Tempered Steel

Chapter 8

The interrogation had taken two days. Every detail from the attack at the DMZ to the final sprint over the wooden temporary bridge was taken down and analyzed in infinite detail. Where had the first rounds come from, what kind of rounds, how many men, what kinds of weapons had they been carrying, how many had been in the motorpool, how mutilated Charlie’s body had been — all of it was discussed again and again. At the same time, Hufham was able to find out a few things on his own. The North had come through in five different places in the Zone, none of which were actually above ground. They had quickly moved through the night taking positions, towns, and even cities with relative ease for the first 24 hours. Then things began to bog down even though there was little in the way of resistance. Because of the EMP, the South Korean forces and Americans had difficulty moving rapidly to respond. Tanks and trucks were running on borrowed time. The EMP had disabled the computers actually helping to run the engines. The few that had started were jury rigged by smart mechanics to get them on the road. In some cases, the jury rig lasted about 10 miles. Some trucks just kept on running. Tanks were limited to old M-60s still in theater. Their diesels were all mechanical, and not as fast as an M-1. For the most part, everything moved as fast as someone could walk.

It seemed the biggest hold up to the DPR army’s advance was the DPR itself. The North Koreans were not well equipped to keep an army moving. Trucks were pouring supplies across the DMZ, but in no order or priority. Some units had more bullets than they could use, while others had practically none. The worst part had been food. Almost none had any priority and some was stockpiled in the rear while ammo moved forward. The DPR army had to stop to forage for food and fuel. Many times trucks arrived at the front with their supplies and were stuck there because they didn’t have fuel for a return trip. The supply lines began to dry up, especially since the South Koreans began to use a tactic the Russians had used on several occasions — scorched earth.

As the North came down, the South burned their fields, fuel, food, anything that might remotely be useful to the North. In retaliation, the North murdered hundreds. Anyone suspected of striking a match much less fighting for the South was shot as a warning to others. Refugees clogged the roads, making their own delaying action by making it harder for the DPR army to move. All of this helped buy time for the American and ROK army to get organized and set up defenses.

The line was finally drawn 130 miles south of the DMZ. The line held there for three days before the North mustered enough forces to push them back a couple of kilometers. The line held again at the Han-gang River near Tanyang. The river was a good natural barrier, but every day more troops and machines were seen on the other side. The Americans wanted to use artillery day and night, but there were not enough shells in theater to last more than a few days. The Air Force wasn’t even in the air.

The North Korean Air Force was. It flew daily missions along the demarcation line bombing and strafing what it could see. Luckily, the North Korean Air Force didn’t have many operational aircraft, and the ones it had were not that sophisticated. They were stuck with dumb bombs and bullets.

None of this had any effect on Hufham and Ricks. Both had been ordered to Pusan for the interrogation and a little rest. They drove in their little Jeep and reported to command headquarters. Lee and the young girl went along as well. Lee found out he had been called up and the girl had no where else to go. She latched herself onto Ricks and almost wouldn’t let go. After being checked into a hospital to be treated for the cuts and scratches she endured, she settled into a small center set up for refugees. She slept at the center and walked daily to the barracks where Ricks and Hufham stayed. The girl tried to prepare meals but had to be turned away. It was obvious she didn’t understand what she should do.

That changed one afternoon as she made her way back to the refugee center. A young ROK soldier approached her as she started to go in the door. When he called out to her, she turned and her face broke out into a huge smile. She ran up to the young man and threw her arms around him. They embraced each other a long time before stepping apart and both going inside.

Hufham and Ricks were sharing a beer at the NCO club in Pusan when the young girl and the soldier came up to their table. Ricks and Hufham immediately recognized the young girl, but didn’t know the soldier.

“I am sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to meet you,” the young man said in a shaky voice. He held out his hand. “I am Kuan Jeu. I am Su Lynn’s brother.”

Hufham’s eyes went wide and he broke out in a grin. “Well good to see you Kuan. We were afraid this young lady was all by herself. Please, have a seat,” he said warmly. Ricks introduced himself and everyone sat down.

“My sister told me what you did to save her. I am very grateful,” Kuan said.

“She told you? Ricks asked. “She hasn’t spoken a word since we brought her with us.”

