“No. Whatever it is. I need a break.”
“Yes, but not tomorrow,” Bernadette insisted. “It’s dinner at the White House. In the State Dining Room, no less. All the people who were involved in the victory you just consummated. That includes the two young men who got the goods on General Deng. They are being honored. As for you, Chairman Coleman, you are ordered to stay home all day tomorrow until it is time to go to the dinner.”
“Ordered by whom?” asked Ben.
“Well. Let’s start with Peggy. Then there’s me. Then there is Cynthia. And lastly, there is the president of the United States. Any more questions?”
“I know when I am beaten. Hope we can start our own celebration sooner than tomorrow night. Like now?”
“Absolutely.”
Bernadette pulled off her outer garments and landed right on top of Ben. “I love you, Ben Coleman.” That ended the oral communication for the evening until Ben fell asleep quite exhausted.
* * *
Bob Franks and Tom Butler rode to the dinner with Director Lopez. It made clearance at the White House easier. Hector briefed the two young men on the way. “Gentlemen, here’s the protocol. The President and the First Lady will both imply that it is okay to call them by their first name, but it isn’t. It is always Mr. President and Mrs. Turner. In fact, you should address the other attendees by their title until they invite you to be on a first-name basis. Then it is okay, and you should honor their request.”
“Roger that,” Bob said.
“I should also let you know that everything that happens tonight is classified. I mean it. For the record, tonight never happened. I told you at the outset there would be no medals and no ticker tape parade to honor your heroism. This dinner and a meeting with the President are all the reward you will get. Your exploits are to remain highly classified, though everyone tonight has clearance and if asked, you should feel free to speak to them if you want.”
“This is honor enough, sir.” Bob said it first, but Tom felt the same way.
The three were waved into the Oval to find the President, Secretary Reynolds, and a White House photographer already there, snapping pictures as they entered. The President came forward to meet them and shook Bob’s and Tom’s hands with eagerness.
“Gentlemen, I can’t tell you how honored I am to meet you. It is rare in Washington to meet genuine heroes. And you two are the real thing. On behalf of a grateful nation, I want to thank you for your service.”
“Mr. President, the honor is ours.”
“Now let’s take get some official photographs.”
When the President said photos, he meant it. There was a pose with each of them shaking hands with the President in front of the Resolute Desk. There was one with the President in the middle with Bob on one side and Tom on the other. Then one with Bob in the middle flanked by the President and Lopez and one with Tom in the middle flanked by the President and Secretary Reynolds. Finally, there was one with all five of them, the President in the middle, Bob and Tom flanking him, and Lopez and Reynolds on either side.
The photographer left the room and the President said, “Glad that’s over. Please, come and sit down.” He motioned for each man to sit on one of the couches on either side of his chair and for Reynolds to sit next to Tom and Lopez to sit next to Bob. A waiter appeared, offering each attendee a drink.
“Tito’s on the rocks, gentlemen?” he asked.
Both men looked at the President quizzically.
“How did I know? I have some of the best intelligence anyone can gather. In this case we checked the mini-bar on the plane that brought you to Australia to see what was missing.” The entire room started laughing.
“Gentlemen,” continued the President, “I checked the rules on all the medals a president is allowed to convey on civilian heroes. The problem is that each requires for the public record an explanation of why the medal was being given. The situation we have with China is very delicate right now, and we can’t have any questions emerge about what may or may not have happened in Laos.
“Suffice it to say, your photos went straight to Governor Li of the People’s Bank of China. He now holds all the cards on Deng. The General is still an evil bastard, as bad as they come. But at least now he is now our bastard.
“Now. As you’ve no doubt been told, there may be no medals, but your actions will not go unrewarded.” He motioned to the Secretary of State.
Dianne Reynolds stood and approached them. “Tom, you brought Deng’s behavior to Bob’s attention and thereby to ours. You put yourself on the line in a truly heroic way. That proves commitment and dedication to a cause that rises well above one’s own self. The State Department needs people like that. We have a job titled Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Advancement of Human Rights. Chief on the job’s list of responsibilities is to combat sex trafficking around the world. Will you do me and the President the honor of taking that job?”
Tom swallowed hard, then found the presence of mind to pick up the cue. “Mr. President, Madame Secretary… I would be deeply honored.” His words were genuine, but his brain was spinning about what had just happened.
The President spoke. “Hector, your turn.”
“Bob,” said Hector, standing, “let me cut to the chase. The President threatened to hire you away from me. I told him that I was eligible for early retirement and would retire in protest on the spot if he did. So he said, ‘Well then, make the lad a better offer.’ See the kind of businessman he is?”
