“You know of course that he was one of Hitler’s favorites. In fact, he is actually most responsible for the rise of Hitler. Even so, at some point he realized Hitler was going to destroy Germany. He was one of those who were aware of the attempted assassination of Hitler. He actually worked behind Hitler trying to undo some of what Hitler was doing. He knew the war was lost and worked to minimize the damage.”
“Yes, yes. So what does that have to do with you signing the oath?”
“I will support it on the surface and do what I can behind the scenes to limit the damage.”
“Geez. That is a very dangerous game to play,” Thomas replied.
“Yes, but it is better to be on the inside knowing what is going on, than to be on the outside trying to guess. It is a huge risk but something big is coming and I fear it is beyond our imagination,” Lamb said.
“So you think working from within is better?”
“I don’t know if it is better but it is what I intend to do,” Lamb told him.
“I just don’t know. I’ll have to think about that.”
“If you don’t sign the oath you will be replaced. You know that don’t you?”
“I may just go ahead and resign rather than sign.”
“Then do it immediately or you may be arrested as a traitor. I think that’s what she has in mind. She knows it’s dangerous to have people like you creating a fuss. Get out now or sign. Those are really the only choices you have,” Lamb said.
“My God, what does this woman have in mind?”
“Nothing good,” General Lamb said.
****
General Waggoner sat in his office looking out the window. A picture of General George Patton and one of General Norman Schwarzkopf were hung on one wall. A bottle of single malt scotch sat on his desk along with a cut glass crystal tumbler. He poured two fingers of scotch in the glass and swirled it around. He savored the aroma for a few seconds before finally taking a healthy drink.
He put the glass down and picked up his pen and looked down at the single sheet of paper on his desk. He sighed heavily and wrote:
To: The Commander-in Chief
From: General Thomas Waggoner
RE: Letter of Resignation
I hereby resign my commission as General, US Army effective immediately.
Thomas Waggoner
He placed the note in an envelope along with the unsigned letter of oath. He picked up his briefcase, finished his drink and walked out without looking back.
“Carol, please see that this goes out in the mail to the White House immediately.”
“Yes sir. I’ll go take care of it right this minute.”
“Thank you. Carol...well, just thank you for everything that you have done.”
She frowned but didn’t respond immediately.
“Is everything alright General?”
“Yes. Yes indeed. I just felt I needed to say thanks for all the things you do without ever complaining. I truly appreciate it.”
“Always a pleasure General. See you tomorrow,” she said and hurried off down the hall.
He sighed, put on his hat and walked out of the office that has been his home for the past seven years. It was over and there was no going back at this point. He hurried down the hall, out the doors and into the parking lot.
The guard saluted as he drove out. He smiled, ‘that will be the last one of those,’ he thought as he headed home.
****
When Thomas got home he immediately packed two suitcases and threw them in the back of the car. He emptied his briefcase out on the bed and grabbed his passport, money from the safe, and his guns. He had collected a nice little arsenal and a few thousand rounds of ammunition. He wasn’t sure what would happen next but one thing for certain, he didn’t put anything past President Clemons. It would not surprise him in the least if a detail showed up tomorrow to ‘detain him for questioning’. He damn sure was not going to make it easy for them.
He would drive to his cabin at the lake and change to the car he kept in the garage. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe they didn’t know about his cabin or his other car. It would just buy him a little more time. He would go to see his brother George and let him know what was going on. Well not everything, just enough. He would switch cars and sign his over to George then drive west.
The one place they would never find him was at his deceased Uncle’s place in Montana. He had never changed it to his name and it had just been sitting uninhabited for the past four years. He had never mentioned it to a single person. Not even his best friend, General Lamb, knew of its existence. They kept an old Jeep there as well. He would hide his brother’s car and use the Jeep from that point on.
He realized he might be on the verge of becoming paranoid but he simply wasn’t about to take a chance until he knew how all this was going to shake out.
CHAPTER THREE
“What do you mean seventy-one officers sent in letters of resignation? I thought you said they would follow orders? You assured me that the military would always do as they were told,” the President raged.
“Madam President, it’s only seventy-one,” Richard Thompson, the Secretary of Defense said, trying to placate her.
“You said maybe a handful. A handful. Do you call seventy-one a handful?” she ranted, her face turning red.
“It’s is more than expected but not a disaster by any means,” he argued.
“Really? That’s what you call a success? I sure the hell don’t want to see what you call a disaster. This is totally unacceptable. We still have twenty-four hours to go. What if another seventy decide to resign or a hundred and seventy-one? Is that still a success?”
He just stood there. He had seen her like this on several occasions. Now was not the time to get into it with her. He would just have to take it.
The President finally went behind her desk and sat down. She turned away from him and looked out the window. After a while she turned back around.
