territorial waters!" Crane retorted. "One of our best Los An-
geles-class nuclear attack subs, flopping around in a fish net
like a big steel mackerel, while a hundred Iranian boats drop
j
garbage -and sewage on it-they even showed one old fart
taking a shit over it! And the Iranian sub still managed to get
away. We look like incompetent assholes."
"Iran knows better than to provoke us," National Security
Advisor Freeman said. "They know-"
"That if they piss you off, you'll fly another B-2 stealth
bomber over their cities and bomb the hell out of them-or
drop glue bombs on their air bases and ships?" Crane inter-
jected derisively. "Is that what you did to them earlier this
year, General Freeman?"
"Yes, that's what we did, Mr. Crane," the President said
sternly. Both Crane and Finegold were shocked at the sudden
revelation. "Yes, I flew B-2 stealth bombers over China and
Afghanistan to strike targets in Iran, including dropping special
DALE BROWN
402
nonlethal weapons on that ex-Iranian aircraft carrier. Satis-
fied?, I
Crane nodded in triumph. III will be, after a few more ques-
tions, Mr. President."
"They will have to wait, Mr. Crane," President Martindale
said. "And I want that information held in strictest confidence,
top-secret classification."
"And I respectfully decline, sir," Crane said defiantly. "I
will call for House special hearings on the attacks, closed-door
if necessary, to investigate whether it was necessary and ap-
propriate for you to conduct such attacks."
"Hearings now, when Iran and China are on the warpath,
on't help the situation one bit, Mr. Crane."
W "Mr. Martindale, perhaps now that we understand that it
was an American bomber responsible for attacking those tar-
gets in Iran and crippling its carrier, we have to look at other
suspects, such as Iran, rather than focusing on Chinese or re-
actionary Japanese saboteurs."
"Congressional investigations will only show a divided
government and feed the foreign propaganda machine," Jeffod
-It won't keep China or Iran off the warpath."
Hale said.
"Then maybe it will get you off the warpath, Mr. Presi-
dent!" Crane shot back.
"With all due respect, Mr. President," Senator Barbara Fi-
er overheated
negold interjected, holding up a hand to silence h
your position
congressional colleague, we do not understand
regarding your use of military forces overseas. Your current
actions are confusing and completely indefensible, and your
to Iran, China,
intentions are not clear, especially with regard
and Chinese Taipei. My colleagues in the Senate need some
guidance from you as to your intentions before we can even
begin to formulate a support strategy."
The President noted with distaste that Finegold had fallen
into the new convention, popular in the media since the con-
flicts had started about a month ago, of calling the Republic
of China "Chinese Taipei" instead of the ROC or Taiwan. It
demonstrated to Kevin Martindale exactly how far a lot of
persons, especially the opposition, had gone in believing any-
thing that might help stop the nightmarish conflict brewing
between mainland China, Taiwan, and now the United States.
Chinese president Jiang Zemin and the government of the Peo-
ple's Republic of China had engineered a major publicity Cam-
IL
FATAL T ER RAI N 403
paign, to criticize the Martindale administration's reactivation
of America's nuclear forces, especially the actions that violated
the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty warhead limits.
After China used nuclear weapons against Taiwan, the Pres-
nuclear Multiple Independently targeted Reentry Vehicles
(MIRVs) on each of the fifty Peacekeeper land-based inter-
continental ballistic missiles, and ten nuclear MIRVs on the
Trident D5 sea-launched ballistic missiles. But the angriest re-
sponse came when the media announced that all of America's
sixteen B-2A Spirit stealth bombers were now on nuclear alert,
loaded with sixteen B83 thermonuclear gravity bombs, and
twenty B-IB Lancer bombers were loaded with eight AGM-
89 nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and four B83 nuclear gravity
bombs.
America was back in the Cold War game, and almost no
-one, either in the United States or elsewhere, liked the idea.
"My intentions are simple, Senator," the President re-
sponded. "I'm going to support President Lee and the Repub-
lic of China against President Jiang and mainland China's
military aggression. The reactivation of the Triad nuclear
forces remains in effect, as well, especially given the cowardly
attack on the Independence, the Chinese nuclear attacks
against the Republic of China, and the sudden nuclear attack
in North Korea and the volatile situation there. The capture of
our sub by Iran doesn't change things one bit-in fact, it
makes me even angrier and more positive that I'm doing the
right thing."
