The other men nodded. It was a war machine with which they all had had very personal experiences. For all of them who flew it, they recalled times when the B-52, seemingly all at once, had tried to kill them and had saved them- such was the nature of that black monster. It was a killing machine that demanded one hundred percent from every man who touched it. Masters stared at the plane and commented on its size, but it had not taken any part of him yet-these two entities, the young scientist and the metallic black monster, were probably born about the same time. For the others, it had affected their lives forever. The group fell silent as Fusco turned around and headed back to the Sixty-fifth Strategic Squadron building. On the way back, Stone’s aide, Krieg, turned to Elliott and asked, “Did you fly Arc Light, sir?”
“Two years, ” Elliott replied. “Sixty-one sorties. Took an 5A-2 missile in the shorts and bailed out over the South China Sea in 1968. I might’ve even flown Old 100 a few times. But I wouldn’t know. I never really saw the machines, you see. Instead, I saw the men-wondering whether the machine was going to let them live… or die. God, this brings back memories. None of them pleasant, Elliott added to himself. In his opinion, they had had the power to end the Vietnam War five years earlier. By conducting heavy bombing and harbor-mining missions in 1972, they had forced an end to the war, but by then it was too late. The American people had had enough of it, and “Vietnamization” and “withdrawal with honor”and, ultimately, defeat-were preferable to nightly news reports of mounting casualties. There was something to be learned here, Elliott thought, and after a few sobering minutes thinking about the men he M knew that had died in the Vietnam War, he was glad Fusco had brought them to the Arc Light Memorial before this new Philippine operation started. America had devastating air power back then, Elliott thought-just as now. They controlled the skies over North Vietnam, they controlled the harbors, they neutralized the NVA Air Force and ultimately defeated the dense antiaircraft defenses-but they still lost the war. They lost the Vietnam War because the decision to employ America’s massive air forces was delayed and canceled and “committeed” and “staffed” to death. Although he did not have a direct role in the Philippine operation, and was not in the operational chain of command, Elliott knew that it was his duty to see that those mistakes did not happen again. They had the power to control the escalation and force their will on the Chinese and anyone else involved in this crisis-they had to take the lead. They had to formulate a clearly defined, obtainable objective in this crisis and do everything in their power to achieve that objective. And it had to be done quickly. THE WHITE HOUSE OVAL OFFICE, WASHINGTON, D.C. 28 SEPTEMBER 1994, 0712 HOURS LOCAL (29 SEPTEMBER, 2012 GUAM TIME) It was very early in the morning for a White House meeting, but President Lloyd Emerson Taylor had been up for two hours and had been fully briefed on the progress of the military operations in the Philippines. He was receiving his first official visitor of the day: Hao Sun Yougao, Chinese ambassador to the United States. This meeting had been called two days earlier, and there had been several meetings between Hao and Secretary of State Dennis Danahall, but this was Hao’s first appearance with the President of the United States since the nuclear explosion. Almost everyone in Washington liked Hao Sun Yougao. He was young, energetic, and had an infectious smile that instantly put one at ease. But that smile was dim this day, and the tension was palpable as Paul Cesare showed Hao to a seat and the President took his. They were accompanied by Danahall, Secretary of Defense Thomas Preston, and Attorney General Richard Benson, the President’s brother-in-law; Hao was accompanied by a young woman who was introduced as his secretary and interpreter, should he require one; he did not give her name. Tea was poured as the meeting began: “Ambassador Hao, the silence from Beijing has us all concerned, ” the President said. “Premier Cheung has not contacted me directly, nor has he made any public appearances since the disaster. The nuclear explosion near the Philippines, your rapid mobilization of forces, and your actions in the Philippines are cause for great concern in our country. Do you have a message for this government or an explanation of your government’s plans to deal with the natural disaster and the political upheaval in the Pacific?” Hao seemed to consider the question for a moment, although all of the Americans in the room knew that he was a professional and had probably rehearsed every conceivable question and every possible response a dozen times in the past few days, preparing for this meeting. With slow deliberateness, Hao replied, “Yes, Mr. President. Comrade Cheung wishes to extend his warmest greetings to you. He is saddened and distraught by the disaster that has occurred. He wishes to express his sincere wish that peace be preserved at all costs.”
