CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Mitch Ishnik spoke into the phone, "Strate, have you seen the TV reports? Network News is saying that Pinchon left the White House and had some kind of meeting. It sounds like he may have met with some Army officers. ...Yes, that would not be good, not if he turned them, and they are now on his side. ...I want you and Yates to get right on this. Let me know as soon as you have information.
I have just spoken to the Navy Chief. The James Monroe's carrier battle group has turned north and is moving at high speed towards Korea. Yes, my aides are getting the President of China on the phone, as we speak. I will let you know how it goes."
Suddenly an aide comes into the Secretary's office, and says, "Mr. Ishnik, the President of China is on the phone."
Ishnik walks to his desk and picks up the phone, Mr. President, this is Mitch Ishnik. Because of President Wood's incapacity, I am now the 'Acting President' of the United States."
"...Yes, Mr. President, your ambassador is correct, retired General Pinchon is claiming to be the 'Acting President,' but by our Constitution I am the actual successor to President Woods. ...Yes Pinchon is functioning from the White House, but I have control of the government; Pinchon will be arrested by my forces shortly."
"...No, Mr. President, do not be alarmed, this is not a coup' dètat, this is the constitutional transfer of power through proper succession. I can assure you that I am taking control of all government Departments, and that I have the complete backing of the military command. In fact I am presently in the Pentagon, with its full capabilities under my direct authority."
"...Your ambassador is correct, there has been conflicting information as to what has happened, and that is why I phoned you, so that there will be no confusion as to who exercises the powers of the President. ...I am in command of the American Armed Forces, and the nuclear codes; no one else is."
"...Mr. President, I have phoned you also to emphatically declare that the actions of the North Koreans are unacceptable and intolerable. They have resorted to military aggression against South Korean territory, and on the high seas against South Korean vessels. That must stop immediately, and the United States told them so last week at a meeting between negotiators at Panmunjom."
"...Yes Mr. President, but they have persisted, and now also we have certain intelligence information, that North Korea was involved in the assassination of President Carr. ...No I will not reveal the source of that intelligence, but I believe that it is reliable."
"That may be Mr. President, but we are acting in our interests and the defense of our nation and allies. ...You need to know, that China is not endangered, and is not being challenged by the military actions of the United States, but that a nuclear armed naval battle group, headed by the aircraft carrier James Monroe is sailing through the South China Sea to enter the Yellow Sea off the west coast of the Korean peninsula. We mean China no harm, and are only concerned about North Korea's provocative actions."
"...Yes I know China protests our ships presence in those two seas, but our ships are in International waters, and they are responding to hostile military action of the North Koreans. Surely China does not think that a great nation as America would turn its back on our South Korean allies."
"I am sorry to hear that, for it will only make the situation more dangerous for everybody. ...If Chinese ships or aircraft interfere or attack the American fleet, the blame for the consequences will rest entirely on China."
"...China may not proscribe where American ships are allowed to sail in international waters, and especially when defending our South Korean ally."
"Once again, Mr. President, the American forces are not seeking confrontation with Chinese forces. We are not seeking to attack China; we are responding to North Korean aggression."
"I will speak with you again, after you talk with your ambassador here in Washington. No, it is not possible for him to meet with me at the present. Perhaps by tomorrow when I will be in the White House itself. ...Good bye, Mr. President."
Strate and Yates came walking into the Secretary's private office, just as he was hanging up the phone. Ishnik was smiling broadly.
"I think I just convinced the President of China that I am the President of the United States, and that I am in control of all American Armed Forces. ...that if he wants to deal with the American government, he must deal with me."
"Did he object to the naval unit going into the Yellow Sea," asked Strate?
"He went off like a Chinese firecracker on that. He was incensed and said China does not allow the American fleet up there. He threatened to send forces to protect China from attack. He tried to assure me that North Korea would cease its shelling of the islands, and that our fleet should stay away."
"So what did you tell him?" asked Yates. "We do not want to start a shooting war with the Chinese. We are not ready for that right now."
"I left him hanging, our fleet is still moving north towards Korea. The Chinese President and I are supposed to talk again in the next twelve to twenty-four hours. By then I hope to be in the White House. That will help me further convince him that I am actually the President."
"'Acting President,' Yates said.
"Yes, 'Acting President,' Yates, but I doubt the subtlety of the difference between 'Acting' and 'President' matter much to the Chinese President. He wants to know who is in charge here, and who he must negotiate with. He wants to know if his opposite is a wimp, or a tough guy. I think I showed myself to be a tough guy."
Yates said, "Did you raise the issue of whether the North Koreans were involved in President Carr's assassination? That is a big issue!"
"Yes, I raised that. He said he did not believe that accusation was true, and asked where the intelligence came from. I assured him that it was from reliable sources, but I wasn't prepared to tell him who supplied the information."
