Covenant - THE CONTROLLER 01

by Jerry Bruce

  “What kind of a time frame are we talking about?”

  “It’s unclear at present; but I don’t see anyone taking the office for at least a couple of years. There are too many details to be ironed out first. The difficult part is, I don’t know where this new government would be headquartered. I asked Stephen to see if he could find out while he’s in Paris. If the fact that all the meetings have been in Paris is any clue, then there is the possibility that France could be the preference.”

  “That could be difficult, speaking strictly from a family standpoint. How would we manage the children’s education, for example?”

  “Randall would probably have completed his education by then. After graduation, he’ll probably go to work for Radliff and Sinclair Investments. He won’t care where we are; he’ll be too busy. Jennifer would still have a year or two of college left. Who knows, maybe she would like to get in an exchange program and complete her education in Europe. There are still many details we don’t know. I’m sure more information will be available before too long. I wanted to run this by you and get your opinion. Remember, nothing is cast in concrete at this point. You know, you can put an end to all of this just by saying that you don’t want me to accept the nomination.”

  “I already told you that you have my support regarding this. There are just some obstacles that we will need to address.”

  “Well, there’s always the possibility that it won’t even happen, I suppose. I mean the nomination. The world government idea seems to be a certainty, though.”

  “We will just have to take it as it comes.” With that Veronica proposed a toast of her own. “To the next—I mean first—world president.”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

  “Is there anything else you can tell me, Richard?”

  “I really don’t know much else about the plan. When Stephen returns home after the meetings we will have a bigger picture. It’s an interesting concept and I’m curious how the Hill will react. There has been opposition in the past; one could even say derision, to any mention of a world economy. We’ll find out immediately how the mood has changed over the last few years, if at all.”

  “I would be surprised if the old attitudes still lingered considering what you’ve accomplished.”

  “I’m sure several dissenters have been won over. It’s simply a case of how many. I’ve managed to gain the support of several more Democrats over the last few years, it’s simply a case of whether that’s enough. In any case, if the rest of the world chooses to unite, the United States would be forced to join them. To do otherwise could put us in a vulnerable position, economically speaking.”

  “Then it would appear that approval from the Hill is merely a formality.”

  “Ronnie, if I’ve learned anything since we moved to Washington, it’s that you can never take anything for granted.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Over the next two years, Richard managed to accomplish quite a few of the items he had on his wish list. He was hoping to end his presidency on a high note, and it was looking like that was coming about. He had managed to balance the budget and eliminate the deficit; he also had managed to get new Social Security reforms in place which would ensure that the program could continue for at least another thirty to forty years. Throw in better Medicare benefits and Richard was going out with a bang.

  All this made it an easy task for Stephen to be elected as Richard’s successor. A couple of months hence there would be a changing of the guard and Richard would move on to the presidency of the World Organization of Nations. Richard had mixed emotions on Stephen being his successor. On one hand, he knew Stephen would do a wonderful job but on the other he was still questioning whether Stephen might be in an alliance with the Controller. Granted, his own alliance was the primary motive force behind most of the programs he had managed to accomplish, but when all was said and done, Richard still had reservations about the Controller. That meant that he also had reservations about Stephen.

  Richard had tried many times to get Stephen to slip up and give him some hint that the suspicions were true. However, either Stephen was cagier than Richard thought, or he had no idea of the Controller’s existence. The latter option left Richard with the uneasy feeling that there was still a mole close to him, and he had no clue to his identity.

  Richard made sure that he didn’t do anything to alienate Stephen; they had to maintain a tight relationship if the United States was going to be a major player in the new World Organization of Nations. Richard had been elected by a wide margin by the panel and would be officially sworn in as the W.O.N. President within days of ending his term in office as President of the United States.

  The World Organization of Nations would be headquartered in New York City, in temporary offices within the United Nations complex. It was only logical that the headquarters be there since the U.N. was being disbanded. The panel of member nations decided that there would be no need to continue organizations such as the United Nations once the W.O.N. was in full force. A large part of the U.N. was being absorbed by the W.O.N., since many responsibilities would be common to any worldwide organization. The W.O.N. was simply taking the U.N. concept to a much higher plateau. Existing national governments would remain intact, each continuing to govern as usual, while representatives from each member nation would comprise the legislative and judicial branches of the W.O.N. Each member nation was required to pledge that the W.O.N. would be allowed to intervene should a nation deviate from the charter it vowed to uphold. All military forces would ultimately be combined into one united entity with a new direction—that of peacekeeping and law enforcement.

  All of this and much more would be under Richard’s direction. As agreed upon by the panel members, Richard would be allowed two personal assistants of his choosing. All cabinet positions would be appointed by a congress of representatives.