“My sister is very shy,” Kuan said quietly. “She doesn’t usually say much, but she was eager to tell me what happened and about our parents. I thank you for helping her.”

“I couldn’t let them do that to her,” said Hufham. “I know we probably should have just walked away. If we had been caught, it wouldn’t have been pretty. But Ricks and I couldn’t let it go. I’m glad she’s okay. Sorry we couldn’t help your folks,” he said sadly.

“We have been hearing about such things since this started. It does not surprise me. If I had not been in the Army, I might have been home to help them,” he said dejectedly.

“Don’t think like that. If you had been there, you would be dead like the rest. At least now you two are together,” Hufhan said.

As they talked, Ricks listened and watched the girl. Occasionally, she looked up at him. When she saw him looking at her, she smiled and turned her head away. She is a pretty girl, Ricks thought. He kind of liked how her eyes seemed to dance when she smiled at him. He remembered how she had tried to comfort him in the Jeep. He began to smile.

Ricks must have been staring because Kuan noticed him looking at her. He glanced at his sister and then at Ricks and smiled. He was about to say something when sirens began to wail across the city. Ricks and Hufham grabbed their guests and practically dragged them to a recently dug shelter next to one of the buildings. Everyone rushed inside and was roughly shoved tightly into the far end of the shelter. Most of the people were soldiers; however, other civilians were in the shelter from the offices nearby. The inside was unlit, except the light from the doorway. Everyone huddled on the ground, scared to death of what might happen.

Within a minute they began to feel the distant explosions. It came through the ground up through their feet and transmitted to their heads. It was a strange thumping feeling like being on a kind of trampoline when someone else was tapping it with a ball bat. Then the big ones came. They shook everyone to their core, picking them up and bouncing them on the ground. In the middle of it, Ricks felt a set of arms surround him and hold him tight. He felt his own arms surround her trying to protect her from the dangerous world outside. He heard her let out a small whimper. In between the blasts he softly told her, “It’s okay. It will be okay. I’m here.” He kissed her on the cheek.

He felt her relax a little although she was still clinging to him in fear. In the very dim light he looked at her face. All he could see was an outline, but somehow he could feel her eyes on him. Ricks never had anyone close to him before and never really had a girlfriend. He was just a good ol’ boy from Georgia who liked NASCAR and hunting. He had no idea what possessed him to pull her close. He found his face moving closer to hers. Suddenly the bombs didn’t seem important. Their lips met and they kissed each other as if there would be no tomorrow.

When they finally parted, the last of the bombs were falling in the distance. He felt her back away, yet her hands felt around until they were in his. That was when Ricks realized how wonderful he felt. Whatever it was, he was happy. He could almost tell she was smiling at him.

The all clear sounded and people began to leave the shelter. They left, hand-in-hand, to witness the destruction around them. The main administration building was burning and several other buildings were either on fire or piles of rubble. The barracks and NCO club were intact, though glass was broken. The place was a mess.

“You better get your sister to safety,” Hufham said. “Looks like we’re going to be busy for awhile.”

Kwan nodded. “I will take her to the refugee center. We have an uncle that lives just west of here. I may take her there,” he said.

Ricks took his arm. “Let me know where she is. I would like to see her again, if it’s okay,” he said.

Kwan nodded. His sister already told him she really liked the younger man called Ricks. Kuan spoke to his sister in Korean. Her eyes brightened as she nodded to him. Ricks leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see her as soon as I can,” he said with a smile.

People started barking orders and Hufham grabbed Ricks to follow him. Ricks pulled away from Su Lynn and waved good bye.

Kuan and Su Lynn watched them go and Kuan looked at his sister. “You were right. He is a good man,” he said looking back at the departing men. “And so much younger than the other one,” he grinned. He was rewarded by a smile and hit on his arm. They turned and made their way through the rubble to the Center.