“Very noble sentiments, Mr. Ambassador, ” the President said noncommittally, “ones that we all share, of course. But… you have significant naval forces in the Philippines, you have mobilized strategic forces, including nuclear-capable forces, throughout Asia, and you seem to be on a wartime footing although the rest of the world is not. Forgive me for being so blunt but, Mr. Ambassador, but what the hell is going on?”
“Mr. President, I’m sure you realize the complicated, confused situation we find ourselves in, ” Ambassador Hao said. “The government of China found itself torn between a monstrous event and the resultant threat to our security, and the request for assistance that came because of the incident. Our government had no choice but to act, in the hope that our presence could help restore stability to the area and help calm a destructive political situation.”
“So you’re saying that you have no desire to occupy portions of the Philippines?” Thomas Preston asked the Chinese diplomat. “You will remove your military forces from the Philippines once calm is restored?”
“I cannot say how our military forces will be deployed, Mr. Secretary, now or in the future, ” Hao replied sincerely, “simply because 1 do not know this information. Mr. Ambassador, in my opinion the Chinese military presence in the Philippines is destabilizing and unwarranted, ” the President said. “Trade, immigration, free passage, communications, and political stability were all assured before your country’s intervention. Why does your government now feel it so necessary to occupy parts of the Philippines?”
“I assure you, Mr. President, China occupies no part of the Philippines…”
“I have information that states Chinese troops have occupied several military bases in and around Manila and on the islands of Palawan and Cebu. Is my information inaccurate?”
“Mr. President, the Philippine government requested our assistance in controlling an uprising by well-armed fanatical rebel troops, ” Hao replied. “Any action we took was at the specific request of the Philippine government, in complete cooperation with that government-“
“With President Mikaso’s permission?” the President interrupted. Hao paused for a moment; the question obviously took him by surprise. “I have received word, Mr. President, that President Mikaso is no longer in power. I do not know any details of this. I am sorry, but I assumed you had that information as well…”
“I have information that Mikaso is dead.” Hao’s Adam’s apple bobbed conspicuously, and his eyes grew wider as he said, “I do not know this, Mr. President. Is it true?”
“My sources inform me that Mikaso was killed by Chinese soldiers, Mr. Ambassador. Do you deny this?’ Hao’s face registered true surprise, although it was uncharacteristically understated for the usually animated Chinese liaison. “I cannot confirm nor deny this, Mr. President. I have no wish to doubt your word, but I must be certain of this.”
“I am certain as I need to be, Ambassador Hao, ” the President said. “I have a great fear that your government, or your military, is ready to occupy the Philippines for good. Tell me I am mistaken, Mr. Ambassador.”
“I may only offer assurances, Mr. President, ” Hao said immediately. “The Chinese are no threat to the United States, and we do not seek any sort of confrontation whatsoever with any power. We are in the Philippines at the request of the Philippine government, and we have the right to offer aid and assistance in any manner consistent with our own national interests. The Americans had troops in the Philippines for nearly a century, as you well know, and no one dared question your right to be there.”
“That’s because no foreign power saw our presence there as a threat, ” Thomas Preston said. “We were a force of regional stability-” “Against the aggression and dominance of the Soviet Union, yes, ” Hao said. “But you opposed Chinese trade and national security interests as well, something that hurt our efforts to grow and become part of the global economy.”
“I will not debate the effect of history on the development of China, Mr. Ambassador, ” the President said. “I will simply say the American people are very worried about the actions your government is taking in the Philippines, and they and the Congress want action.” He paused to let the import of his words sink in a bit; then: “I believe I can wait no more than thirty days before taking direct action against China, Mr. Ambassador.”
“You already have two aircraft carrier battle groups in the Philippine Sea, ” Hao said, “and another approaching the Celebes Sea. The Philippines are surrounded by American warships. Are you not already taking substantial action?”