"By what treaty or force of law can you do this, Mr. Pres-
ident?" Finegold asked. "The Taiwan Relations Act does not
authorize you to defend Chinese Taipei; it is not a member of
ASEAN or any other alliance of which America is an ally."
"Senator, I don't need a treaty or membership in an alliance
to make a commitment to a friendly, peaceful, democratic na-
tion," the President said. "I've pledged my support, because
I don't think that China or anyone else has a right to impose
its will by force on another country."
"Mr. President, my legal experts, as well as several think
tanks we've commissioned, not to mention the Congressional
General Accounting Office itself, have all taken a position that
in a legal sense, Chinese Taipei is not a separate nation but in
fact a province of China, as Beijing has asserted since 1949,"
404 DALE BROWN
Finegold said. "As I see it, that's the only logical conclusion
that can be made. The Nationalist government fled the main-
land and established a rebel government on the island of For-
mosa, which was Chinese territory recently returned to China
from Japanese occupation. The Nationalists were nothing more
than a deposed government.
"The fact that the United States supported the Nationalists'
goal of someday retaking control of the mainland government,
or that the Nationalists occupied the seat in the United Nations,
doesn't alter the facts," Finegold went on. "The government
in Beijing is the lawful and legitimate government of all the
Chinese people, a fact which has been recognized by the
United States since 1972 and by most of the rest of the world;
and the Nationalist government is not the legitimate govern-
ment, and therefore has no right to declare independence or
ask for assistance from anyone, especially the United States of
America. The conflict between China and Taipei is an internal
matter, and therefore we have no responsibility to risk Amer-
ican lives or threaten the peace of the world by getting in-
volved militarily in that conflict."
"Do you really believe this nonsense, Senator?" the Pres-
ident asked scornfully. "Can you seriously look at those two
countries and then tell me that you truly believe that the Re-
public of China is nothing more than a deposed government
living on an isolated province?"
"Mr. President, what I believe is that Chinese Taipei is
running out kicking mainland China in the shins, then running
behind the United States' skirts-and we get the bloody nose
from it," Finegold said. "Taipei is not an innocent victim
here. As long as they continue to illegally declare indepen-
dence and try to instigate nuclear conflicts, they are dangerous.
What purpose do you have for backing them?"
"The Republic of China meets the traditional benchmarks
that the United States has applied to any nation seeking assis-
tance in the last sixty years," Secretary of State Jeffrey Hart-
man interjected. "We require the new nation to have formed
a pluralistic, democratic government with a written constitu-
tion, based on free, open, and regular elections with universal
suffrage; we require a formal exchange of.credentialed am-
bassadors; we require the new nation to provide for the corn-
Mon good, the common defense, and provide free and open
access to its markets and communication between its people
FATAL T ER RAI N 405
and the rest of the world; we require that the new nation apply
for. membership in the United Nations; and we require that the
new nation openly and publicly ask for our assistance. The
Republic of China has met each and every one of these criteria,
Senator. "
"In fact, Senator," Vice President Ellen Whiting inter-
jected, "Taiwan has met more of these five traditional criteria
than other nations that you have supported in the past have
done, such as Bosnia, Kurdistan, and East Timor. Taiwan has
proven to be a strong and true friend to the United States."
"One that apparently is taking advantage of this friendship
to attack mainland China, oblivious to threat of global nuclear
war," House Minority Leader Crane argued. He now saw his
role in this debate as Barbara Finegold's defender.
"I seriously doubt that Taiwan is oblivious to the nuclear
threat, Mr. Crane," Secretary of Defense Arthur Chastain
pointed out, "since it has just recently been devastated with
nuclear attacks three times as severe as Japan ever endured."
"I didn't mean that Chinese Taipei hasn't been hurt by re-
cent attacks by China, and I certainly don't mean to blame the
dead," Crane said. "But it was Taipei's aggression that started
this entire series of conflicts."
"My intelligence information suggests otherwise, Mr.
Crane," the President said. "China was, and still is, in position
to invade the island of Quemoy-there's no doubt about this.
Taiwan was acting in self-defense when the attack first started
_41
on the Chinese aircraft carrier. The other incidents involved a
carefully calculated string of actions by China to make it ap-
pear that.Taiwan was the aggressor, when in fact it was China
all along."
"Of course, I've heard this one from your advisor's press
briefs-China attacked its own carrier with torpedoes, China
put transmitters on its own ferryboat to make us think it was
a warship, China planted a nuclear device on the Indepen-
dence, and China even shot a nuclear missile at its own ally,
North Korea, to make us think that the United States or South
Korea or some other boogeyman was diverting attention away
from China by starting another war."
