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Authors: Allan Folsom
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Jordan. In less than thirty-six hours al Qaeda would control everything and the flow of oil to the West would stop, just like that. Then what?"
"What do you mean 'then what?'" The president was staring directly at his national security adviser. "Is this a what-if, or do you have something from intelligence and this is real? Don't screw around here, Jim. If it's real I want to know. And right now."
Marshall glanced at Jake Lowe, then looked back to the president. "What it is, Mr. President, is a bona fide scenario that comes from any number of collective sources and should be taken very seriously. If it happened it would be all but impossible for us to respond quickly or massively enough to contain it. Immediate nuclear response might be our only option. One we wouldn't have time to argue through the Security Council. We would need every member already up and on the same page and moving within hours. It means we have to know beforehand that we have every member nation one hundred percent behind us. And as we well know, Germany might not be on the Security Council but from its influence, it might just as well be."
"What Jim means, Mr. President," Lowe added quietly, "is that we must have an arrangement that willguarantee America instant, ongoing, and unquestioned support in the UN. And as I said before, the way things stand now we don't have it."
President Harris looked from one man to the other. These were longtime members of his inner circle, close friends and trusted advisers, men whom he had known for years, trying to make him understand the importance and relevance of his just-concluded meetings with the leaders of France and Germany. Moreover, it wasn't just the French and Germans they would need, it was also the Russians and Chinese. They all knew that if they had France and Germany behind them, especially if the matter had to do with the Middle East, the Russians would come along as well. So would the Chinese.
"Fellas," he said, in the homey style he used in the company of friends, "the picture you draw may be accurate, and God help us if it is. But I seriously doubt the French and Germans haven't considered some version of it themselves and what they would do in response. In the same breath I can guarantee you that suddenly dropping their stance over a scenario without hard intelligence behind it and giving us a blank check overnight for whatever we want to do isn't one of them."
"That's not necessarily so," Dr. Marshall leaned back and folded his hands in his lap.
"I don't follow you."
"Suppose the leaders of those two countries were people who
would
give us a blank check."
The president raised his eyebrows, "What the hell does that mean?"
"You won't like it."
"Try me."
"The physical removal from office of the president of France and the chancellor of Germany."
"Physical removal?"
"Assassination, Mr. President, of both. To be replaced with leaders who we can trust, now and in the future."
Harris hesitated, then slowly grinned. It was a joke, he knew. "What do you fellas want to do, get in the video-game business? Set up a frightening situation, find the troublemakers who won't cooperate, then hit the 'assassinate' button and afterward insert whoever you want and write your own ending?"
"It's not a game, Mr. President." Marshall's eyes were locked on the president's. "I'm deadly serious. Remove Géroux and Bohlen and make certain the people we want in power are elected in their place."
"Just like that." The president was stunned.
"Yes, sir."
The president looked to Jake Lowe, "I suspect you agree."
"Yes, Mr. President, I do."
For a moment Harris stood frozen in silence as the weight of what had been presented sank in. Suddenly he flashed with anger. "I'll tell you fellas something. Nothing like that is going to happen on my watch. First, because under no circumstance will I be party to murder. Second, political assassination is forbidden by law and I am sworn to uphold the law.
"Moreover, even if
"What do you mean 'then what?'" The president was staring directly at his national security adviser. "Is this a what-if, or do you have something from intelligence and this is real? Don't screw around here, Jim. If it's real I want to know. And right now."
Marshall glanced at Jake Lowe, then looked back to the president. "What it is, Mr. President, is a bona fide scenario that comes from any number of collective sources and should be taken very seriously. If it happened it would be all but impossible for us to respond quickly or massively enough to contain it. Immediate nuclear response might be our only option. One we wouldn't have time to argue through the Security Council. We would need every member already up and on the same page and moving within hours. It means we have to know beforehand that we have every member nation one hundred percent behind us. And as we well know, Germany might not be on the Security Council but from its influence, it might just as well be."
"What Jim means, Mr. President," Lowe added quietly, "is that we must have an arrangement that willguarantee America instant, ongoing, and unquestioned support in the UN. And as I said before, the way things stand now we don't have it."
President Harris looked from one man to the other. These were longtime members of his inner circle, close friends and trusted advisers, men whom he had known for years, trying to make him understand the importance and relevance of his just-concluded meetings with the leaders of France and Germany. Moreover, it wasn't just the French and Germans they would need, it was also the Russians and Chinese. They all knew that if they had France and Germany behind them, especially if the matter had to do with the Middle East, the Russians would come along as well. So would the Chinese.
"Fellas," he said, in the homey style he used in the company of friends, "the picture you draw may be accurate, and God help us if it is. But I seriously doubt the French and Germans haven't considered some version of it themselves and what they would do in response. In the same breath I can guarantee you that suddenly dropping their stance over a scenario without hard intelligence behind it and giving us a blank check overnight for whatever we want to do isn't one of them."
"That's not necessarily so," Dr. Marshall leaned back and folded his hands in his lap.
"I don't follow you."
"Suppose the leaders of those two countries were people who
would
give us a blank check."
The president raised his eyebrows, "What the hell does that mean?"
"You won't like it."
"Try me."
"The physical removal from office of the president of France and the chancellor of Germany."
"Physical removal?"
"Assassination, Mr. President, of both. To be replaced with leaders who we can trust, now and in the future."
Harris hesitated, then slowly grinned. It was a joke, he knew. "What do you fellas want to do, get in the video-game business? Set up a frightening situation, find the troublemakers who won't cooperate, then hit the 'assassinate' button and afterward insert whoever you want and write your own ending?"
"It's not a game, Mr. President." Marshall's eyes were locked on the president's. "I'm deadly serious. Remove Géroux and Bohlen and make certain the people we want in power are elected in their place."
"Just like that." The president was stunned.
"Yes, sir."
The president looked to Jake Lowe, "I suspect you agree."
"Yes, Mr. President, I do."
For a moment Harris stood frozen in silence as the weight of what had been presented sank in. Suddenly he flashed with anger. "I'll tell you fellas something. Nothing like that is going to happen on my watch. First, because under no circumstance will I be party to murder. Second, political assassination is forbidden by law and I am sworn to uphold the law.
"Moreover, even if
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