The flight is really smooth, thought the President as he gazed out the window of his small office. His desk had a telephone that supposedly could let him talk to people anywhere in normal times. Though the décor was a little dated, the functionality was not questioned. The small office served its purpose and would just have to do. Unfortunately the plane was not the Boeing 747 designated SAM 28000. Despite the precautions against EMP designed into the aircraft, several systems were inoperative and the Air Force was taking no chances. The computer-enhanced controls and systems were suspect and placed out of commission. Now the President and his staff were flying in SAM 26000, the venerable Boeing 707 that had served seven presidents. It had been serving as a museum exhibit at the US Air Force Museum in Ohio, but just three days after EMP Day the Air Force mechanics pulled the jet out of the museum and readied it for duty. Most of this entailed taking out the Plexiglas walls and preparing the engines. Most of the equipment was still in place. The radio equipment was lower tech and enough still worked for the aircraft to be serviceable. In two weeks it was flown to Andrews Air Force Base for Presidential use. This flight was the first with the President onboard.

The President was heading to California to make some speeches and raise money for the war. O’Bannon decided that funds would be raised just like the old days, by selling bonds. A big gathering of celebrities and dignitaries would kick it off in San Francisco. While there, the President would make a few smaller stops in the area before heading to Los Angeles and San Diego. The back of the airplane, as usual, held the media contingent. This was one event that would be publicized. It had actually been suggested by media executives to help with the drive and divert attention from other things. It amazed the President how much the executives had become a media team for the war effort. They set up their own guidelines and rules — all blessed by the President — and were taking an active part in information deception to keep some information going out while denying an enemy anything vital. So far it worked well.

Jim Butler stuck his head through the curtain leading into his world. “You settled in, sir?”

O’Bannon laughed. “As settled as I can get. I could barely get behind this thing,” he said. The friendship and respect between both men had grown immeasurably since EMP Day. It made the work much more bearable.

“I have everyone settled down and fed. We should get there in about three hours,” he said. Then he handed over a piece of paper. “This just came in.”

The President read the message:

The President threw the paper on the desk. “We knew this might happen,” he said to Butler.

“Yes, sir, but we can’t say we aren’t prepared for this one. Shall I relay the order?”

“Commence unrestricted submarine warfare against the North Koreans,” he said sadly. “If it floats, sink it. And tell them to make sure the submarine that sank that ship never gets home.”

Butler left the space and went to the communications office, which had an encrypted link to the Pentagon. The equipment they were using was British in origin. No matter what, it was the message that was important. Once done, he walked to the forward cabin and picked up the CNO on the way back to the President’s office. After a quick knock he and the CNO entered. “Done,” he said.

“Have a seat both of you,” the President said with a tired voice. Admiral Johnson had his coat off and took a seat along the outer wall. Butler took one of the benches on the opposite wall. “You got the word, I take it,” the President said.

“Yes, sir,” Johnson replied. “The Chief of Staff told me. We both thought you might like to know what I planned.”

The President grinned. “Yes, Admiral, Jim told me you had something up your sleeve, but he wouldn’t tell me what it was.”

“He is getting pretty devious for a mere captain,” Johnson joked. The three men had been working together for a while and developed a rapport that was very invigorating to say the least. Butler chuckled and the President sat back and grinned. “Actually, Captain Butler and Captain Hammond and I talked about this at length about a week ago. I saw no use in waiting around, so I have forward deployed eight of our Los Angeles and Seawolf class submarines around the coasts of Korea. Four are off each coast with two covering the very bottom end. The last one arrived just this morning and took up station. They were ordered not to take any action unless attacked. Their orders are to gather information on North Korean shipping and naval operations and be ready to go to work on a moment’s notice,” he said. “With the alert code that is going out they will commence operations. Since you ordered unrestricted submarine warfare, those ships will begin aggressively sinking anything with a North Korean flag on it. Their first priority will be those submarines, sir. So I doubt that guy will ever see daylight again,” he said seriously.

Unrestricted submarine warfare was something never done lightly. It was a cold and often cruel way to hurt an enemy — cutting off supplies and often starving and restricting the population as well. It was a very serious move. “I have also given strict orders that they must be certain of all surface targets. I don’t want some cruise ship blown up by mistake,” he said.

President O’Bannon nodded. Mistakes had been made before and they just seemed to make things worse for the one who did it. He liked the fact that these men were careful enough to take that into consideration. “That’s a good call. Will eight subs be enough?”

“More than enough Mister President,” Johnson said. “Today’s submarines with good crews can cover ten times the area of a World War II boat. I wouldn’t be surprised if these skippers don’t already have a track on three quarters of the ships between Guam and Hong Kong. But other nations need to know what we are about to do. That way they can steer clear.”