"Those are the facts, Mr. Crane," National Security Advi-
sor Freeman cut in.
"There's plenty of doubt about your so-called facts, General
Freeman," Crane argued hotly. "But I have plenty of ques-
406 DALE BROWN
tions about the role that secret B-52 bomber played in igniting
the conflict! I think that's the question facing us this afternoon,
Mr. Martindale! "
' 'I suggest you calm down and be careful how you address
the President, Mr. Crane," Jerrod Hale cut in.
"Relax, everyone, relax," Finegold said, holding up her
long, slender fingers to both Crane and Hale. "We're not here
to accuse or make demands." She allowed a few moments of
silence in the room; then: "Mr. President, we in the Congress
want to get behind you in this-"
" The House is one hundred percent behind the President
already," House Majority Leader Nicholas Gant intedected,
and there seems to be a floor fight brewing concerning your
blatant, public criticism of the President. Whatever disharmony
is present on the Hill is from your media tirades, Senator Fi-
negold! "
"We realize the tremendous pressure you're under, and we
want nothing more than to show a united front to China and
the rest of the world," Finegold went on, ignoring Gant's com-
ments. "You are the nation's chief diplomat, but you should
not operate in a foreign-affairs vacuum. Give me something
positive I can take back to the Hill, something that shows we
have room to compromise, something that shows we're not
being intractable and demanding."
11 I made a decision, and I'm stickin with it, Senator," the
P 9
resident said. "It might not be comfortable or popular, but
I've got no choice. I'm counting on Congress's support, but
I'm prepared to continue on without it."
"Mr. President, the financial markets are collapsing, the
price of oil is nearly at a record high, and our allies are in a
panic about whether or not you're leading them to the brink
of World War Three," Crane said. "You've suddenly got nu-
clear missiles and stealth bombers all over the place, threat-
ening a nuclear showdown with China. With Hong Kong and
Macau rejoining the PRC, China is one of the world's richest
countries and America's largest trading partner by far. You
may have already destroyed any chance we had of normalizing
relations and expanding trade with China. If there is any
chance of salvaging some ties with China, you've got to re-
verse this deadly course you've set us on."
"You're suggesting we sell out Taiwan, Mr. Crane?" the
FATAL T ER R AI N 407
President asked. "Do you think it would be a good idea to
simply abandon them now?"
"You don't have any choice, Mr. President-unless you're
ready and willing to fight China, economically and militarily,
and risk a nuclear war," Crane responded. "According to the
news reports, China is apparently ready to start the occupation
of Nationalist Taipei by invading Quemoy and Matsu Islands
with four hundred thousand
troops. We can't stop that many
Chinese troops from moving forward.
"Face reality, Mr. President-the island of Formosa and the
Nationalist army have been blasted to hell, South Korea is on
alert for its own invasion from the north and is under its own
nuclear threat, Iran is threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz
again because they caught us with our hands in the cookie jar
and Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and the Philippines won't
let U. troops stage combat operations from their islands,"
Crane went on hotly. "And even if they did, it would take
months to put together an invasion force, and they'd be under
constant threat from Chinese air and rocket assaults. The death
toll would be enormous. And then if China decided to mobilize
its entire army? That's nearly two million active-duty soldiers,
and almost two hundred million reservists, paramilitary, border
guards, militia, and national police.
"You have got to think of something else, Mr. President!
There's no way you can win! You've lost any tactical advan-
tage we ever had. The only way to dislodge China's troops
and stop them from reoccupying Taiwan is to use nuclear
weapons, and we in Congress, on both sides of the aisle, will
not support such a move. And we're willing to make that a
public statement."
"The President of the United States does not respond to
threats or blackmail, Mr. Crane," Vice President Whiting said
angrily. "Not from the Chinese, not from the Iranians, not
from the North Koreans-and not from a U. congressman."
"No one is threatening anyone here, Madame Vice Presi-
dent," Barbara Finegold said. She decided to use a bit gentler
approach in trying to reach the President: "Mr. President, the
Chinese government's suggestion is rational and logical, and
it's in the best interests of the United States of America."
Martindale made an exasperated "here we go again" expres-
sion, but Finegold went on quickly: "Mr. President, if China
unites with Taiwan, the industrial and financial nation that re-
408 DALE BROWN
sults will be the largest potential marketplace ever conceived