“That would be crazy, though I admit the Japanese sometimes look that way to Western eyes. Okay, so let’s assume they turn us down. All the better for us, because then we have no choice but to set up the blockade. And we do, but our ships just watch the commercial boat traffic for a day, let the reality sink in. We ask Kurita one last time.
He says no again. We announce that for one week we will blockade Japan.
We start our stranglehold and let them feel it. We ask Kurita again.
Again he says no. We keep up the blockade. Every week we ask. When Kurita says no, we’ll publish that to the world. Then the starving people are his fault. Eventually, I believe we’ll work it out.”
“Thanks, General, very interesting. Now, Mr. Cogster?” Cogster cleared his throat and uncrossed his legs. “General Sverdlov seems to have the situation analyzed. Although we haven’t answered the one question we should have asked at first. What happens if we just do nothing? Why do we feel we have to solve every international squabble in the world?
What’s Greater Manchuria to us? What is Japan to us?”
“Alex, what do you think of Steve’s playing, I assume, devil’s advocate?” Alex Addison, Chief of Staff, lifted an eyebrow and rubbed his nose. “Well, I think the answer’s obvious, Madam President. If we do nothing we announce to the world that we’re the Great Britain of the twenty-first century, a former world power, no longer a player. Greater Manchuria is a good friend to have because of its location and resources, its counterbalance to Russia and the Chinas. And Japan is a problem to us. If we let them get away with this, that is a slippery slope. Japan then would’have a blank check to use their illegal military any damned way they want. And then finally, our popularity figures will literally go negative. The public wants action. If we want to be here in two years to finish your good work, we’d better give Admirals Pacino and Wadsworth some orders.” “Steve?” Warner asked expectantly. Cogster looked at the shine of his shoes. “I have to say that I don’t think the Navy is adequately represented here. We have a junior flag officer who commands submarines, and I mean no disrespect, Admiral Pacino, we’ve all heard about how brave you are, your Navy Cross and all those other medals, but you do have a sub man’s point of view. Your worries about Japan’s subs are a case in point. Maybe they’re no big deal. I don’t know, but I’d like to hear what Admiral Wadsworth has to say about this.”
“Okay, Steve,”
Warner said. “But what about Admiral Donchez, who was chief of naval operations just two years ago?” Cogster smiled tentatively at Donchez.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, looking at Warner for the first time. “That was then. Two years ago. This is now. Wadsworth is the officer responsible for the Navy. I say let’s get his input.” The Blowtorch speaks, Pacino thought, while trying to keep his face impassive. “Well, Steve, you do have a point, but we need to put a plan in action now. Can we raise Admiral Wadsworth on the videolink?” Warner waved over a staffer who took four other staffers and began scurrying in and out of the room while the occupants shared an uncomfortable silence. Pacino turned on his Writepad computer and began scribbling on the one-page display. With his finger he drew a line vertically down the center of the page and on the left wrote “Blockade” and on the right “Delay.” The notes below each were his ideas for orders to the combined submarine force for each decision. By the time the videolink was ready with Wadsworth, Pacino felt he had the embryo of a plan. Wadsworth wore whites, in contrast to Pacino’s dress blues, since Wadsworth was in tropical Africa. Warner briefed Wadsworth on the situation as if he hadn’t heard, then informed him of the recommendations of the men in the room, eventually outlining Pacino’s ideas. Wadsworth’s face tightened at the last. Finally Warner asked the admiral his opinion. “It’s difficult for me to believe Admiral Pacino would want to attack Japan without provocation. That is a dangerous recommendation. He apparently feels that our carrier battle groups are no match for the Japanese submarine force, and. Madam President, that is just his parochial submariner attitude. The Japanese forces’ reputations are overblown. They have high technology, and the bugs that go with it. Their planes have low reliability and their submarines don’t always work. Let’s not make this decision based on guesses. I recommend we use the diplomatic solution, and we should keep the USS Reagan force Japan-bound, and I do want the Abe Lincoln and United States sent to sea toward the northwest Pacific, but no threats, no talk of blockade. Let’s let diplomacy work.” “Thank you. Admiral,” Warner said, beginning to look weary. “Steve?”
“Ma’am, it’s up to us to do the right thing. Admiral Wadsworth’s sober and responsible recommendation is the right thing.”
“Admiral Pacino?”
“Yes, ma’am?” Wadsworth was having his revenge, and at what cost?