“Done,” Butler said, joining the conversation. “Our envoy spoke to the Japanese Prime Minister last night our time. Things should already be rolling their end. Unfortunately with the communications problems, those men will have to figure a lot of this out on their own. We just have to trust them.”

“Well, if they OK the use of the bases, we can at least put some more assets over there to protect incoming transports. I understand they shot up two air cargo planes bringing in supplies,” Johnson said.

“Yes,” the President said. “Unfortunately we are not quite ready to move much equipment. Any word on the ships and planes?”

“Those guys at Davis-Monthan are busting their bum to get aircraft spooled up. There are already two squadrons of F-4s and A-6s online. One of F-14s. I understand the B-52s are coming in pretty fast too. The head guy called up everyone up to the age of 70 to get these things online. The 4s and 14s are already in training. The 6s start day after tomorrow. As for ships, they are actually going faster than we expected. That guy Reardon is a slave driver, but he is sharing what’s going on and how to get things done quicker with every shipyard. I should have the first of the recommissionings sometime next week over in Pearl. They are getting all the old LSTs back online along with the Missouri. In all there will be 14 destroyers, four DDGs, six frigates, seven cruisers, and all the battleships. One good thing. We contracted with Germany to provide us with new comm gear for the ships. They are sending us what they use, including their encryption stuff. That way I can get comms on all our ships in short order. The Italians and Taiwanese are sending over chips and circuits so we can repair our computerized equipment in most of the ships. I cancelled the recommissioning of the Saratoga and Constellation. I will be able to get our mainline carriers back online using the older aircraft. I have also instituted some shipalts to make sure these ships will not go down on us if we are EMP’d again. They will all be able to keep running and make it back to port, even if it takes a lot more people to do it,” he said. The list he had was impressive.

“You know, I never believed we could actually do things that fast. You and your people have done a great job,” the President said.

“Just didn’t want to get the boot like the guy before me,” Johnson said. “But you got to give some credit to this guy,” he said pointing to Butler, “and Roger Hammond. Hammond has been working so close with my staff that we feel like we needed to give him a bed in my office.” The men chuckled.

“He has one in the basement of the White House,” said Butler. “He didn’t have any place to go and didn’t want to be far away from work, so we let him have one of the small apartments down there. The Air Force liaison is down there too. It’s not so bad.”

“Well, if he wants anything, I’d get it for him. The man is one smart officer. His ideas are right on target and his thinking outside the box is paying off big time,” said Johnson. “If you get tired of him, let me have him. And this one too,” Johnson said pointing to Butler.

“You Navy guys — always thinking about yourselves. I finally get a Chief of Staff that people aren’t afraid of and you want to drag him away,” the President said. They all laughed.

“Actually, I’m really liking this job. How often does a captain get to push around admirals?” Butler smirked.

“See if that gets you a command at sea,” the Admiral laughed.

“Well, I tell you gentlemen, after a few changes, I am really happy with the way things are going. These guys started a war and they have no idea what is about to hit them. You guys are helping make that happen,” the President said.

“That’s our job, sir. Sometimes a few of us need to get our butts kicked to remember it, but it really is our job. We’ll get it done,” Johnson said.

The men talked a few minutes more before the President met with the Secretary of Commerce on some business issues they would discuss in California. The rest of the flight was enjoyable.

“Ladies and gentlemen I cannot express the admiration and deep respect you have from all of us in Washington. As you can imagine, we are working very hard to assemble the assets, people, and materials necessary to combat the nation responsible for this outrage. Yet your city took the bull by the horns and started even before we had made our plans. This is exactly the spirit of teamwork and patriotism we need to bring about victory. Your efforts, with your ship, will be a magnificent addition to our fighting forces. I thank each of you for the hard work, sacrifices, and dedication you have made to return this great ship to her nation,” said the President in his speech. “I look forward to seeing her in our Navy again. I know she will serve as she always has served, as a vision of the strength, purpose, and will of the people of the United States. Thank you all, very much,” the President said ending his third and final speech of the day. He waved to the crowd of at least 50,000 people who came to hear him. They looked very happy, and he was sorry he had to leave them, but duty called.