"Who did supply the intelligence data?" asked Yates?
"I will keep that to myself right now. I have told Strate, he knows too, but who supplied it is very sensitive; they did not want it out that they told us, as it could cause real trouble for their country."
"Yes Sir. I am just concerned that they got it right. I mean if it causes us problems in Korea and then China, we must make sure that it is right."
Secretary of the Army, Strate, spoke up, and said, "General Yates, it's right! It's solid, good intelligence, from reliable sources. The North Koreans did it. President Ishnik will handle the situation, you will see. We won't have a war with China."
Ishnik said, "Yates, right now I am more interested in what your Airborne unit is doing in D.C. than what China may do eight thousand miles away in the South China Sea."
"What's the problem," Yates asked?
"Haven't you been hearing the TV news, Ishnik says. Network News is reporting that Pinchon is outside the White House, and that he is meeting with some of the troops."
Just then, Strate said, "In fact, they are now reporting that Pinchon has come back and re-entered the White House."
"What is going on?" asked Ishnik. The troops are supposed to bottle up the White House, and take control of the State and Treasury Departments! Yates, what are they doing? If they were talking to Pinchon, that is very bad."
Strate said, "If they were talking to Pinchon, they should have arrested him. Then we would have ended the controversy of who was President."
Yates said, "But your orders that were transmitted to General Ucclese did not include that they were to arrest General Pinchon!"
"That is because I never thought that Pinchon would be stupid enough to present himself on a platter to the General," said Ishnik.
"It should not have taken much imagination on Ucclese's part to figure out that if the man he had encircled in the White House was now in his personal control, that he should be held, and contact made with us," said Strate.
Yates replied, "Ucclese is a good soldier, a good commander, he will follow his orders, as he knows them. But if he wasn't to
ld to arrest Pinchon he didn't. But from what you said, Ucclese still is keeping Pinchon bottled up in the White House."
"You aren't going soft on us are you, Yates? Pinchon was your old commander and still is your buddy."
"I like Pinchon," Yates said, he was a good soldier, and served his nation in war. I had no idea he was going to somehow become involved as an alternative 'Acting President.' I never saw that coming, but he is a good man, and I believe can be reasoned with to do the right thing. I believe he will ultimately recognize that Secretary Ishnik constitutionally ought to be the one taking on the powers of the presidency. Bull never was a politician or wanted to be one. He always disliked politicians."
"He also always disliked me," said Ishnik. "I never did trust him."
"He could be stubborn," said Yates, "but I believe he will submit to constitutional authority. ...And if he finds out the North Koreans have killed an American President, he will ask permission to be re-commissioned to go fight them."
"Right now, I just want him out of the White House, and under control. That opportunity was missed by General Ucclese," said Ishnik. "To say the least I am disappointed.
Yates, I want you to go and give crystal clear orders to every officer, that if they ever have the chance, they are to arrest Pinchon, and everybody else in that White House. We cannot leave any confusion in the minds of the Chinese, or Russians, or North Koreans as to who is President of the United States."
Strate said, "Even our friends need to know. The Brits, the Germans, even the Canadians, ...the confusion must end ...Pinchon must be wound up."
"Yes Sir, I will go issue the orders."
After General Yates left, Ishnik turned to Strate and said, "You keep an eye on that man. He is going weak on us. He is concerned about the Chinese, and the North Koreans, but he is not concerned about Pinchon. It is the Army taking care of itself. It is one General protecting another General."
"Yates will be O.K.," said Strate. "He crossed the Rubicon with us a long time ago, Like Caesar; he cannot go back now. He is just having to reconcile his mind to the fact that Pinchon has to be dealt with. Yates never expected that, but neither did we."
"Who would have thought that President Woods would pull Bull Pinchon out of the air."
Strate said, "I will make double sure that the proper orders go out to the Army, and though I think it unlikely, I will make some contingency plans to deal with Yates, if he were to leave the reservation."
"Good, do that, I will feel better for it. I need to contact Senators Olds and France, and get them to press the Senate at least, to get that "sense of the Senate" motion passed. If the Senate were to recognize me as President, it might grease the wheels in the House, ...and it would help me with the Chinese President.
"Doesn't the House still have to elect another Speaker?"
"Yes, and some of our new friends are working hard to make sure that they don't put Ryan Burlson back in the Speaker's chair again."
"Why would they even think of doing that? He was involved in Woods unconstitutional maneuver, almost from the beginning. They no longer like that outcome, so surely they will not put him back in."
"They are working on it, but Burlson still has friends in the House, he has been there forever. If the Senate speaks, I think it may turn the balance in our favor in the House."
**********
Four Days In February Page 15