“Thank you,” Beiderman said, and looked askance at Colonel Brewer.
Naylor caught that, and said, “That will be all, Colonel. Thank you.”
Brewer left and closed the door behind him. The implication was that SECDEF and C-in-C CENTCOM were now alone. The truth-which really made Naylor uncomfortable-was that he had ordered his senior aide-de-camp to go into the sergeant major’s office and listen to and record whatever was going to happen in his office.
“Can I offer coffee, sir? Or something to eat? Or ask you to join me in my mess for lunch?”
“Thank you, no. I had a sandwich on the plane. General, let me get right to it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Beiderman opened his attache case and took out a large manila envelope.
“Have a look, General,” he said as he handed Naylor the envelope. “The President gave me those just before he ordered me to come down here.”
Naylor took the sheaf of color photographs from the envelope and looked at each before raising his eyes to Beiderman.
“The President desires, General,” Beiderman said, “that you personally show those photographs to General McNab, tell him the President knows what he’s up to, and that if he immediately applies for retirement, that will be the end of it.”
Naylor didn’t reply.
“I suggest the best way to accomplish the President’s desires is for us to immediately fly to Fort Bragg, in separate aircraft. Once you have done what the President desires and have General McNab’s request for retirement in hand, I will take it to the President and you can come back here, and that will be the end of it.”
Again Naylor didn’t reply.
“I will entertain your recommendations as to a replacement for General McNab at SPECOPSCOM,” Beiderman said, “but I suspect the President has someone in mind for the post.”
And once more Naylor didn’t reply.
“Did you understand what I just told you, General Naylor?”
“No, Mr. Secretary, I’m afraid I didn’t.”
“What didn’t you understand, General?”
“For one thing, Mr. Secretary, the photographs. Who are they of, and what are they supposed to show?”
“They were taken by FBI agents the day before yesterday in the Mayflower Hotel in D.C. They show a number of members of Delta Force and Gray Fox. They were taken after these individuals walked out on the President’s remarks at Arlington. They were at a party given by retired Lieutenant Colonel Castillo.”
“And what is the connection with General McNab, sir?”
“My God, Naylor! General McNab commands Gray Fox and Delta Force; he’s responsible for them.”
“Mr. Secretary, I have already discussed the presence of these soldiers at Mr. Salazar’s interment with General McNab. He denies having anything to do with their being there. He also tells me that he has not been in touch with Colonel Castillo since before Mr. Salazar was murdered and Colonel Ferris kidnapped.”
“And you believe him?”
“Yes, sir. I believe him.”
“Nevertheless, the President desires that General McNab retire. Is that clear to you?”
“Mr. Secretary, may I speak freely?”
“Of course.”
“Mr. Secretary, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t there an implied threat in what you said before? You said that if McNab asks for immediate retirement, that ‘will be the end of it.’ The end of what, Mr. Secretary? If General McNab declines to ask to be retired, then what?”
Beiderman didn’t reply for a long moment. Then he said, “General, it is our duty to work together to get through this awkward situation.”
“That doesn’t answer my question, Mr. Secretary.”
“Then I suppose the President will fire him.”
“Mr. Secretary, did you see the photographs of Mr. Roscoe Danton in that stack?”
Beiderman nodded.
“And of the President’s former press secretary, Mr. Parker?” Beiderman nodded again.
“Mr. Secretary, do you think POTUS has considered the very real possibility that if what he desires actually occurs, then it will be a front-page story in The Washington Times-Post and all over Wolf News? And all over all the other media, thanks to Mr. Parker?”
When Beiderman didn’t reply, Naylor went on: “Wolf News-the press generally-will have a field day with that, Mr. Secretary. ‘President Clendennen Fires Top Green Beret because Green Berets Walk Out on His Remarks at Arlington Funeral.’ ”
Beiderman looked stricken.
“Mr. Secretary, I suggest that you and I have a duty to protect the President from something like that. Both President Clendennen personally and the office of POTUS. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Are you open to suggestion, Mr. Secretary?”
Beiderman nodded.
“If you and I fly to Fort Bragg right now, Mr. Secretary, and comply with the President’s order to show McNab these photographs, and then offer him the opportunity to immediately resign-”
“The President didn’t order me to go to Fort Bragg, General,” Beiderman interrupted. “He ordered me to come here to give you those goddamn pictures and order you to deal with General McNab.”
“I beg your pardon, sir.”
“You realize, Naylor, that if a story like that comes out, and since Roscoe Danton was at that goddamn party, it’s a given that it will come out, then you know who the President is going to blame.”
“Sir, apropos of nothing whatever, I’m sure you will agree that when people lose their tempers, they sometimes act irrationally.”
“What are you driving at, General?”
“I wouldn’t want to be quoted on this, sir.”
“But?”
“While I can certainly understand the President’s anger at having McNab’s people walk out on his remarks. . there are those who might say his reaction to the insult was a bit irrational.”
“I don’t like where this conversation appears to be going, General.”
“Sir, when people. . anyone. . has a little time to think things over, to realize that when they were angry they did some things, said some things in the heat of anger, that they wish they hadn’t done or said.”
“Jumping to the bottom line, you’re suggesting that in a day or two the President will cool off. Okay. He probably will. So what do we do today?”
“When you arrived here, Mr. Secretary, I told you that I would comply with the President’s desires the moment General McNab returned from Afghanistan, which should be in the next few days.”
“McNab isn’t in Afghanistan.”
“He can be on his way to Afghanistan in a very few minutes.” Beiderman looked at him with his eyebrows raised.
“When you call the President, you could tell him that,” Naylor said. “That General McNab is on his way to Afghanistan.”
Secretary Beiderman considered that for a full-very long-thirty seconds, and then said, “Slide me the red phone.”
“Sir, why don’t we wait until General McNab is actually on his way to Afghanistan? That would be thirty seconds after I call him.”
Secretary Beiderman considered that for another-very long-thirty seconds. Then he said, “Make your call, General Naylor.”
Naylor picked up the headset of the red telephone and pushed one of the dozen buttons on its base.
“Put it on loudspeaker,” the secretary of Defense ordered. Naylor said, “Yes, sir.”
Damn! he thought.
The phone was immediately answered: “McNab.”
“General Naylor, General.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Are you alone, General?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Secretary Beiderman is with me, General.”
“Yes, sir.”
“POTUS sent him here with a stack of photographs of Delta Force and Gray Fox personnel at Colonel Castillo’s party in the Mayflower after they walked out on the President’s remarks at Arlington.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Secretary Beiderman has been ordered by POTUS to order me to show them to you, General, and then inform you it is the President’s desire that you immediately request retirement, and that if you do, that will be the end of it.”