The President was escorted through the handshake line and back into the shipyard offices to sit for a few minutes with Jack Latham, the shipyard superintendent and a few other dignitaries. As he came in, Latham offered him a chair and a cold can of Coke. Someone had told Latham it was the President’s favorite refreshment.

“You don’t know how bad I needed that,” the President said after a long pull. “Mister Latham, what you have done here is amazing. How much longer do you think before she’s ready?”

“We just got the search and fire control radars yesterday. My people are making sure the waveguides are set. We light off the boilers and start testing the systems tomorrow. Give me the rest of the crew and about three more weeks and she will be ready enough for loading,” Latham said proudly. He sat forward in his chair. “Mister President, this isn’t the kind of job I like to turn out. When a ship leaves my yard, I want all the welds ground and the paint even. But for this work, I told my guys make it functional. Pretty can be gotten later. So if you see some places that look a little rough, just know underneath it’s rock solid,” he said.

“Jack, you aren’t doing anything less than Tim Reardon is doing out of Newport News. But you beat him at his own game and got this ship started before the others. Mind telling me how you’ve done it?”

Latham laughed. “Hell, sir, I didn’t do it. I had about 800 old guys show up on us and just about take over. It was that damned veterans association. They came in wearing dungarees, took over all the menial labor and helped out in the places where my guys fell a little short. They knew their ship and kept us in line. This guy named Moosally showed up one day and kind of took charge. He said he was too old to serve, but not too old to lead. Man, did he know his ship. He and a buddy named Morse just kind of grabbed the reins.” He pointed out the window. “They were all out there grinning when you talked about their ship. Most of them signed up through the Reserve Center to be crewmen when she’s commissioned. About all they need is a CO. You have anyone in mind?”

The CNO tilted his head. “You got her up a little faster than we expected, but I’ll get something lined up,” he said. “I was actually thinking about someone in particular, but I can have him here before she gets under way for Seal Beach. Are the other crewmen settling in?”

“Yes, we have them in the best hotel in town. We work them hard and put them up wet. I haven’t had a one get pulled in by the police or have any complaints by the local citizens. As a matter of fact, there’s an old Chief Warrant Officer who showed up and took charge of keeping the guys in line. From what I understand his language scares the hell out of some of the younger sailors. The older ones just roll their eyes,” he said grinning. “But he made it clear that the crew would measure up to what he calls battleship standards. He even produced a booklet that I had reprinted and passed out. Even some of my guys started using parts of it,” he said. “There’s something about these men. It’s something I have never seen before — kind of like a spirit that has them really working close and keeping things tight. When they do finally get underway; watch out. They’re going places.”

Both the President and CNO could see the man was totally impressed. If this was true, it meant they really would need to get someone special as the CO. “That’s good to know,” said the President. “Now on to other things. I know you guys are going deep in the hole getting this ship operational. I know we tried to help and you guys turned us down. But you got our attention. If you can do a job this good with this ship, you can do it with others. We need to send some other ships this way. Would you like a contract to bring them back as well?”

Latham smiled. “It wouldn’t hurt. I had to call in a few favors to make this happen for the city. It would be nice to see a payoff.”

“I thought it might. So here’s the deal. I will send up two cruisers and a couple of destroyers for you to bring back. I have an admiral who loves cost-plus contracts and that should bring cash flow back to your organization. The other part of the deal is, when this ship is commissioned you will be paid the $20 million in leasing fees and another $1 million a month for the United States to lease this asset from the city. Once the costs you and the city have incurred are paid back in full plus an additional ten percent, that lease will be reduced to $500,000 a month. Once the federal government no longer needs the ship, it will be returned to the city where it will become a museum again. However it will be maintained by you in a restricted status and used as necessary by the city until such a day when she may be needed again. We will set up the contract with you to maintain her for a period of no less than ten years. Then we can look at it again. Does this sound like a reasonable plan?”

Latham was dumbfounded. He hoped this might bring in more business, but this was guaranteed income that would help move his small yard into the big leagues. It would also repay the company and the city all it had invested and then some. He didn’t know what to say.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” the President said as he extended his hand.

“Y-Yes, sir. That will be very welcome news. We thank you,” he said taking the President’s hand.

The CNO was next in line. “We really do appreciate it, Mister Latham, and we look forward to working with you,” he said. “There will be an Admiral Shranski calling on you sometime next week. He’ll help get things set up.”

