The Assassins

by Oliver North

  In his private study the President, leaning over his stand-up reading desk, finished reading the bill, handed it to his Chief of Staff, and said, “Bruce, make copies for everyone in the Oval Office and bring them back to me, please.”

  Allen left the room to use the copier, as the President looked around the room where so many important decisions had been made—all the way back to Harry Truman. On the walls were neatly framed and matted photographs of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines—all of them in combat attire, taken in Afghanistan and Iraq. Beneath each picture, some handwritten, others typed, one obviously penned on a cardboard field ration sleeve, were the prayers that these young Americans had included with the photographs that they had sent to their Commander in Chief.

  When the Chief of Staff returned from his chore he found the President on his knees, his head bowed and his arms resting on the leather armchair next to the stand-up reading desk. Allen backed silently away and said nothing. After a moment the President rose, turned, put on his suit jacket, and said, “Well, Bruce, let's go face the music.”

  Together, the two men walked back into the Oval Office.

  Lourdes Signals Intelligence Facility

  ___________________________________________

  Bejucal, Cuba

  Tuesday, 16 October 2007

  1100 Hours Local

  “Excuse me, sir,” said Major Sakharovsky, standing at attention outside Komulakov's open door. “There are two Cuban officers at the entrance to our compound demanding a meeting with the senior Russian officer.”

  “Come in, Viktor,” said the general. “As always, you are wasting what little air conditioning we have. Did you tell them that they are not allowed to enter this facility? As you know I have been up almost all night for a week. Can't you just take down whatever their problem is and tell them that we'll deal with it later?”

  “Yes, General,” replied the aide, clearly upset. “I told them that, but they say that they have been sent by ‘Comrade Castro’ and they will speak only with you.”

  Komulakov thought for a moment. The American satellites would surely pick up Cuban government officials “chattering” over their telephones about “problems with the Russians at Lourdes.” He didn't want this distraction with so much going on but nodded and said, “Very well, Viktor. Tell them I will receive them at the gatehouse. Don't let the Cubans inside any except that building. I'll be right over—and tell all our people to stay out of sight.”

  Komulakov arrived minutes later in civilian attire. With Major Sakharovsky serving as translator, the Cuban officers were introduced as Colonel Ramirez and Major Cruz. They wasted no time getting to the point of their visit.

  “Chairman Castro dispatched us to inquire why you have Iranians here at this facility, without the permission of the Cuban government,” Colonel Ramirez said bluntly.

  Though he didn't show it, Komulakov was astounded by the question. How in the world did they find out about the Iranians, he thought.

  At first he considered lying outright about the presence of the four Iranian communicators. They had, after all, arrived via Caracas with perfectly forged Russian passports. But recalling his well-practiced KGB tradecraft he decided to lie only about those things he was sure they could not verify.

  “Well, Comrade Colonel, there must have been some terrible oversight on our part,” Komulakov said with an ingratiating smile. “We do have several people here who were born in Iran, but they are immigrants to Russia and they work for our International Communications Monitoring Service. They provide translations of various broadcasts. With all that's happening out there in that part of the world, we believe it is very important to monitor Iranian communications. I'm sure you agree?”

  The Cuban colonel was not impressed. “How many are there?” he asked.

  Komulakov appeared to ponder the answer, then replied, “Four, I believe. One for each watch section.”

  The two Cuban officers looked at each other, and then the major said firmly, “We want to see their documents.”

  Now it was time for Komulakov to stand on principle. “Out of the question. Our two governments have a formal agreement that governs the operation of this facility. That agreement clearly states that we are to provide to you only the number of technicians here, no names. We are abiding by our part of the agreement. We have paid our lease fee a year in advance. It is to be renewed in January. Am I to inform my government in Moscow that your government is no longer going to live up to its end of the bargain? Please return to Havana and inquire if this is the message you wish to send to my government.”

