He reached around his desk and pulled out his military issue .45-caliber Colt pistol, originally issued to him as a new ensign toward the end of the Vietnam War. He picked up the picture of his wife that sat on his desk and laid the pistol in his lap, stroking the image of his wife through the glass of the frame.
Near the door of Adm. Beacham’s officer quarters, the executive officer and other senior officers of the ship waited outside in the narrow steel hallway. The suits were not far behind, all gathering to conduct the satellite video conference link-up with Tibbs and the Joint Chiefs to debrief them on Operation Santa Anna. Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the hull of the ship, coming directly from the admiral’s quarters.
“Admiral, Admiral, are you okay in there?” yelled the XO.
No answer came.
“Admiral! We’re coming in! Break the door, now!” he ordered.
Two junior officers began kicking the door; finally the latch seemed to partially break. Another kick and the door flew open.
“Oh, no, oh, no!” shouted the XO.
Operation Santa Anna had just claimed another victim.
The admiral slouched in his leather chair, covered in blood still oozing from his mouth. He had put the Colt .45 into his mouth and pulled the trigger. Blood was still running down the chair onto the floor. Momentary chaos broke out in his quarters and the hallway as the XO and others tried unsuccessfully to revive the admiral.
In the meantime, Atty. Gen. Tibbs and the Joint Chiefs sat impatiently in the situation room at the Pentagon, along with the secretaries of DHS and Defense and the directors of the FBI, NSA and ATF. The Truman was already ten minutes late for the designated satellite video conference call link-up.
“What the hell is wrong with your people?” yelled Tibbs at the Joint Chiefs and then turning his gaze upon Secy. of Defense Brooks.
“We are in touch with the Truman. Apparently, something has happened to cause a delay,” said a confused fleet admiral.
“Well, I don’t appreciate being kept waiting. Make something happen now, General!” barked Tibbs.
“Sir, that’s Admiral…” said Secy. Brooks.
“General, Admiral, Sergeant, I don’t really give a damn. I want to be debriefed. I want to know if they have that damned cowboy governor and I want to know NOW!”
Chapter 18
“I wouldn’t go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.”
~ Major General Smedley Butler (1881-1940)
Most Decorated U.S. Marine in History
Author of “War is a Racket”
By 10:30 a.m., stories were breaking over news outlets all over the world that something significant had happened in Texas, but details were sketchy at best. Although it was several hours after the raid that began very early that morning, few details were available, leading many mainstream news media pundits to speculate on the facts, including wildly exaggerated stories with no factual basis.
The most accurate reporting of the situation on the ground was coming from local Texas television and radio. They were first to the scenes at the control towers hit by the fighter jets in San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Brownsville. The local media was having difficulty tying in the Mexican air force with the unfolding events. But the world was finding out that something huge had happened in Texas that morning involving the United States federal government and Texas.
The claims made by the Mexican president two hours earlier heightened the speculation, and local TV and amateur video footage from the wreckage of the Blackhawks, Mexican Falcons and the Texas F-16s confirmed something serious had occurred.
Beat reporters at the Pentagon and the White House were pressing for statements, but were told a statement would be made later in the day.
Then the dam broke.
Local San Antonio television station KSAT was beamed into the national network as a reporter broadcast live from the Swingin’ T Ranch near Llano.
“We are here at the sprawling Swingin’ T Ranch near Llano in the Texas hill country where Texas Gov. Brent Cooper and his staff were staying last night. According to Llano County Sheriff Joe Porter, federal agents conducted a raid on the ranch at approximately four a.m. to arrest the governor and numerous other state officials. There appears to have been a firefight between Texas Rangers, state troopers and agents from several federal agencies such as DHS, the FBI and the ATF.”
The young female reporter had to take a deep breath because she was talking so fast.
“The sheriff has reported there have been casualties, including fatalities. We have not been able to confirm any specifics on the casualties. We are, however, able to report that Gov. Cooper and Lt. Gov. Foster and both of their wives are missing and assumed to have been arrested by federal agents. There have been unsubstantiated reports that the lieutenant governor is wounded, but we have not been told the extent of his injuries. We have been attempting to have officials on the scene come on live camera, but they have indicated there will be a coordinated news conference sometime later because the situation here at the Swingin’ T Ranch is very fluid at this particular moment.”
The excited reporter had to take another deep breath. She was breaking the story of most reporters’ lifetimes. Even her cameraman had trouble keeping the camera on her as she moved excitedly about.
“Once again, this is Rebecca Marlin reporting near Llano, Texas. There has been a federal raid on a private ranch here in the hill country of Texas by the feds to capture and arrest the governor of Texas and other state officials. Casualties have been reported, including a number of unknown fatalities. We are told the governor and his wife are missing, presumably arrested and taken elsewhere by helicopter. We are also told the Texas lieutenant governor has been wounded. Both he and his wife were also reportedly taken by federal agents in helicopters.”
The cameraman swung the camera off the news reporter and scanned the entrance to the Swingin’ T, which was still smoldering and smoking from the attack. The Llano sheriff’s department was keeping onlookers and the reporter’s news van about two hundred feet from the entrance.