The men said a few more words then the President left for Air Force One and his return flight home. The CNO rode with him. The President was curious about one thing. “Admiral, you mentioned you had someone in mind to command the ship. Mind telling me who?”

The CNO took a breath. “You may not like it,” he said. Then he told him the name. To his surprise, the President liked the idea a lot.

“Comrades we have an extremely dangerous situation before us, said Minister Inu Che, special delegate to the People’s Congress. Che was the head of the Bank of China and well respected by the Party and its members. Today he was attending a closed door Politburo meeting with select high level leaders. They were seated in the Politburo offices overlooking Tiananmen Square. The sunlight streamed in through the windows making it a little warm. Che was dressed in a western style business suit.

“Our Communist brothers to the south decided to assert themselves a few weeks ago and, although they did not attack our nation, we are experiencing serious repercussions,” he said solemnly. “I believe we have all known that our brothers might do things rashly on occasion; however, I do not think anyone in this room expected them to attack the United States in the way they have. While doing relatively little damage to the population of the country, they nevertheless did bring the United States temporarily to its knees.”

“However, I do not believe this caused the political turmoil that our neighbors expected. Had they sought our wisdom in this matter, we would have gladly shared our experiences in dealing with the United States. In this case, instead of dividing and segregating the people, we know through our contacts that the opposite has occurred. Their President, whom they considered a weak newcomer to the political arena, has demonstrated extreme leadership and foresight. His decision-making powers were sorely underestimated, even by our own intelligence services. Where we initially estimated it would take at least six months before order would be restored, we now know it returned within one week. We know that their free press has been curtailed and there are forces at work within their military. However, because of the loss of communications and the news blackout, we have been unable to ascertain what measures have been taken or what the plans are.”

“So their news media, such as CNN, are not reporting the news?” asked a delegate.

“Yes, comrade, the news media, through its now limited resources, has begun reporting news, but it is being read only and is obviously censored. As you recall, comrades the effect of the nuclear attack was to damage all of their electronic capability. This includes their satellites. Where before there was strong centralized control of the news by a few people, that has now relegated to local news reporting and a limited amount of news on a national scale. In the past we could count on getting a good idea of what the Americans were doing through their media, but this is no longer the case,” Che said flatly. “Unfortunately, our intelligence assets are hampered by what our brothers did as well. The energy pulse disrupted the communications and there are severe restrictions on who can use them. Our contacts can get word to us only through diplomatic bags delivered once per week.”

“So, comrades our communist brothers to the south have seriously misjudged the effect of their attack on the Americans. First, by using nuclear devices, they have displayed the most open and deadliest form of aggression. I will note that two of the weapons actually detonated on the ground. The Americans are using the figure of 1.7 million people dead. Second, they misjudged the anger of the American people. Many remember what anger was generated when the Japanese performed a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The result of that error was the almost total ruin of Japan. Third, they misjudged the resourcefulness of the Americans. Instead of wallowing in the aftermath of an attack, they jumped back aggressively and restored basic services. Lastly, they misjudged the political will and leadership of the American President. The man has clearly demonstrated firm resolve and control,” Che said.

“It is obvious there have been errors, Comrade, but why should the People’s Congress be concerned?” asked another delegate.

“Very simple, Comrade. With this attack, the United States changed its buying patterns.”

Some of the men around the table laughed. “And how does this affect the Party?” the delegate snickered.

Che smiled. “Comrades, many years ago you sent me to learn banking from the Americans and the British. In that time, I did not forget my dedication to the party and our political system, nor did I waste time by learning just the basics. I tried my best to understand why the system works as it does and what it responds to. Since that time, our nation has embraced what some would call a more capitalistic outlook. We did this for good reason. It allows us to operate in a world market and have influence in areas where our former comrades the Soviet Union could not. As you have seen, their system failed, where ours continues to flourish. In this case, we trade with the Americans and other free nations to earn hard currency that we can use to purchase technology and expertise we do not have. For example, to drill for oil, we use American equipment and expertise. Our computers are licensed from IBM, our automobiles are American designs — even much of our food comes from the United States. We all know our communist ideals are spreading slowly but surely; however, by adapting our methods we are able to continue the progress over the long term while assuring our people are happy and our appearance to the world is a benevolent one.”

