In fact, the restrictions imposed by the White House had themselves become a story. They had led to yet another onslaught of negative press.
The CBS moderator began. ‘By prior agreement, the first question will be from ABC.’ He turned to his counterpart from the rival network.
‘Mr President, the casualty figures from the war with China just announced by the Department of Defense are horrible. Three thousand, two hundred and twelve U.S. servicemen dead, another seven thousand wounded or missing. The latest CNN/Wall Street Journal poll from before that announcement revealed that a striking seventy-two percent of Americans polled oppose the war. And reports out of our allies’ capitals indicate that the governments there are making contingency plans for a hasty withdrawal from Siberia should the war take a turn for the worse.’
‘Is there a question in there somewhere?’ Gordon interrupted as Fein had coached when the question turned into a speech.
‘Is it your intention to announce the complete and total withdrawal of American forces from Siberia as has been rumored in Washington for days?’
‘No,’ Gordon replied.
‘Then you intend to continue the fighting?’
‘That is my intention, yes.’
‘To what end?’ the ABC anchorman asked.
‘To win the war.’
The man shifted in his seat then leaned forward. ‘But… why? What is the purpose of the war?’
‘The Communist Chinese invaded Siberia, leaving us with two options: flee in the face of aggression and cede to China control over whatever territory it can grab by force, or not. It was not a war of our choosing, but once the die was cast those were our options. We chose the latter. We chose not to flee.’
‘You say “we,” Mr President,’ the NBC News anchor joined in, ‘but it was really “you.” Word out of your Administration is that — almost to a man — no one outside your inner circle agrees with this war. To put it bluntly, sir, your people have been running for the hills. Putting as much distance between themselves and perhaps the most unpopular war in this country’s history as they can. Given that, why are you, sir — Gordon Davis — so personally committed to a war that you could very easily have passed off as your predecessor’s doing? You were, after all, a vocal opponent of President Marshall’s deployment to Siberia in the first place.’
‘We’re fighting not because we want to, but because we have to. We’re fighting because we cannot allow rogue nations to gain from aggression. We are the most powerful nation this earth has ever known. Our system of government is the wonder of the world. We do not shrink from punishing injustice. We will not back down from our duties as world leader. And first and foremost among those duties is to protect the weak from the strong. To punish aggressors who — despite all the lessons of history — still choose the path of blood, and death, and destruction to further their goals of domination over their fellow man.’
For a moment, the four journalists were quiet. It was enough to prove to Gordon that he was right.
Even as the questioning continued, Gordon’s optimism rose. The men before him were undeterred. They jabbed over and over — emboldened by the polls. But Gordon rested secure that a principle had been proven to his satisfaction. If you speak the truth boldly, people will listen. They will be forced to think, however briefly, about what it was you said.
Major Reed handed Clark the large-format videocassette. It was high-quality three-quarter-inch tape.
‘They’re in there, sir,’ Reed said. He opened the door and stood back. Clark entered.
There was a woman at a table complaining nonstop.
‘You should put signs up or something,’ she said to a military policeman. The ponytailed cameraman kept his eyes fixed on Clark.
‘Is this the only tape?’ Clark asked the man, who nodded.
‘You’re General Clark, aren’t you?’ the woman said. She rose and extended her right hand. ‘Katherine Dunn, NBC News.’ She waited. He stared back at her. She lowered her hand.
‘Let’s get one thing straight,’ Nate said. ‘We’re not dealing with some petty violation of military security ground rules, here. We’re not talking about suspending your press credentials and expelling you from the combat zone. You’re both under arrest, if you haven’t noticed.’
The ponytailed man understood. But the female reporter challenged him. ‘On what charges?’
‘Suspicion of espionage.’
‘What? Kate exploded. ‘We’re journalists, for God’s sake!’
‘Kate,’ Woody said, putting his hand on her shoulder. ‘What?’ she snapped at him, then twisted free of his grip. Woody spoke in a calm voice. ‘Just listen to the man, okay?’
In the center of the table was their gear. In one of the pockets, Clark knew, the MPs had found marijuana. He looked first at the cameraman. ‘We have a problem, don’t we?’ Clark asked. He turned to Kate. ‘You two now know something. And, as journalists, to conceal is contrary to your every instinct. But to me, to conceal is to gain advantage. To deceive is an art.’ He stared straight at Kate now. ‘What you know could, if revealed, cost the lives of thousands of my men. I would do anything within my power to save their lives.’
Kate felt Woody looking her way. She returned his look with a shrug. ‘Just what is it we know that’s so important? That you’ve got a secret base out in the middle of nowhere?’ She shook her head — at a loss. Woody cleared his throat, which annoyed Kate. He was being overly defensive. ‘Just what do you want, General Clark?’
The man looked tired. He had a large frame, but it was slouched in the chair opposite her. There were lines in his face around bloodshot eyes.
‘I want this tape, first of all,’ he said. He handed it to the officer standing next to him. ‘Secondly, I want your cooperation. I want your silence.’
Kate listened until it was clear he had nothing more to say. ‘So… what? Do you mean, like, our total silence?’ He nodded, and she chuckled. ‘Listen, General Clark, I understand the need for discretion. And I’d even understand if you just told us flat out what needed to be edited out of our report. But to just tell us to not do a report…’ Kate felt she wouldn’t need to complete the thought. But looking at the expression on Clark’s face she realized she would. ‘General Clark! I have no intention of jeopardizing the lives of your troops. But First Amendment rights still apply even during time of war. You can’t just throw us into the stockade because we were going to air something you didn’t want aired.’
He stared back for a few moments in silence. ‘Are you telling me that imprisonment is the only way I can keep you from broadcasting a report on what you saw today?’ he asked… carefully.
‘Kate,’ Woody whined in a whisper.
‘No, General Clark, it is not,’ she said — ignoring Woody. ‘There’s another way.’ Both Clark and Woody waited. From their body language, it was clear that Woody waited with the greater interest. ‘I’d be perfectly willing,’ she continued pleasantly, ‘to work with you and your staff on this story.’