Laughter all around.
Lopez continued. “Bob, you know that I value all that you have done for me enormously. But what you did in Laos has made me realize that I am underutilizing your talents. I would like to offer you a new job—assistant to the Director. You would have someone working under you to do your current clerical duties. Your new job would include full access to me on any matter. You will go from a GS-12 to GS-15 rank with the appropriate bump in salary. It’s not a medal but it is a way of making a better use of your talents.”
“Sir, how can I say no?”
“All right, men,” the President said, “I’ve heard what I needed to hear. I am going to be announcing your new jobs at the dinner tonight. And I for one am hungry.”
* * *
When they reached the State Dining Room, the President gestured to a smaller room off to one side, intended for more intimate functions of state. He motioned for Bob and Tom to go first, and as they entered the room the other guests rose and started applauding. All rushed up to shake the young men’s hands.
“These are our guests of honor,” the President announced, joining the others in the applause along with Hector and Dianne. When it died down, he pointed them to their seats and invited everyone to place a drink order. As soon as the waiter had placed a glass in front of each guest with their preferred beverage, he rose.
“Tonight, we gather the people who were most critical to our successful resolution of the China currency war. Two months ago, the People’s Republic launched an economic war on us designed to disrupt our markets and displace the dollar as the world’s leading currency. Tonight, the dollar remains the world’s currency of choice. It is now supported by legal changes that make it far more difficult to inflate away its value, and the much-needed fiscal changes our country needs are well on their way to enactment.” He raised his glass and others raised theirs to a round of “Hear, hear.”
“In this war, most of us at this table were senior government officials who were doing the jobs we were supposed to do. But three people in this room went above and beyond the call of duty and volunteered to help this country outside the norms of their daily lives. Some did work so extraordinary that I cannot publicly recognize it in any ordinary way for their efforts must remain secret.
“But one person I can recognize in the usual way is Bernadette Coleman, to whom I am going to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Bernadette, would you join me?”
Bernadette stood, demurely smoothed h
er dress, and took her place at President Turner’s side.
“The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established by President Kennedy,” he said. “It is the highest award a president can give to a civilian who has made an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States. Bernadette Coleman came out of private life to advise the Director of the CIA and the President of the United States on how to deal with the Chinese challenge. She is the world’s leading expert on the organizational behavior of the Chinese government and on individuals within that government. Bernadette, we couldn’t have done it without you.” The President displayed the medal with its distinctive blue ribbon to the people at the table and then hung it around Bernadette’s neck.
She stepped away to leave, but Turner caught her by the arm.
“One additional thing,” he said. “Ben, you undoubtedly know how hard it is to say no to your beautiful bride. I experience the same thing with Mrs. Turner. And when these two put their two heads together, well… let’s just say it leads to moments where I wonder who is really running the country.”
There was appreciative laughter all around.
“So Mrs. Coleman and Mrs. Turner, you will be happy to hear that Congress has approved your latest joint venture. As a result, I will soon be awarding Deputy Valeria Evans of the Jefferson County, West Virginia, sheriff’s department the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor for saving the life of a valuable CIA asset and allowing The Turner Plan to be implemented without a hitch.”
Bernadette said her thanks to the President and was seated, after which he continued. “The next two men are genuine heroes. They gave up the safety of their jobs in Washington and put their lives at risk to entrap one of the most dangerous and evil individuals on the planet. Their actions set in motion a chain of events that forced radical changes in the government of the People’s Republic of China, which in turn led to our ability to reach a successful resolution of the conflict between us. The American people owe them a debt of gratitude. Robert Franks and Thomas Butler, will you join me?”
As the men stood, he presented each with a framed, handwritten letter of thanks, ambiguously worded so their actual actions were not revealed.
“This incident brought to our attention that the talents of these two gentlemen were being seriously underutilized by this government. I am pleased to announce that just before this dinner, we have addressed that issue.” He went on to describe the new positions given to Franks and Butler, followed by hearty applause. The two men moved to sit, but Ben Coleman rose, and the President motioned that they should remain standing.
Ben took a place between Bob and Tom. “Gentlemen, the President can’t give you a medal, but someone else can. You should understand that what I am about to present should not be prominently displayed after tonight, and your story should not be discussed, except within this room.”
Ben produced four gold coins, each attached to a ribbon, from the pocket of his jacket. “These are presented on behalf of the Governor of the People’s Bank of China and the Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve to two men whose extraordinary efforts have done more to assure the stability of the world monetary system than anyone else Chairman Li and I can think of.”