“In particular, the People’s Republic of China brings in approximately four billion dollars a week in revenues from the United States alone. This is from their purchase of clothing, electronics, ore, toys, porcelains, any number of items. Do you know how much was brought in this past week? Zero,” Che said forming a circle with his fingers to emphasize the point. It was a shame he had to lead them by the hand, but it had to be done.

That figure got the attention of everyone at the table. The men started conversing with the delegates seated beside them. After a moment, a gavel was heard from the front of the table and order was restored.

Che continued his remarks. “Thank you, Comrade Chairman. So you see, comrades, although politically we are against the United States and firmly behind our communist brothers in Korea, economically, we must make a decision on who we shall openly support and the consequences of our decisions. If we firmly support Korea, we risk losing our largest paying customer and most influential player in the geopolitics of the world. However, if we support the United States openly, we provide conflicting messages to our own people and the politics of our own nation. We also send messages to our allies that may not be what we desire. It is a most difficult set of decisions comrades,” he said finally seating himself in his chair.

“If we were to support our communist brothers, what is our potential loss?” asked the chairman.

“Comrade, we not only lose the four billion a week, we also lose support from the British, European nations, some South American nations and many in the Pacific as well, including Australia. We potentially lose the technology we currently receive from those nations. Even more disturbing, we could lose our food imports. Comrades, we already have difficulties with the size of our population and we are moving towards solving these problems; however, when people are hungry, they tend to do a great many things that are not planned or expected and often not very pleasant. We have seen this in the past as well,” Che concluded.

“What about other communist nations? Do they not trade with us?” another asked.

“Comrades, none of our communist brothers has the money to trade for anything. You must understand, we all know communism is a political movement. What we are talking about is economics. These are two different things. If everyone were under a communist government, all things would be owned by the state and all products could be shared equally. But three quarters of the world are not under our influence. They trade openly and support their people through that trade. We decided to do the same and it has worked for us. It can continue to work for us if we desire to allow it.”

The discussion continued all morning. Some still could not understand why decreeing something or another would not necessarily make it happen. These tended to be the delegates without a western education or at least some western experiences. The delegates who received their formal education outside China understood completely. They were the ones now trying to get the others to understand what Che was saying. The final decision was a Chinese one, full of compromise and manipulation.

“It is decided then,” said the Chairman. “We will say nothing negatively about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. However, we will secretly make contacts with the United States and offer some limited assistance. It must be made clear, however, that these efforts are informal and will never be acknowledged. Our political leaders will begin working with them to maintain our trading and possibly improve our relations with the west, without openly jeopardizing our communist ideals and policies,” he said stiffly. The Chairman banged the gavel and everyone left the room. Che was one of the last to leave. He almost doubted they would be able to pull it off.

“Thank you, gentlemen, for meeting with me at the White House,” the President said as he ushered four Congressmen and two Senators, including a grinning Senator Williamson, into the Oval Office. The meeting had been hurriedly set up when these same congressmen had said they were going to call a public hearing on the recent firings and shuffling in the various military departments. In every case, they had invested some political capital in the senior officers and were not going to let them go down without opposition. Jim Butler asked for the meeting so that everyone could ‘understand the feelings of the others and address the subject with the respect it deserved.’

It had been a masterful stroke to bring the men over after dinner for some drinks and a more relaxed setting. Through a couple of disgruntled employees Butler learned these senators and congressmen were hoping to spring a political trap on the President by calling into question his decision making and possible favoritism by the White House. There were also some questions about a few government contracts. The senators and congressmen thought they were in the right and might even get a public apology — something that could damage the President’s party. That changed once the meeting actually started. After a few pleasantries the President began.

“My friends, you have all voiced some concerns about a shake up in the Department of Defense. You should rightly be concerned and I am here to answer your questions fully and completely, understanding the Department of Defense comes under my purview as one of my departments. Necessarily, I may make changes as I deem necessary for the conducting of military operations,” he said flatly. Several of the men began fidgeting in their seats.

“You see, recently we have begun preparing this nation for a war. In each of the changes we made, grounds were sufficient to remove the individual in question and transfer them to other duties, also vital to our war effort. If any of the individuals decided to retire, their resignation was taken without prejudice and they were allowed to retire with their full rank and benefits. One thing I did not want to have was a lineup of courts martial. That would have embarrassed the nation or yourselves in the process. We did not need people becoming disenfranchised with our fighting forces or political leadership.”