“Let me make this perfectly clear Mr. Secretary. If we have a repeat of this tomorrow you will be looking for a new job. Now I don’t care how you do it, call every one of them or whatever it takes but don’t you dare show up tomorrow with another seventy resignations. Now get out of here and get to work,” she said slamming her hand on the table.
“Yes Madam President,” he said heading for the door.
Just as he was about to go out she shouted, “If you can’t deliver, don’t even bother to show up. Send word with someone else.”
He didn’t answer, just made his exit. When he got to his office one Admiral, three Generals and six Colonels were waiting to see him. His heart sank. This was not going to be good. He could tell by the expressions on their faces that they were upset.
He wanted to tell them he didn’t have time just now but this was not going to go away. He was going to have to deal with it, the sooner the better.
“Gentlemen, I assume you are here to see me about the loyalty oath.”
“Yes sir,” Admiral Worth replied.
“Well my office isn’t quite big enough to accommodate all of us. Why don’t we go down to the conference room and talk?”
“Sir, I don’t want to be disrespectful but we do not want to talk in the conference room or anyplace in the White House. We would prefer to discuss this off site.”
Thompson frowned, looking at each of them. They knew very well that every room in the White House was bugged.
“What do you have in mind?” he finally asked.
“Let’s just go over to the Lincoln Memorial. I always find it comforting when things trouble me.”
“And you are troubled?”
“We would not be here if we weren’t.”
“Alright, but we have to make it quick. I have a lot of work to do,” he warned them.
“It shouldn’t take long and it is important,” the Admiral replied.
“Bonnie, I will be taking lunch with these gentlemen. I should be back in forty-five minutes or so.”
&
nbsp; “Yes, Mr. Secretary.”
****
Two large black SUV’s dropped them off at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
They walked up the steps in silence and when they were finally inside Secretary Thompson said, “Alright, what is so important?”
“You know the answer to that as well as anyone does. Did America just suddenly change its name to Germany? Is this 1939 all over again?” the Admiral said.
Admiral Worth was a straight talking tough military man who would just as soon run through you than around you. He took little guff from anyone and that included the Secretary of Defense.
“No. This is still America. I resent your even making that kind of accusation.”
“Really? An oath to the President? A damned oath to a person? Not the country but to the President personally? When was the last time that happened in this country...wait, I’ll tell you. Never. Not once. We have had some pretty pathetic Presidents but this...this takes the cake.”
“Admiral, you are talking about the Commander-in-Chief of all military forces. She is, for all intents and purposes, America,” he said.
“Horseshit. Presidents come and go but this country is my country and everyone’s who lives here. This is not some third world country where a dictator can demand an oath of allegiance. Good God, what are you thinking? Why are you even standing for this?”
“Like it or not, she is the President. She is my boss. Yours as well. If that is what she demands, then that is what we will do.”
“Really? Have you made this pledge already?”
“Not yet, but I intend to.”
“Not yet. I see. If it is no big deal why didn’t you do it immediately?”
“I’m busy. I have to talk to people like you that waste my time, just showing up without an appointment and expecting me to drop everything.”
“Well sir, there are ten of us who are not going to sign a personal oath to the President, Commander-in-Chief or not. This is exactly what every two bit dictator expects and I will not be a part of it.”
“Then you are dismissed as of this minute. You are hereby relieved of duty.”
“Guess what?” the Admiral said handing over ten envelopes.
“We hereby resign effective immediately. Good day Mr. Secretary,” Admiral Worth said.
They walked down the stairs, climbed into the SUV’s and were whisked off leaving the Secretary of Defense to call for a car.
****
“You are telling me that they just resigned and left you standing there?” the President said, looking at the Secretary of Defense with astonishment.
“Yes.”
“I want them arrested and detained.”
“We can’t do that. They have the right to resign their commission.”
“I’ll decide what they can and can’t do. Arrest them on charges of a threat to National Security. I don’t care how you do it but just get it done.”
“Madam President I do not have that kind of authority. You had better talk to the Attorney General before you head down that road,” he warned her.
“Secretary Thompson, I do not need advice from you. I will make sure the Attorney General is onboard. All you have to do is have them arrested. In fact have all of the officers who resigned detained for interrogation about National Security matters.”
“You know we will get killed in the press. It will be the lead story all across the nation. It will cause other military leaders to turn against us as well.”
She sat and pulled at her bottom lip for a moment.
“Perhaps you have a valid point. I need to create a special branch to handle situations like this. We will fold the FBI into the new Internal Security Service. They will have the power to handle any internal security matters within our borders.”
“You will need congress’s approval to do that,” he warned her.
“Maybe not. It will be introduced as an Executive Order and a cost cutting measure. Combining the FBI, Homeland Security, and Internal Security Service will save money and get rid of redundancy. I can sell this as a way of eliminating problems concerning communication with the CIA, all the while reducing costs. They will love it.”
“I don’t think it is going to be that easy,” Thompson warned her.
“Easier than you think. We just need the right circumstances to show why this is necessary.”
