“MR. PRESIDENT?”
Richard C. Fulton looked up and signaled for his senior press aide to come into the Oval Office.
“What is it, Susan?”
“We’ve just received a call from the minority whip’s office. He can guarantee that Schmidt will be approved for secretary of labor.”
“Good. Have you heard from the vice president?”
“Only that he had arrived in Germany and had a meeting scheduled with President Duitsman in the morning, uh, afternoon, German time.”
“Maybe he can talk some sense into him. This man is actually threatening to take Germany out of NATO. He seems to think there is no need for it now that communism is no longer a force to be reckoned with. What do you think, Susan?”
“NATO’s purpose once may have been to protect free Europe,” the woman replied. “Those days have passed, but the organization is now necessary to keep the nations of Europe focused in a working relationship with each other. NATO can prevent the breakout of hostilities that might engulf the whole region. It is now all about communication.”
The president glanced over at a newspaper and smiled. “I hope you’ll give me credit for those words when you share them with the media.”
“Of course, sir.” Susan Boyd smiled. “I knew they were your thoughts and words as soon as I said them.”
*****
Half a world away, Vice President Jennings Provost was being led into the offices of Herman Duitsman. As the two politicians shook hands and smiled for the photographers in the foyer outside of the German president’s conference room, few noted a marked resemblance between the two men. Both were in their early fifties, more than six feet tall, blue-eyed, and blond-haired. Duitsman’s locks were thinning, but otherwise, they might have passed for close relatives. It was remarkable, considering their resumes clearly stated they were raised half a world apart; and as the media releases pointed out, until this moment, they had never before met.
After answering a few reporters’ questions, the two men excused themselves for a private talk. Alone, seated at a table directly across from each other, Duitsman studied Provost for a few moments before smiling. “The years have been good to you, my friend.”
The American replied in German, “The years have been good to us.”
“I’ve always been amazed that so much of what was planned has already been put in place,” Duitsman said. “O’Hara in England, Pissier in France, and Krekikoff in Russia.”
“The latter was the most difficult,” Provost pointed out. “But even without him, we would have accomplished what needed to be accomplished.”
Duitsman walked over to a table and sat on the corner. Crossing his arms, he said, “It has been twenty years since we last met. At that time, there were almost twenty of us. It was a shame that Siemer was lost in the plane crash. He was becoming a very powerful man in California.”
The guest nodded his head and added, “But we knew there would be losses. Fate would never allow all of us to get to this point. I’m sure more of us will die as well.”
“I was sorry that Meyer had to be eliminated,” the German leader remarked, true remorse evident in his tone.
“Yes, that was a difficult choice,” the American agreed. “But his drinking made him a liability. Remember, five years ago, a prostitute had to be killed because he told her everything. I thought when we killed her that it would wake him up. But no, he still hit the bottle. And when he did, his mouth was much too free.”
“That’s the way he always was,” Duitsman affirmed. “Even in the war, he really served the bottle more than he did the cause. Oh well, enough about the past. What kind of statement can we make to appease the politicians in America?”
“You can’t pull out of NATO yet,” Provost instructed his old friend. “And the immigrant problem you have addressed is one that neither the U.S. nor England can really do much about. After all, a lot of representatives of both governments got elected on the platform of closing off borders and tightening immigration. Our propaganda machine may be a bit behind yours here in Germany, but even in the States, we are within two years of being in position to get rid of those whose presence disgusts us. So you are safe there. But if you jump out of NATO at this time, then you will lose a lot of allies that we need. It is too soon.”
“I hate NATO,” Duitsman barked, slamming his fist onto the table. “I hate being aligned with the Slavs and Italians. It’s beneath Germany. It’s beneath us.”
“I’m not going to try to change your feelings.” The vice president shrugged. “In fact, you know I feel the same way. But this is not the moment for emotion. We need to take it one step at a time. Simply come out with some kind of statement that says you want to see NATO move toward a new goal and follow this with a list of rather soft demands.”
“And what about the American military base issue?”
“That may not be as tricky,” Provost assured the German. “There are millions in the United States who are tired of sending American troops all over the world. After the fiasco in Iraq and Afghanistan, where so many died and that have so weakened the American military presence around the globe, it is getting harder and harder to find support for any kind of nation building. We are becoming more and more an isolationist society. For now, why don’t you suggest that cutting back the numbers of American service personnel in Germany would be good for both countries. I think you might even want to tie it to your continued support of NATO. We can play this one to our advantage.”
“If you feel that is best,” Duitsman agreed. Then he moved on to something he felt was much more important. “Now, how long until you eliminate the president and put yourself in power? When we control the United States, we can really begin moving.”
“I can’t give you a firm date,” Provost offhandedly replied, his tone as casual as if he were talking about scheduling a family reunion. “It really depends upon our agents continuing to create havoc in the Middle East. We are making Israel look very bad at this point. As you know, every Arab country in the region is putting pressure on President Fulton to side with them in the escalating violence. War should be just around the corner. At the time we orchestrated the cutback of Arab oil to the United States and Europe, we lit the fuse. The common man in the United States sees Israel as the reason for seven-dollar-a-gallon gasoline and 14 percent inflation. Many radio talk show hosts are blaming America’s support of Israel for the problems with terrorism. There are already cases of Jewish shops, homes, and synagogues being vandalized up and down the East Coast. I can guarantee you our operatives will continue to stir this up. Anyway, when things reach their boiling point, we’ll set in motion the assassination of Fulton. Of course, we’ve already picked out the man who will be framed for the crime. I bet you can guess where he worships.”
As they considered the ramifications of that action, both men laughed.
“When are we going to give Iran the nuclear weapons they need to finish off Israel?” Duitsman asked.
“Well, Herman,” Provost grinned, “only when we’re sure they will use them as we want them to. We have to protect our assets as we carry out what might be called a twenty-first-century final solution. Besides, even though I am not ready to reveal it yet, I have a plan to drop the bomb myself and be considered a hero in the process.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” the German leader said.
“Oh,” the American laughed, “I think I have a way to make it work.” He checked his watch and then added, “I hope the state dinner is being catered by someone who understands the needs of the German stomach.”
“You’ll like it,” Duitsman replied. “I instructed them to make all your favorites. The entertainment centers on German popular music from the thirties.”
“Wonderful,” the American laughed. “My wife will hate it, but who cares?”
As Provost turned toward the door, Duitsman grabbed his arm. Holding on tight, the German stared deeply into the American’s eyes and said, “You’ve always been the wise one. You always held us together. I’m so thankful that we’ll share in the glory! I will be loyal. I will serve you as I serve the cause.”
“Yes,” Provost replied. “And it will not be long, my dear Herman. Nothing can stop us. No one could even guess who we really are. This is the most perfect plan in world history. But that is in the near future. For the moment, it is time for us to face the so-called free press and tell our lies.”