“I wanted to discuss this with you tonight in a private setting so you could understand our reasoning.” The President picked up one of a foot high stack of records on the table beside him. “Here is one example. Two of you contacted my office regarding Vice Admiral Granger. In his case, he met with shipbuilding officials and was preparing the authorization of well over a trillion dollars in shipbuilding over the next two years. He made the statement that he was in charge of how the money would be spent and he would authorize it. I do not believe the Congress would have approved of what he was doing. He was further doing so without proper authorization from the chain of command. In digging further into his background, we found he authorized a number of sole source contracts within certain congressional districts or states that were supposed to be competed out. Upon going over his military record, there are a number of events that narrowly avoided the loss of a ship or plane related to his own incompetence. Along the way there are documented intercessions by some political leadership in Washington that steered his career. In this last case, he was attempting to make presidential policy and authorize expenditures without the approval of either myself or the Congress,” he said finally looking around the room. His gaze lingered on a few of the men. “Of course I shall not go into who has gone to bat for the Admiral in the past. I seriously doubt anyone would have supported the man if they had known his true record. And again, we cannot let this man’s actions hurt someone who may be innocent,” he said finally closing the folder.

“Now we shall take up Admiral Harris, the CNO. In his case….” The President took the men step by step through each of the records on the table, addressing each man removed from his position. The reports were damning. For those in the room it had been a wonder these men had ever risen to the positions they acquired. However, it was what was unsaid that affected the men more. In each case, there was something in writing tying these men to a congressman or senator who used influence to help them remain in power. If that ever got out, the political repercussions would have been devastating. With the current mood in the country, it would have meant the elected official being run out of town on a rail. They all knew when to fold their cards and it happened during the two hour meeting. Jim Butler sat at the back wall and said not a word. The man definitely knows politics, he thought.

In the end, there were few questions but no one wanted to pursue the matter further. After some refreshments, the President took the floor one last time. “My friends, I hope you now know why these unfortunate decisions had to be made. I want to continue to work closely with you and your staff to make this country great and I am sorry that officers in our armed services have painted the wrong picture for you. I will, of course, maintain these records so that they are not released to the public. If in the future you have questions of me or any of the departments under my administration, please contact me or my Chief of Staff. Thank you all for coming this evening,” he said as he shook each man’s hand and then walked with them to the main portico. He stood at the steps as each got in the special transportation and left.

The President then turned to Butler and let out a long slow breath. “I hope I’ll never have to do that again,” he said.

Butler nodded as they went back into the White House. “Boss, you never cease to amaze me. I thought they were going to eat us up; especially Senator Williamson.”

The President shook his head. “Most of those guys are not the big hitters they think they are. I hope you noticed that all I had to do was hint at a scandal and they backed down. Williamson sees himself as the next god. If it ever got out he was involved in something regarding these men, he would probably find himself retired and on some speaker’s circuit.”

“I also noticed you mentioning things written on paper. I didn’t recall anything like that in the service records.”

The President grinned. “Actually, I had some additional records pulled. Like letters to the boards, letters to their superiors, things like that. For a politician, it is the paper trail that can hurt you. In these cases, they had been using their influence for years. Williamson was one of the worst. You just have to know where to find it. A couple of those guys will be pissed off at us for a while, but in the end, if I keep my word and it doesn’t get out, they will come around. Besides, now I have one hell of a bargaining chip when our backs are against the wall,” he said slapping Butler on the back. “Now why don’t you get home. Your wife already thinks I’m a task master down here. Tomorrow is Saturday. You take tomorrow and Sunday off like a normal guy. The office will run itself. If I need anything I can call you now anyway,” he said grinning.

“You sure?” Butler asked. “I’d hate to be missed,” he said with a slight grin.

“Get on home,” the President said. “Relax some, Jim. I need my friend back on Monday.”

Butler looked around and made note that only the Service escort was around. He winked at the President. “Good night, Steve,” he said in a short private moment. Butler turned and headed down to the staff offices and home.

President O’Bannon watched the man leave. Butler was quickly becoming his best friend. He would have to make sure they continued to work together even after his presidency.