Charles Taylor - Show of Force

The ensign had no idea who the man was who had offered him a helping hand, just that he had seen him recovered from the water also. In English, Alex inquired, "Where is your aircraft?"

"Shot down."

"You are from the Nimitz?" "U.S.S. Capodanno." The Admiral shook his head curiously. "I do not know that ship."

"FF — 1093."

"A frigate?" Curiously, he asked, "You are a helicopter pilot, out here?"

The ensign simply nodded.

"What was your mission before you were shot down?"

Again no answer. The young man simply pointed at Lenin, now dead in the water, smoke pouring from every section of the ship.

"Those torpedoes were yours?" Kupinsky asked in awe.

The ensign's head again bobbed up and down a few times, agreeing with the Russian's questions.

Kupinsky turned to Svedrov. "We have both learned something today, my friend. That boy flies American helicopters off the fantails of those little frigates. Today, Lenin was sunk by a tiny helicopter." He halted his thoughts momentarily, then looked back to his Chief of Staff. "Just as we sunk their capital ship with tiny little boats, they sunk Lenin with a helicopter."

They were speaking in Russian, and the ensign had no idea what they were saying or who they were. Then the older of the two turned back, pointed at him, and said something else before taking a seat in the bow of the boat. He thought perhaps they were sealing his fate, but what Admiral Kupinsky had said was, "See that they are well taken care of, Svedrov. They are both brave men, just as our small-boat captains were."

The midday BBC report in London was somber.

Today, [the commentator began] has been a day of carnage in the Indian Ocean. Two powerful task forces, both with greater firepower than the world has ever seen, confronted each other head on. The reasons for this sea battle are as yet uncertain. Claims and counterclaims from Washington and Moscow have fallen on deaf ears at the U.N. Both countries have been implored by the Secretary General of the U.N. to impose a cease-fire. The earlier claims by the Party Secretary at the Kremlin yesterday concerning land-based American offensive weapons in the Indian Ocean have been denied in Washington. While the President has said little, the Secretary of State, Thomas Jasperson, has stated unequivocally that the island of Islas Piedras is a Trident supply base only, and that the missile system that has been established on the island is only for security of those countries in the Indian Ocean sphere who wish an umbrella of security to allow them to go about their ways peaceably. The Soviets still claim the island's missile system has not yet been completed and that their intentions are to halt aggression in the Third World, before the United States forces these poor countries into an untenable position. Lack of communications between the two countries, apparently as a result of satellite destruction by both sides, has brought all members of the U.N. to beg for a ceasefire. The Secretary General claims that only world pressure on the two superpowers will avoid many other countries being drawn into a world war as a result of treaty obligations.…

There was absolute silence in the Oval Office. They had been entranced by the words of the newscaster who stared back out of the screen, seemingly at each of them. The President and the men about him were visibly tired, their faces drawn, pouches expanding under their eyes.

… and we still have no direct statement from the White House concerning this apparent slaughter of American sailors in the Indian Ocean. The Pentagon remains quiet also. It is known that the Chief of Naval Operations has remained with the President and that Secretary of State Jasperson has been commuting between the White House and the office of an Assistant Chief of Naval Operations.

The information that has come from the Indian Ocean remains spotty at best. No commercial flights have been allowed over the area. Available reports have come from merchant shipping already in that part of the ocean. They indicate that sporadic aerial duels, unlike anything since World War II, have taken place with heavy losses on both sides. Huge forces of American and Soviet military ships have maneuvered back and forth between the Seychelle Islands to the east and the Maldives to the north, with the controversial Islas Piedras as a pivot point. These reports also indicate vast amounts of wreckage and oil in the ocean and some downed pilots from both nations have been picked up, although none of them have as yet been able to explain satisfactorily what is happening.

To this reporter, it seems time that the American people were given a report by the President they elected. Not since the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944 have there been any naval forces of this magnitude in opposition to each other. From what we can gather, perhaps there has never been such loss of American fighting men — and for a reason that none of us knows.…

"Turn it off!"

"Yes, sir," said one of the President's assistants, and the screen suddenly became blank.

called the mount captain and learned that Ensign Hogan was on his hands and knees in the mount looking for his contact. Why wouldn't he tell the gunnery officer before they scared that poor pilot to death? The mount captain explained that when Mr. Hogan had gone down on his hands and knees, he had taken off his sound-powered phone because the wires were caught around his neck.

"I put him in hack for two weekends for that," Carter had said.

"Captain Hogan, you look exhausted. Please sit down," Jasperson said. The man sat in a proffered chair, clutching an overstuffed briefcase as if it were a case of beer. Jasperson briefly introduced him to the men around the office.

What he had in the briefcase were.detailed photos of the latest engagement in the Indian Ocean. They had been blown up for those present, and they left no doubt about the destruction that had just taken place. Detailed photos of the attack on Nimitz showed much more than the earlier films relayed by a commercial TV unit. There was again silence around the room. The pictures told a story of horror that none would have imagined. Even Jasperson was momentarily taken aback, although he had known of the results of the battle earlier than anyone else in the Oval Office.

"She won't last, Mr. President." This was the CNO looking at pictures of Nimitz. "If she doesn't go down on her own, Admiral Charles will have to sink her himself."

The President said nothing. He was unimpressed with the photos of Lenin's destruction. His concern was with the American losses. The President rose from his desk and strolled over to the window behind to look at the garden for a moment. He could see himself in the same corner as Lyndon Johnson, his ego shattered. He didn't want to have to make a similar speech to the people, because he wanted to run again. How could the United States possibly be bluffing the Russians that the Islas Piedras installation was complete? Soviet intelligence was supposed to be equally Is good as his own. Maybe he should contact Simpson right now in Moscow and tell him to throw in the towel. No, negotiate was a better word. Jasperson was confident that this Admiral Charles could protect the island and drive the Russians back long enough to allow them to finish it. So far, all the photographs indicated was that the Russians were just as stubborn as the Americans and they were willing to take as much punishment to prove their point. There were too many inconsis tencies in his mind, and the uppermost was how all this would affect his career.

He turned to the Secretary of State. "Tom, I can't allow you eight more hours. There's no telling what the world will think of us."