  The panel realized early on that presidential power had to be limited in scope to less than that with which most nations endow their leaders. Unlike the United States system, with its presidential veto, the W.O.N. President would have no such power. Being only human, it could be too tempting for a president to show favoritism to his mother country and prevent action that was good for the majority, but not for the one. The W.O.N. President would be required to work closely with his congress and support their decisions. Should the president be required to take immediate action in response to an aggressive act, for example, a committee consisting of four members of congress would be available at all times to decide upon a course of action. Should the vote be evenly split, the president would cast the deciding vote. The full congress would then be assembled at its earliest convenience to endorse or denounce the actions taken.

  The idea of a committee of four was Richard’s and was decisive in his winning the election. The panel had been concerned about his willingness to use nuclear weapons, and sensing this might be a liability, Richard proposed the committee concept to the panel during his nomination interview. The panel felt that Richard’s willingness to tie his own hands showed tremendous dedication to the world government philosophy. That, combined with his championing of a world economy, gave Richard an edge—or so it seemed. Only the Controller would know how much outside influence was brought to bear on the panel for Richard’s election.

  Popular response to Richard being elected was overwhelming, but not surprising. His nomination was not as closely guarded a secret as the panel might have desired. Richard himself, unbeknownst to anyone, was the source of a leak spilling the beans. Richard kept true to his word, and once he had something definite he could pass on, he met with Ralph Blocker and fed him the exclusive he had promised. Blocker in return gave Richard some new information about the identity of the man behind the programs. So far Blocker had kept his word and remained quiet about his search and findings. Blocker had been getting tidbits from Christine every now and then, and his reputation was on the rise. Richard’s information got him worldwide recognit
ion, and his career took off like a rocket. Blocker and Richard had earned each other’s respect and formed a friendship of sorts, Richard feeling that having Blocker on his side could be valuable in the future. How he wasn’t sure, but he definitely felt so.

  In order to keep Blocker within close range, Richard recommended him to fill the position of sole American media representative. The W.O.N. panel decided to limit the media to one representative per member nation, with each representative responsible for the dissemination of W.O.N. news items. This meant BNN would assume the role of distributor of W.O.N. news to other United States news agencies.

  * * *

  Stephen’s inauguration wasn’t as blessed as Richard’s had been. The day was freezing cold with near blizzard conditions in the morning. Fortunately, the afternoon was more cooperative and the ceremony went off without a hitch. No matter to Stephen, he would have stood outside and taken the oath in a hurricane if need be. The day for him was perfect as his father was there to see his son sworn into the nation’s highest office.

  The transition of power from Richard to Stephen was the smoothest it could be. Quite a few of Richard’s cabinet were staying on to serve with Stephen. Only Adam and Christine were going with Richard to his new post, the rest either remaining with Stephen or calling public life quits and moving into the private sector. Mrs. Williams was going to stay on as the new president’s secretary. Richard wanted her to follow him to New York, but she declined, saying that her place would always be in Washington.

  After the official transition at the White House was complete, Richard found himself standing outside with the cameras clicking and the news anchors talking into their microphones, just as they had done eight years prior when he had taken over from his predecessor. This time, though, he was the one on the way out. He knew this day would come, as every president before him knew, but that didn’t make it any easier. No one but an outgoing president could ever know the emotion that one feels at such a time. In spite of the pressures that existed day in and day out, and the never-ending demands that the highest office can bring to bear, a president can feel only sorrow. Richard knew he was going on to even bigger things, yet there was still that feeling. He wondered how other presidents who were leaving without the benefit of a predetermined future must have felt.

  As the cameras flashed, Richard and Stephen shook hands. Overcome with emotion, Stephen hugged Richard tightly and whispered so that only Richard could hear, “With your help and yours alone, I am living out a dream. Thank you, Richard, for being my friend and my president.”

  A few minutes later, in the limousine with Veronica and the children, Richard looked out the window to see the White House disappear from view. Richard thought to himself about what Stephen had whispered to him, “With your help and yours alone.” Could he have been mistaken about Stephen and the Controller?

  * * *

  Veronica’s enthusiasm over their return to New York more than made up for Richard’s melancholy. She would keep him awake for hours, if he let her, telling him about the plans she was going to make for them. She was looking forward to getting back into the thick of the social scene, reviving old friendships and resuming her charitable endeavors. Richard would patiently listen until he couldn’t keep his eyes open. He wondered how long she continued talking after he fell asleep.

  He knew his time in New York would be a far cry from his prior life in the city. It was one thing to be put under the microscope as the leader of a single nation and quite another to be the world’s leader.