“Also, there are reports of some type of Mexican air force conflict with Texas Air National Guard fighters. We don’t know if these two events are related; however, the president of Mexico has announced some type of armed conflict with Texas aircraft. Texas shrimpers reported they spotted a U.S. Navy carrier near South Padre Island on the Texas Gulf Coast.”
The reporter’s brunette hair kept sweeping across her face in the constant wind. She had to brush it aside constantly, but she stayed calm and unflappable in the awkward situation. “Reports are coming in about some types of bombings or strikes on airports in San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Brownsville,” she stated, “and we have received damage reports from Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio and the Naval Air Station near Beeville. We don’t know at this time who conducted those bombings and if the Mexican air force is involved. I will turn this back to New York for live coverage. This is Rebecca Marlin, reporting for KSAT live from the Swingin’ T Ranch in the Texas hill country.”
This live report was the first news to the world confirming that the Texas crisis had just entered a new and extremely dangerous phase. Immediately, news organizations began churning, with announcements, claims, demands and prognostications coming from all sides. For every call to remain calm and wait for the facts of what had occurred, there were those already speculating what should be done to the Texas governor. Some parts of the country actually began celebrating the apparent capture of the brash governor. In Times Square, the marquee streamed across the screen indicating the feds had captured the Texas governor.
Texans throughout the world were outraged. A federal raid into Texas to capture their very popular governor? U.S. government military strikes on civilian Texas airports? How could that be? How was
that possible?
Any Texans who were on the fence about the current crisis with the administration were about to be shoved off, one way or another.
What had begun as a general disdain by the average Texan for federal involvement in Texas’ affairs had grown to a level of outrage already heightened over the unconstitutional actions of the administration.
Now the Swingin’ T was about to become a modern-day Alamo…
Chapter 19
“The provision in the Constitution granting the right to all persons to bear arms is a limitation upon the power of the Legislature to enact any law to the contrary. The exercise of a right guaranteed by the Constitution cannot be made subject to the will of the sheriff.”
~ The People vs. Zerillo (1922)
Joseph Zerillo was arrested for carrying a pistol without
a permit from the local sheriff, and the decision was
overturned by the Michigan Supreme Court
The Johnson administration cabinet members assembled in the Pentagon operations center were becoming anxious. They had received word that something tragic had occurred on the USS Truman, but had not gotten any definitive communications from the ship in nearly twenty minutes.
Atty. Gen. Tibbs was especially frustrated as he awaited news of the capture of his prize—the Texas governor.
“Try them again,” he ordered.
“USS Truman, this is Fleet Adm. Cummings.”
“Admiral, this is Capt. Roger Abner. I am the executive officer. I regret to inform you that Adm. Beacham took his own life in his quarters just before our scheduled link-up.”
“Captain, please repeat,” said the fleet admiral.
“Sir, the admiral shot himself in his quarters. He is dead.”
“Why the hell would he do that?” demanded Tibbs.
“He did not leave a note. I’m sure some of you know he lost his wife about a year ago, and he was visibly shaken by the news today regarding Operation Santa Anna.”
“What news?” shouted Tibbs. “What the hell is going on? Where is Gov. Cooper? Did they get that damned Texas Ranger?”
“Sir, we lost four federal agents in the raid and we have two wounded.”
“Dear God,” gasped Secy. of Defense Brooks.
“Where is Cooper?” repeated Tibbs, irritation apparent in his voice.
The captain paused for a few uneasy seconds, then continued. “I regret to inform everyone that Gov. Cooper was killed in the raid.”
“Repeat that, Captain,” requested Adm. Cummings urgently, hoping he misunderstood.
At that very moment, some sitting in the operations center stood up while others pulled closer to the huge round mahogany conference table.
“Gov. Cooper engaged our agents. We know he is responsible for at least one federal agent’s death based on eyewitness accounts. He was killed in the firefight.”
“Oh, geez… Are you serious? This is confirmed?” interrupted Brooks as he rubbed his hands through his hair nervously.
“Yes, sir, he is in a body bag in the refrigerated morgue aboard the ship and was positively identified.”
“Damn, people, we have serious problems now. Who is going to inform the president?” asked McDermott.
Tibbs sank back in his chair. The thought of the Texas governor being dead meant nothing to him, but his opportunity to have Cooper do the classic perp walk in handcuffs in front of the worldwide news media was gone. His mind raced on how to manufacture some type of win for himself and the administration.
“What about the Ranger?” Tibbs asked.
“We have no word on him, sir. We believe he wasn’t at the ranch,” replied Capt. Abner.
Multiple conversations erupted in the operations center while several tried to calm the group and settle them back down to a formal meeting process.
“Can we please have silence, people?” asked Adm. Cummings. “The captain has indicated he has more news. Capt. Abner, please continue.”
“I regret to inform you that Gov. Cooper’s wife was also a fatality in the raid.”
“That’s just great! This just keeps getting better and better!” declared McDermott sarcastically.