  This was clearly not what the Cubans had anticipated. Colonel Ramirez wavered and said, “This is beyond my responsibility, General. We were instructed only to ask about the presence of Iranian nationals. I believe you have answered our questions.”

  Komulakov, though still deeply concerned, was suddenly affable again. “May I ask, Colonel, what gave rise to this inquiry?”

  Ramirez, anxious to avoid being the cause of a diplomatic flap between Moscow and Havana, also wanted to be seen as a “fellow intelligence officer.” He responded, “We have many sources, Comrade General, but one of our air force pilots flying over Lourdes last week noticed two men kneeling on prayer rugs, facing east, on top of one of your buildings. This confirmed some intelligence that we got from our people in Caracas.”

  For the second time in minutes Komulakov was stunned, but rising to his feet he said, “Well, thank you for pointing that out. We certainly don't want the American satellites seeing that now, do we?”

  “No, not at all,” replied the colonel, realizing that their audience was over.

  As they reached the door, Komulakov said, “I trust this has cleared up any misunderstanding. Please transmit my good wishes to Comrade Castro. I look forward to coming to Havana soon to pay my respects to Comrade Raul. Of course, I don't need to caution you about the need not to discuss any of this over the telephone or radio. The Imperialist eavesdroppers are very good, as you know.” They parted smiling.

  But when Major Sakharovsky returned from escorting the Cubans outside the perimeter, Komulakov exploded, “What is going on here? Don't the Iranian fools know that the Americans have this place under constant surveillance? If you ever see them outside on their idiotic prayer rugs again, shoot them!”

  Komulakov was still fuming when he returned to his quarters and turned on his Chinese-manufactured, Japanese computer. As the screen lit up he saw an urgent message—an encrypted e-mail communiqué from Nikolai Dubzhuko in Riyadh:

  SEVERAL OF OUR PERSONNEL IN CHARGE OF ELIMINATING THE SAUDI ROYALTY AND SEIZING THE YACHTS AND AIRCRAFT ARE DEMANDING MORE MONEY. THEY CLAIM THAT THEY WERE NOT TOLD ABOUT THE NUCLEAR DEVICE BEING USED AND THAT AS A CONSEQUENCE, THEIR RISKS HAVE INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY. THEY ARE ASKING FOR AN ADDITIONAL 200 THOUSAND DOLLARS U.S. CURRENCY EACH. I MUST HAVE YOUR ANSWER QUICKLY AS THEY ARE THREATENING TO LEAVE TOMORROW MORNING SAUDI TIME IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE NEW TERMS.

  Komulakov did not appreciate extortion—although it never bothered him to engage in such tactics. Nevertheless he decided that, for the most part, the work had already been done and quite successfully.

  Sitting at his computer, the general typed a hasty reply:

  HOW MANY ARE THREATENING TO QUIT?

  Komulakov then resumed other duties while he awaited a reply to his e-mail. Not long after his query his computer chirped, announcing an incoming encrypted message. The Russian spun his chair around to face the computer and clicked the mouse to open Dubzhuko's message:

  THERE ARE SEVEN WHO THREATENED TO LEAVE IF YOU DO NOT AGREE

  TO THEIR TERMS. THERE MAY BE MORE IF THEY BEGIN TO TALK AMONG THEMSELVES. WHAT SHALL I TELL THEM?

  Komulakov quickly typed a response:

  TELL THEM NOTHING.

  Dubzhuko asked next:

  THEN WHAT SHALL I DO?

  Komulakov's terse reply sent a chill through his deputy:

  KILL THEM. AND KILL ANYONE
ELSE WHO FAILS TO DO HIS DUTY.

  Situation Room

  _______________________________________

  The White House, Washington, DC

  Tuesday, 16 October 2007

  1130 Hours Local

  It was the first meeting any of them could remember that the President had started late. He had arrived from the Oval Office at 1105, just seconds after the Vice President, Sarah Dornin, Dan Powers, and Bruce Allen. As they took their places, Jeb Stuart arrived and took his seat, placing a stack of paper upside down on the table.