Ben hung two coins—a yuan 100,000 gold coin and a U.S. $10,000—around the neck of each man. “I brought these back last night from China. Governor Li had them made over there as I wanted to keep them secret, and it is far easier for me to keep a secret from this crowd in China than here in the U.S.” He stared straight at Bernadette and the entire table laughed.
“Governor Li was exceptionally gracious. He could have chosen our $5,000 gold coin instead. But as he said to me, ‘Your $5,000 coin is smaller than our yuan 100,000 and that would cause you to lose face to China. You have given both China and me personally tremendous face, and so I return the favor by using an American gold coin that is larger than the Chinese version.’ ”
During the next round of applause, he pulled four envelopes from his inner pocket and handed two to each of the gentlemen. “These are personal notes from Li and I. Thank you very much for your service and your sacrifice.” He nodded, and Bob and Tom took their cue and sat down.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Ben said, “I have returned from China with one more award. This one gives me particular pleasure to present since it represents a very rare event in my life. Unless she is trying to make me feel good, I do believe I have managed to keep a secret from my wife. Mrs. Coleman, would you be kind enough to join me?” Bernadette rose and gave Ben one of those looks that meant he had succeeded in surprising her.
“Bernadette Coleman, I present this to you as a gift from Governor Li and the People’s Bank of China for your extraordinary service in bringing a peaceful resolution of our disagreements.” Ben hung the 100,000-yuan gold coin around her neck. Unlike the ones for the men, this one was attached to a finely braided gold chain. Ben gave Bernadette a peck on the cheek when he had finished to more applause from the table.
“Ben Coleman,” she said, “you actually surprised me. That does not happen often and is a bit of an affront to my skills in my chosen career. So be on notice that I am going to remember you pulling one over on me—and I have a very long memory.” The whole table laughed, and the President signaled the waiters to begin serving the meal.
* * *
The President and First Lady climbed to the top of the stairs in the front hall after bidding their guests farewell.
Cynthia squeezed her husband’s hand and said in a low voice, “Don’t you dare let her go.”
“Who are you talking about? And go where?”
“Will Turner, remember your first campaign speech? It was about stopping the brain drain. You’re letting one happen right under your nose.”
The President looked at his wife.
“I’m serious. Bernadette told me there’s talk in Britain of bringing her back to head MI6.”
“You know as well as I that talk is cheap.”
“Even when it comes from Edith Spensley?”
The President sighed. “Why is it that whenever I hear that woman’s name, I no longer feel like the most powerful person on the planet?”
“There’s election talk in Britain, and depending on the outcome, Doris Billingsley will be kicking rocks down the road.”
The President squinted his eyes at her. “But Bernadette? She’s been out of the game for—”
“I know,” said the First Lady. “But consider this. With this brave new world you’ve created with our new Partners in Prosperity, our closer relationship with China threatens the level of our relations with existing allies. The Brits need someone who is close both to China and America. And who is the best analyst in the world when it comes to China and has outstanding relationships here?”
“She’d never leave Ben.”
“No. But who is to say that Ben wouldn’t leave us?”
“Cynthia, I love you, and your analysis may be flawless, but I’m not sure what I could offer them that would keep them in the country. Some things are above even my pay grade.”
“I disagree.”
“I don’t believe this. I thought you would be the last person to argue that a woman should sacrifice a career move like this for her husband’s career. She has sacrificed for him. In this modern age isn’t it proper that he return the favor at the right moment?”
“I would never ask my best friend to make a sacrifice like that,” Cynthia said.
The President looked at her quizzically. “I’m not sure I get where you’re going. What could possibly be more alluring to her than MI6?”
“My dearest love, sometimes you are so dense. Hector Lopez is due for retirement at the end of next year.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The president and chief executive officer of The Lindsey Group, LAWRENCE B. LINDSEY has held leading positions in government, academia, and business throughout his life. He served as a governor of the Federal Reserve System from 199
1 to 1997, as special assistant to the president for Domestic Economic Policy during the first and second Bush administrations, as senior staff economist for tax policy at the Council of Economic Advisers during President Reagan’s first term, and was the chief economic advisor to candidate George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential campaign. Lindsey holds an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University and is the author of five nonfiction books. Currency War is his first novel.
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Currency War
Copyright © 2021 by Lawrence B. Lindsey
All rights reserved.
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No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors and omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein.
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ISBN: 978-1-63763-001-3
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Currency War Page 41