“Right circumstances?”
“Exactly,” she said smiling.
CHAPTER FOUR
CVTV NEWS – Three planes were brought down by acts of terrorism early this morning. Flight 942 from LA to Huston, Texas was the first to crash at 7:55 a.m. Pacific time. So far it is feared that all 118 passengers and flight crew were killed.
Less than thirty minutes later United Flight 3313 exploded upon takeoff from Chicago bound for Boston. The flight had just obtained 1000 feet when it erupted into a huge fireball. It crashed into the Oak Lawn suburb. Twenty-six people on the ground have reportedly been killed in addition to the 131 passengers and crew members.
The FAA immediately notified Homeland Security but due to delays, Flight 242 from Miami, Florida to Atlanta also exploded when it reached an altitude of 1500 feet. The plane was over the Everglades when the explosion occurred. So far no survivors of the 145 passengers have been found. The search is still...
****
The Director of the CIA, FBI, FAA and Homeland Security sat in the oval office as the President continued to doodle on a pad of paper. Finally she sat her pen down and looked at the three men and one woman.
She intertwined her fingers, leaned her elbows on the table and just stared at them for a second longer.
“I surely don’t have to tell you why I have called you here today. What I want to know is how this happened on American soil,” she said.
No one wanted to be the first to speak. They had dealt with her in the past as Vice-President and knew of her infamous outbursts.
“Since the cat seems to have everyone’s tongue, why don’t you start Chad?”
Chad Bancroft was the head of the FAA and knew he would be in the hot seat.
“Madam President. When we heard about flight 942 from L.A. we immediately issued an alert to all major airports. It takes a few minutes to get verification. Before that happened United’s flight 3313 from Chicago was just taking off. It exploded before the recall could be put out,” he told her.
“Go on.”
“Well, when the second plane went down we knew it was some sort of terrorist attack. We notified Homeland and conferred with them about stopping all flights. Of course we need your approval to do that. We thought Homeland would notify you and I guess they thought it should be us. Finally, I issued the stand down for all flights but by then flight 242 out of Miami was already in the air.”
“Taylor?” she said referring to the head of Homeland Security, Taylor Spears.
“Madam, Chad has it pretty much right. One thing that needs to be cleared up just a little is that by the time we were alerted it was too late to stop the Miami flight. We did both breech protocol and immediately issue a grounding of all flights. We were supposed to notify the office of the President but we both felt that in this case time was critical.”
“Kudos for that at least. It was the right thing under the circumstances. The real question is how this even happened in the first place?”
“Mr. Rheem?”
“Madam President, the CIA hands over any material that is considered a potential threat to either the FBI or Homeland. We believe the person responsible for these acts was Carlos DuFold. He was born an American but has been a mercenary solder for most of his adult life. He works for whoever pays him the most.”
“And he is in the USA?”
“We believe he still is as of this moment. He came across the Canadian border and did the job for...well, that we don’t know. We did send out an alert to the FBI and Homeland that he was a credible threat and was on American soil. The advisory also mentioned that he was an explosive exper
t and that airplanes were his specialty.”
The President leaned back and looked at the four of them. This was going to be perfect.
“What about that Mr. Bancroft, Ms. Toner, Mr. Spears? Why did none of you take this treat seriously?”
“Madam President, we get memos, warnings, and alerts on a daily basis from the CIA. If we stopped everything moving based upon those warnings, no flights would ever get into the air.”
“He is correct Madam President. It isn’t all that unusual to get ten to twelve a day, sometimes more. Most are nothing. This time one got through,” Bonnie Toner of the FBI replied.
“We rely on Homeland and the FBI to run these threats down. We are not a Para-military organization,” Chad Bancroft of the FAA told her.
“So you are all telling me that this was just an unfortunate accident and it just ‘fell through the cracks’,” she said using her fingers for quotation marks.
No one replied.
“You listen to me. That is not good enough for me. That is not good enough for the American people. We lost 420 American lives which has an impact on thousands of lives. It just happened isn’t going to fly. It may have been good enough for the last President but not this one. I intend to make some changes. I’m not sure what yet but changes will be made. Now you are all dismissed except for Mr. Rheem. I would like a further word with you so stay put. The rest of you can go,” she said.
They all scrambled out of the office like they had just been sent to the Principal’s Office. She waited several moments before she spoke again.
“What do you think?”
“I think it went well,” he replied.
“As do I. They know something is coming and they will be scrambling to cover their butts. I can guarantee that.”
“No doubt about it. So do we move on to the next step?”
“Let’s give it a couple of days. This time make it look like Homeland really dropped the ball. I want them to come under fire from the press as well for the time being.”
“So Homeland is next, then the FBI. The creation of the Internal Special Services will be the final step. The ISS.”
PROJECT BlueBolt - AMERICAN GULAGS: BOOK I - AMERICAN GULAGS Page 2
