook each man’s hand, using both of his when he shook with Adam and Stephen and they reciprocated. It was a spontaneous show of unity between the three of them.
“Let’s all sit down. Dinner will be served here later so we can get right to it. What’s the latest news?” Richard asked Thornton.
“We had some startling information come to our attention earlier today. It seems that this attack was masterminded by the Israelis.” Thornton was almost apologetic.
“But the Israelis are our ally, aren’t they?” Richard, playing devil’s advocate, rubbed it in for Thornton’s benefit.
“The attack was set up to appear as if Arab factions were to blame. All the evidence we have acquired tends to confirm this scenario.” Thornton continued on in an attempt to repel the president’s jibes.
Richard gave a quick look at both Adam and Stephen to see their reactions. They remained composed, as if there was never any doubt what Thornton was going to say.
Richard turned to Thornton. “So there is no doubt in your mind as to the Israelis being behind this?”
“No doubt at all, Mr. President. We have triple checked all the facts.”
“So, if we go on that assumption, then where does that leave us? Any thoughts from you General?”
“Yes sir. I believe, based on how you wish to treat the situation politically, that we have two options for the safe return of our hostages. Smoothing things over with the Israelis and negotiating for the release of our personnel would be one option. The other would be to retake our embassy by covert force. Should we wish for the Israelis to not know that we’re aware of their involvement, option two is our only approach. We could take the embassy back and announce to the rest of the world that all the terrorists were killed in the ensuing battle, and we therefore do not know who was behind the attack.”
“I think you may have overlooked an option, General.” Richard was going to put the General and Thornton on the hot seat with the rest of them. “The way I see it, the Israelis are trying to start a conflict between the Arab nations and us. They of course would come to our assistance like all good allies, ready to help us out. They would get the conflict they want and have the most powerful military machine in the world on their side. They are assuming, probably with good reason, that we would not oppose their taking over and annexing more territory. They would be in a win-win situation. Do you agree with my analysis?”
Both Thornton and Wilson nodded in agreement.
“With that being the case, if we took option two, then we could not take any action against anyone. We would be letting terrorism have a freebie and leaving ourselves open for even more problems. If we take option one, we would be telling the world that we are willing to negotiate with terrorists. They may be from a ‘friendly’ nation, but they committed a terrorist act nonetheless. That would be carte blanche to the other terrorist groups. Do you agree with that assessment?”
Once again the nodding of agreement.
“Okay, then that leaves us with another option, which is this. I will schedule a meeting with Prime Minister Schmier, at which time I will confront him with the evidence. I will express my utter dismay at his country’s actions and make it perfectly clear to him that I consider Israel’s action tantamount to a declaration of war. I will demand that Israel come forward with an admission of guilt and an agreement to total disarmament. I will make it clear to him, that should they refuse to take these steps, I will ask Congress to declare a state of war on Israel. I also will make it clear to him that unlike in the past, we won’t pussyfoot around with ground troops and conventional weapons, but rather that we will use low-yield nuclear devices to destroy his country. I will impress upon him that there will be no occupation, no rebuilding, and no aid; there will only be destruction and Israel will cease to exist.”
“Good Lord, Mr. President, you can’t be serious!” General Wilson was halfway out of his chair. “God only knows what you could be triggering with such an action.”
“Easy, General. Let me finish. I am going to have Vice President Hamilton address the Arab nations and make it completely clear to them that any action on their part will be deemed hostile and not in the best interests of the United States, in which case they would be subject to similar retaliation.”
“Congress will never go along with this, Mr. President,” Thornton finally chimed in his disapproval, although more sheepishly than the General.
“Actually, I’m confident that they will. They will come to the same conclusion that I have, namely that no one in the world is willing to take us on in a full-scale conflict. They all know that they would end up with the short end of the stick. They have gotten used to pushing the United States around with the knowledge that we were always going to be the ones to hold back and try to settle things with political correctness. Well, the world is at the brink right now and we cannot continue with our past policies. We have gotten to the point where we can’t tell who our friends are anymore, and that’s pathetic. It’s now time to flex our muscles. I am positive that we won’t have to take any military action whatsoever. Each and every one of them will run away with his tail between his legs. They won’t like it and they’ll all hate us, as they now do, but they will have a new respect for us, and if they fear us, more the better.”
“And what if they don’t, then what.” The General was becoming argumentative.
“Then one strategically placed missile will make the point.”
“I don’t know
what to make of this.” Thornton was utterly bewildered at the president’s attitude. “I have to admit that what you say makes a modicum of sense and I know that General Wilson himself has often advocated a ‘get tough’ policy. But still, couldn’t this backfire on us? Couldn’t this result in even more terrorist activity?”
“Once the vice president has told the other nations that we are no longer going to tolerate their harboring of terrorists, they will see to it that the escalation stops.”
“You keep mentioning the vice president, I haven’t heard a word out of him so far. What do you think, sir?” The general was showing a slight softening of tone as he turned to the vice president. He was hoping that Hamilton would side with him.
“I agree with President Sinclair, General Wilson. Initially I was surprised, I’ll admit, but I think the president is simply being bold enough to say what the rest of us have been thinking for quite some time. As we are wont to say in Texas, ‘it’s time to shit or get off the pot’. And I would just as soon start shittin’ on them for a change. Heaven knows how long we’ve been on the receiving end.”
“If we go along on this, how do you see the my agency being involved?” Thornton was now more concerned with his own position than anything else.
“I’m going to rely on the CIA more than ever from now on, no matter what happens. I will warn you though; I have no intention of having the agency carry on with its lone wolf attitude. You and I are going to be meeting very soon to discuss the agency. In the meantime, I need for you to focus on the Middle East. Be more aggressive than ever in searching out the military readiness of these countries. Any sign of build up or deployment and I want to know. Even if it’s just a hunch, sound an alarm.” The president had threatened the CIA and put it on notice; now he would dress the wound. “You came through for me on this, Charles, and you can rest assured that the agency, and you, will have a long and fruitful association with the Oval Office.”
The general, seeing that he was the lone dissenting voice, hinted that he was on board by calmly stating, “Mr. President, if we assume a worst case scenario, we could be looking at losing our embassy people. The Israelis won’t take lightly to being threatened, and they may just kill the hostages in the hope of covering things up. No eye witnesses, no credibility.”