  Richard made a promise to himself that he would never make a decision unless he could be certain that he was maintaining his neutrality. If he had to defer to the four-member committee to be assured of a nonpartisan decision, he would do so. He realized all too well that more attention would be directed his way as the first world president than would be toward his successors. Any impropriety on his part could set the whole concept of world government back to square one.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Richard had settled into his new position quite well. It felt good to be back in New York again. The move back wasn’t anywhere near as eventful as the move to Washington had been eight years earlier. The Sinclair children were both adults, Jennifer was in her final year of college and Randall had graduated from Harvard and was working at Radliff and Sinclair, so the only adjustments were those that Richard and Veronica needed to make. Veronica was ecstatic when Richard told her that they were moving back to New York, putting her close to her family once again. Her parents weren’t getting any younger and she wanted to spend more time with them. It would be different for her this time.

  The world president didn’t have a first lady at his side. He simply had a spouse, one removed from the governmental side of the man serving as president. Her only duties would be to accompany Richard to social gatherings. She would not have any causes to champion, at least none that would receive governmental support. She had returned to the world of private funding for her charitable causes, unless she could lobby President Hamilton for assistance. Richard had already told her that she shouldn’t bother Stephen, but she was maintaining a close relationship with the new first lady, Elizabeth Hamilton, in the hope that her causes might receive some attention.

  Richard’s duties seemed endless, what with helping with the formation of a new government and not merely running it. He had to admit that he had ample help from the panel members. Fortunately, they were truly enthusiastic over the prospect of being considered “founding fathers.” Richard had to admit that he too felt that sense of pride. He and the panel were sharing something previously considered impossible—the formation of one worldwide governing body, a body that would make sure that peace and prosperity were no longer dreams, but reality.

  Initially, the French representative was a bit standoffish toward Richard. He wasn’t as pro-American as had been President LeClerc. He eventually came around once the rest of the panel made it clear to him that everyone needed to cast aside past prejudices and treat this as a new beginning.

  The representatives who were going to comprise the first World Congress had been selected and were preparing for their first session. This would probably be the only time that all would be in attendance at the same time. Many nations had chosen their United Nations ambassadors to be their representatives, while others went so far as to have a general election to select theirs. The United States opted to have its ambassador fill the position.

  The first order of business that the World Congress faced was the drafting of amendments to the newborn W.O.N. constitution. There were obstacles to be overcome with regard to human rights, and infractions being perpetrated by nations desirous of joining the organization. The general consensus was that no nation would be allowed admittance if that nation could be proven to be engaged in the persecution of any of its citizens or the citizens of other nations. The slate would be wiped clean for past offenders, but there would be no tolerance of future infractions.

  The other major obstacle would be the elimination and disposal of weapons of mass destruction. A few nations had reservations about the total elimination of their military capabilities, taking a “wait and see attitude.” Although this was anticipated, it also was made a condition for admittance to the organization. Every nation had to submit a verifiable inventory of all weapons and a plan for having them stockpiled at sites that would be under the control of the new military entity being formed by the W.O.N. This was the hardest pill for the United States to swallow, with agreement being reached only when the United States was informed that since sites needed to be established on a global basis, it only made sense to utilize some of the existing facilities. For the United States, two Air Force bases, two Army bases and two Navy bases were chosen to be the sites located within the United States. These bases would serve the North American continent. Other sites proposed were in Russia, China, Europe, South America, Africa and Australia.

  Once Richard had a smooth running government in place,
he would be able to concentrate his efforts in getting more nations involved in the management of the water purification and desalinization projects. Too much burden was resting upon the shoulders of the United States, Britain, Japan and Germany. Even though all the plants were outside those countries, they were the only ones with experience in the field and capable of managing the project’s plants. Richard had to get more involvement from the participating nations.

  Fortunately, the crop project was fully implemented. The crops exceeded all expectations and as a result, existing acreage was being converted to the new high output plants. It became more profitable for farmers to take advantage of the character of the new plants, which allowed them to produce more at less cost. So successful was the project that there was the possibility of over production of the corn crop, leading to talk of using the excess to produce alternative fuels to replace gasoline. For less than noble reasons, OPEC decided to lower their oil prices drastically, hoping to stave off alternative fuels. Richard thought this would lead to some interesting developments in the Middle East, none of them favorable, and was in negotiation with the OPEC countries to look into the use of their fossil fuels as the source of new products. He offered them scientific assistance to explore new technologies in the hope that they would see the wisdom of using their natural resources for the production of other goods. They had resisted the opportunity to build desalinization plants, which would have enabled desert lands to be turned into farmland, choosing instead to bargain for foodstuffs with oil dependent countries. This was tremendously shortsighted and caused Richard a great deal of anguish. His latest discussions with Arab leaders revealed a softening of attitude and an interest in desalinization. Richard was putting a team of experts at the disposal of several Arab nations to do feasibility studies on the best way to implement desalinization in the more arid regions. Richard was hopeful that this would lead to better relations in the Middle East and an economy not based solely on oil production.