  The President wasted no time. “I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Perry, give us the latest.”

  The DNI's recitation, accompanied by the usual satellite imagery, was more of the same that they had been getting since Sunday. There was as yet no further intelligence on the group calling itself the Islamic Brotherhood. But there were many more reports from around the world where Saudi royalty were apparently being systematically hunted down and killed. There was also information about radiation sickness in Oman, the UAE, and coastal India. More than 50,000 “foreigners” were begging to be evacuated from Saudi Arabia, but as Straw pointed out, “That's likely just the tip of the iceberg. We estimate that there are still almost 200,000 ‘non-Arabs’ still in Saudi Arabia. Though many who were working outside Riyadh were able to escape, those in the capital and others without their own vehicles remain trapped.”

  Sarah Dornin, the Secretary of Homeland Security, reported next. “Last night agents from ICE and the FBI arrested four Venezuelan males in McAllen, Texas—across the Rio Grande from Reyrosa, Mexico. They all had forged passports, and each was carrying $30,000 in counterfeit hundred-dollar bills. They apparently were part of a group being smuggled in by Salvadoran Mara Salvatrucha gang members. The smugglers and the suspected terrorists have been interrogated, but they don't have much to say. The FBI Special Agent in Charge doesn't believe that they are connected to the current situation in Saudi Arabia but has asked the U.S. Attorney to hold them until we learn more. The governors of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California are all petitioning to call up the National Guard to protect our border with Mexico. Other than that, the only thing that is new is the rash of gasoline and home heating oil thefts that began yesterday. Again, we believe that this is simply criminal activity reacting to the current shortages, rationing, and high prices.”

  Secretary of State Helen Luce had about the only good news. “The Swiss,” she said, “believe that they have established contact with someone in Saudi Arabia who purports to speak for this Islamic Brotherhood group, and they think there will be an extension of the deadline on evacuating foreigners. Operating through the offices of the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent, the Swiss have agreed to evacuate our nationals—if we can get them out of the embassy. Many of the Americans who were living outside the capital seem to have had escape plans and have apparently succeeded in making their way overland to Oman, Yemen, Qatar, Iraq, or Jordan.”

  Dan Powers waited until the rest were through, and kept his report very brief: “General Grisham is in Qatar at CENTCOM forward. We have released the MPS shipping which departed Diego Garcia en route to the Gulf to CINC CENTCOM. It will be available in three days—if we have a secure port for offload. The Marine Expeditionary Unit that was ashore in Qatar has been back-loaded aboard their amphibious assault shipping and is available now. If we put them ashore in Saudi Arabia to seize a port, we'll time it to parachute in a brigade of the 82nd Airborne right afterward to get a nearby airfield. The 1st Cav and the 3rd ID are mounted up in Iraq and ready to move across the border into Saudi Arabia whenever you give the word. We're flying more chemical protective gear and equipment, and that should all be there by tomorrow. Finally, I have given Jeb a draft Decision Directive on forward deploying another Special Operations unit that SOCOM will have available for immediate use.”

  “Will we be able to get them out of the States to wherever they are going to be pre-positioned without it making the front pages?” asked the President.

  “Yes, sir. It will probably be a Marine unit out of Camp Lejeune,” answered Powers.

  The President nodded, then looked around the room and said, “Thank you, everyone. Now, there is a new matter on which I want your advice. A little over an hour ago, the Congress met in secret session and passed a bill that they believe will help us deal with the present crisis. Jeb, hand the copies out to everyone, please.”

  As the National Security Advisor handed out the stapled copies of the bill, the President said, “The Vice President attended the joint session, and he'll give you a report on what he observed.”

  The Vice President cleared his throat and said simply, “Though they met in joint session, each house voted separately. It passed the House by 425 to 6 with 4 abstentions. The Senate passed it 92 to 3 with 3 abstentions and 2 absent. After the nuclear detonation yesterday and this morning's piece in the Washington Post, there was almost no debate.”

