Covert Warriors

FIVE

The President’s Study The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 1930 20 April 2007

“General Naylor called while you were gone, Mr. President,” Clemens McCarthy said as the President led Colonel Arthur Kingsolving and Secret Service Supervisory Special Agent Mulligan into his study.

The President held up his hand to silence him as he walked to the window, pushed the drape aside, and watched as the MH-60K Black Hawk lifted off from the White House lawn.

“You seem perfectly comfortable in turning your ‘Night Stalker bird’ over to your co-pilot, Colonel,” the President said.

Kingsolving recognized the statement as a question.

“Every 160th pilot is fully qualified as an MH-60 pilot-in-command, sir,” Kingsolving said.

General O’Toole put in: “Having said that, Mr. President, Major Humphreys will now crash that one into the Washington Monument on his way to Andrews.”

The President considered that for a moment, and then laughed.

“You people are really something,” he said. “I guess it comes with the territory. Well, let me tell you: I’m really impressed with that helicopter, and I thank you for the ride.”

“It was my privilege, sir,” Kingsolving said.

“The only thing I didn’t like about it is that it made me realize the secretary of State talked me into giving a half dozen of them to the goddamn Mexicans,” the President said.

“Sir,” Kingsolving said, “the Mexicans didn’t get that one, the MH-60K. That’s a special configuration for the 160th.”

“How specially configured?” the President asked.

“Among other things-state-of-the-art avionics, for example-it has an in-flight refueling probe,” Kingsolving began.

The President held up his hand to silence him and turned to McCarthy.

“Well?” he demanded.

“Sir?”

“You said General Naylor called while we were gone.”

“Yes, sir, he did.”

“And did he call just to say ‘howdy’ or did he have more on his mind than that?”

“General Naylor said that he has established contact with D’Alessandro; explained the situation to him; that the helicopter from Fort Campbell was expected momentarily and that as soon as we tell him where D’Alessandro is supposed to go, he’ll send him on his way.”

“Where is D’Alessandro and the helicopter that’s expected momentarily?”

“In El Paso, sir.”

“What’s the status of that?” the President asked.

“The status of what, sir?”

“Finding out where my friend Martinez wants D’Alessandro to meet the Mexican cop?”

“I don’t know, sir. We haven’t heard from Secretary Cohen about that.”

“Well, Clemens, how about getting her on the phone and asking her?”

“Yes, sir.”

“On second thought, Douglas, you call her,” the President ordered. “Clemens here seems to be having trouble keeping up with all this.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If she hasn’t heard from my friend Martinez, tell her to call the sonofabitch.”

“Yes, Mr. President,” Special Agent Douglas said.

“I want to get this show on the road, and I don’t want any surprises,” the President said. “And I’ve got a couple of questions, which occurred to me as we were flying over the Pentagon. Has it ever occurred to anyone else that the more you’re told, the more you learn, the more questions come up?”

“I’ve had that experience, Mr. President,” General O’Toole said.

“Okay. Now, Colonel Kingsolving told me that while the Night Stalker birds can make it from El Paso to this prison, they don’t have the range to make it back without being refueled. Okay. Tell me how that’s going to happen.”

“There are several options, Mr. President-” O’Toole began to answer for Kingsolving.

“I was asking Colonel Kingsolving,” the President cut him off.

“Sorry, sir.”

“The first option, sir, is the simple one,” Kingsolving said. “They will refuel at Xoxocotlan airfield, which is the closest airfield to the Oaxaca Prison.”

“I was just starting to be awed by your all-around knowledge,” the President said. “That answer just blew that. I can see a number of problems with that, starting with how do we know there would be enough fuel at Xoxocotlan airfield to fuel four Black Hawks, even if they were willing to do so?”

“That is a problem, sir, obviously. We don’t.”

“Other options?”

“In-flight refueling, sir. Have one or more KC-130J tankers rendezvous with the Black Hawks shortly before they reach Oaxaca-Xoxocotlan. The Black Hawks then would have full tanks on landing, and be prepared to fly back to the States.”

“That strikes me as almost as stupid as Option One,” the President said. “What do you think the goddamn Mexicans are going to think when they see one or more. . what’s the nomenclature of that tanker?”

“KC-130J, sir.”

“That’s that great big airplane with propellers, right? Not jet engines?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“What do you think the goddamn Mexicans are going to think when they see four Black Hawks-instead of the one they expect-flying over their country with a couple of great big aerial gas stations? Jesus, I’m glad I brought this up!”

“Another option, Mr. President,” O’Toole said, “if I may?”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Another option would be to refuel the Black Hawks, before or after the exchange, using a Navy assault vessel, such as the USS Bataan, in international waters-say fifty miles out-off the coast. This is what Castillo did when he made the assault on La Orchila Island. .”

General O’Toole’s face flushed as he heard what he had just said.

The President looked at him coldly.

“That’s what Lieutenant Colonel Castillo, Retired, did before he almost got us in a war with Venezuela?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’d like to know who authorized the use of that vessel,” the President said. “Was that you, General O’Toole?”

“No, sir. But under the circumstances, it was, in my judgment, the right thing to do.”

“Fortunately you are not in a position to make decisions like that. If it wasn’t you, who was it? That mustachioed idiot McNab?”

“I don’t believe General McNab was involved, Mr. President. And certainly not able to give orders to the captain of a Navy vessel.”

“Well, that narrows it down somewhat, doesn’t it? McCarthy, make a note for me to discuss this with General Naylor at the earliest opportunity.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And with Secretary Beiderman. And incidentally, where the hell is he?”

“He’s at the Pentagon, sir,” Mulligan said.

“Get him on the phone and get him over here,” the President said.

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, since we will not be using a U.S. Navy vessel operating fifty miles off the Mexican coast to fuel the Black Hawks, does that mean we’re out of options? Jesus H. Christ! Talk about going off half cocked!”

“There is one more option, sir,” O’Toole said. “A submarine. It would rendezvous with the Black Hawks off the Mexican coast. .”

“A submarine?” the President parroted incredulously.

“Yes, sir. We have been experimenting with the technique. In our tests a Black Hawk can be refueled on the high seas in about ten minutes, sir.”

The President did not reply.

O’Toole said, “One problem with using a sub-”

“Go on, O’Toole, drop the other shoe. What’s the problem with this option?”

“I’m not sure a submarine could be equipped with the necessary equipment in time for this operation.”

“I’ll tell you this, General,” the President said. “A submarine will be equipped in time for this operation, or we’ll have a new secretary of Defense, a new secretary of the Navy, and a new chief of naval operations.”

“Yes, sir.”