Again, a mild form of chaos broke out in the room with cabinet officials pointing fingers at each other and separate individual arguments breaking out. Tibbs sat with chin in hand, deep in thought, seemingly unaffected by the eruption of tempers around him. “Captain, we need your other assessments. Status of the other state officials with arrest warrants?” Tibbs asked loudly over the conversations of others.
“Lt. Gov. Foster was captured; however, he is wounded and in critical condition from loss of blood. His wife was captured with him and, although she’s in shock, she is not wounded,” Abner reported.
“We have reports that the Texas State Guard commander, Maj. Gen. Rex Conroy, was also a fatality, but his body was not brought to the Truman. Of the five Blackhawks involved in the operation, it appears four were shot down. We do not have reports of casualties at this time,” Abner said in a monotone voice. “We also know that at least two of these Blackhawks were shot down over Mexican air space; one had just landed and was sitting on the tarmac at a Mexican airport. We believe the Texas Air National Guard was able to scramble two F-16s from Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Lackland was hit extensively, but they still managed to get two birds off. One of their F16s was shot down by the Mexican air force.”
“I thought you geniuses knocked out control towers and radar in Texas. How in the hell did four Blackhawks get shot down?” screamed Tibbs, who was back in his angry tone.
“Mr. Attorney General, we did incapacitate the towers and hit the runways but, unfortunately, two fighters got off the ground,” replied Capt. Abner. “What we are unclear on is the downing of the Mexican fighters. It looks like they were over Texas air space.”
“So they launched two fighters who downed four choppers, plus however many Mexican fighters?” asked an astonished McDermott.
“We are told one of the pilots was a highly decorated Desert Storm veteran now flying for the Texas Air Wing,” said the captain.
“Well, we now have an international incident as the cherry on top of this damned Texas mess,” said the NSA director.
“Please provide more information on the ranch and the raid,” said McDermott.
“We do not know the exact number of wounded or fatalities regarding the personnel at the ranch,” said the captain.
“Well, we are getting news reports from some little rookie sweetheart reporter out of a San Antonio news station and it doesn’t look good,” remarked Tibbs. “Sarah, our orders were clear. Extract these certain individuals as if they were armed and dangerous. It’s clear they were exactly that.”
Suddenly, Tibbs’ chief of staff walked into the room.
“Sir, the president wants an immediate update. The news cycle is in hyper-drive over this. Did we get Cooper?”
“Tell him I’ll have one for him in ten minutes,” replied Tibbs.
“The media isn’t reporting Cooper’s death. Who else knows, Capt. Abner?” McDermott asked.
“The operations commander has indicated he believes they got Cooper, Foster, and Weaver on the lead chopper while they had the rest of the group on the ground at the Texas ranch separated,” said the officer. “Other than the agents on the ground, we do not believe anyone outside of the operation has any first-hand knowledge.”
“This operation remains top secret, captain. Let your folks know that I will prosecute anyone who leaks any part of this operation outside the chain of command,” ordered Tibbs.
As was typical of Tibbs, he drew no distinction regarding Constitutional authority. Although he may have had prosecutable authority over the federal agents, he had none over the military. As usual, nobody questioned his authority.
Nobody wanted to cross the man closest to President Johnson, who was known to be politically vindictive and who seemed to be as Teflon-coated as the president. Just like President Johnson,
Tibbs survived scandal after scandal, helped by a Congress that seemed to be spineless, evidenced by the failure to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Rash Sally conspiracy and the mysterious death of a Justice Department whistleblower despite overwhelming evidence.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Herrera sat quietly while the cabinet was debriefed, a growing sickening feeling in his stomach. He had opposed this operation, but to voice his opposition to the president would have spelled the end of his career.
He was keenly aware that part of his rise to such a highly regarded position was principally due to the culling out of members of the Joint Chiefs who didn’t always agree with the president. Part of the culling process was directly asking military leaders their thoughts on taking military actions against American citizens. The president and his minions in the cabinet subtly but clearly drew the distinction of loyalties to Johnson’s administration or to the Constitution.
“Do we have news of Secy. Bartlett?” asked Tibbs.
“The news media is reporting she is onsite at the ranch in Texas,” answered Tibbs’ chief of staff.
“That figures,” Tibbs whispered to his aide. “I want to know any and all comments she makes to any news outlet while she’s down there! She needs to stand down until we brief the president. Have someone get in touch with her. We need her expert political analysis to settle down the Mexicans,” Tibbs added sarcastically.
“Ladies and gentlemen, sooner or later Texans will know their governor was killed. What preparations should we be making militarily in anticipation of this news breaking?” asked Gen. Herrera.
“I’ll dictate when that news is released; nobody is to say a damned thing until the president has been briefed and we make an official statement from the White House. Is that clear?” snarled Tibbs.
“I understand, sir. I’m asking what military preparations we should be making.”
“What, you think Texas is going to launch some type of counter-attack?” laughed McDermott.
“Well, ma’am, I think we should consider all options.”
A State of Treason Page 16