  When the Vice President finished, the President said, “Now, if you will each take a few minutes to read the bill, I'll tell you what I have decided to do.”

  The room was silent except for the rustle of paper as the President's most trusted advisors read what the Congress had passed just hours before:

  110th CONGRESS

  2nd Session

  J. R. 1

  To nullify the effect of certain provisions of various executiveorders and compel the Commander in Chief to take certain measures in the National Interest.

  IN THE HOUSE AND SENATE, JOINTLY CONVENED

  October 16, 2007

  Senator WAGGONER of West Virginia and Mr. WILSON of Connecticut jointly introduced the following bill, which was referred to a Special Joint Session of the Congress, convened in secret session.

  A BILL

  To nullify the effect of certain provisions of various executive orders and compel the Commander in Chief to take certain measures in the National Interest.

  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives

  of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

  SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the “Terrorist Threat Mitigation Act of 2007.”

  SECTION 2. FINDINGS.

  Congress finds that:

  (1) Presidents have issued executive orders, which severely limit the use of the military and intelligence services when dealing with potentially serious threats against the United States of America;

  (2) these executive orders limit the swift, sure, and precise action needed by the United States to protect our national security;

  (3) present strategy allows U.S. military forces to bomb large targets hoping to eliminate a terrorist leader, but prevents our country from designing a limited action which would specifically accomplish that purpose;

  (4) on several occasions the military has been ordered to use a military strike hoping, in most cases unsuccessfully, to remove a terrorist leader who has committed or who is planning crimes against the United States;

  (5) as the threat from terrorism grows, America must continue to employ more effective means of combating the menace posed by those who would murder American citizens simply to make a political point; and

  (6) action by the United States Government to remove such persons is a remedy which should be used sparingly and considered only after all other reasonable options have failed or are not available; however, this is an option our country must maintain for cases in which international threats to United States national security cannot be eliminated by other means.

  SECTION 3. NULLIFICATION OF EFFECT OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF VARIOUS EXECUTIVE ORDERS.

  The following provisions of the enumerated executive orders shall have no further force or effect:

  (1) Section 5(g) of Executive Order 11905; to wit: No employee of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, political assassination.

  (2) Section 2-305 of Executive Order 12036; to wit: No person
employed by or acting on behalf of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination.

  (3) Section 2.11 of Executive Order 12333; to wit: No person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination.

  SECTION 4. IMPLEMENTATION OF TERRORIST THREAT MITIGATION MEASURES.

  (1) The President shall immediately cause to be formed a Threat Mitigation Commission comprised of five American citizens.

  (2) The Threat Mitigation Commission shall be chaired by a sitting or former Justice of the Supreme Court and consist of a former Secretary of State, a former Attorney General of the United States, a former Director of Central Intelligence, and a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

  (3) The Threat Mitigation Commission shall convene as necessary to identify and compile a list of foreign persons who pose sufficient risk to the National Security Interests of the United States to warrant the sentence of death.

  (4) The list of persons sentenced to death by the Commission on Threat Mitigation shall be submitted to the President for appropriate and timely action by the Executive Branch. Said list of individuals so sentenced shall be maintained at not more than one hundred persons.

  (5) The President shall immediately cause to be created within the Executive Branch a Special Unit of sufficient size, background, and experience to carry out the sentences imposed by the Commission.

  (6) Members of said Special Unit shall report to the President through the Commission on Threat Mitigation and shall be afforded all necessary diplomatic and other protections to preclude prosecution for executing their duties under this Act.

  SECTION 5. AUTHORIZATION AND APPROPRIATION.

  (1) The sum of Five Hundred Million dollars is hereby authorized and appropriated to the Executive Branch in the Classified Annex to the Budget for the Central Intelligence Agency for FY 2008.

  (2) In the event that additional sums are required to carry out the purposes of this Act before the end of FY 2008, the President shall report such requirement to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as necessary.