The Scorpion's Gate by Richard A. Clarke Read Free Book Online Page A

sources, really good sources, inside the PLA, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
    “These sources tell us that there was an order given to the PLA and its navy to prepare to send, secretly, a division of infantry to Saudi using roll-on/roll-off cargo ships and, get this, Air China 777s. The movement is to be protected by a Chinese navy expeditionary force, including two of the new aircraft carriers, accompanied by their cruisers with their new antiship missile, and their subs.
    “The naval movement will be couched as a show-the-flag thing, with port calls in Perth, Pakistan, and then in the Saudis’ ports.
    “ ’Course it will scare the shit out of the Gulfies, I mean the smaller Gulf states, and Iran and drive the Indians bonkers, which is good for us, but all in all this is a bad deal. Red Chinese infantry in Saudi. Their fleet in the Indian Ocean for the first time.
    “See, this is why I don’t think it’s impossible that they will deliver the nuclear warheads to accompany MacIntyre’s missiles. When there are lots of Chinese troops in country, they can deliver the nuclear warheads for the missiles because they think we won’t bomb a bunch of Chinese troops.
    “They are bucking up this I-Salamie regime when it is new and weak, just to get long-term access to all the oil they got there.
    “Here we are depleting the strategic oil reserve, freezing from Michigan to Maine, because we sanctioned Saudi oil. Paying top dollar in the spot market, where we are probably buying the Saudi oil anyway but getting it from middlemen. We’re pumping Alaska dry, dealing with the very people who told us to get out of Iraq, and the Chinkos are going to lock up Saudi oil in long-term deals protected by their goddamn army!”
    Once again, the Secretary had silenced the Situation Room.
    “When is this supposed to happen?” Deputy Secretary Cohen asked meekly.
    “Sometime in March,” the SECDEF answered without any hesitation. “We may have to confront them, block them from getting their troop ships into the Gulf.”
    Deputy Secretary Cohen had had enough and slapped her hand on the conference table. “There is absolutely no legal authority for you to do that, Henry. It would be an act of war to embargo military shipments, like the Cuban Missile Crisis, which almost ended in a nuclear war. What the hell are you after, a war with China, a nuclear war?” she asked.
    “There is a draft finding, which I wrote,” Conrad responded. “It’s now on the President’s desk. It will order us to overthrow those murdering, fanatic pretenders in Riyadh. We could add the naval embargo to that decision package. We need to act before the Chinese take over. The Chinese will back down in the face of firm U.S. action. They know we could sink their entire fleet in an hour. And the Indians would help us, too.” Secretary Conrad slammed closed his briefing book.
    “Dr. Caulder, I know of no such finding,” said Cohen, almost quivering with anger as she turned with indignation to the National Security Advisor.
    “That’s because you’re not cleared for it, dear,” Conrad sneered as he got up from the table and pushed his way out of the Situation Room.
    The National Security Advisor turned to Rose Cohen and said, “It’s not under active consideration, Rose. That’s why he’s so mad.” Dr. Caulder then quickly followed Secretary Conrad out of the Situation Room, leaving his briefing book on the table and calling, “Henry, wait up.”
    “Well, I guess that means this meeting is over,” Rusty said to no one in particular. Kashigian, who had stayed when the other backbenchers left, brushed by MacIntyre, bumping his shoulder. “Don’t get in the way of this, MacIntyre. Otherwise you and your boss Rubenstein will be on the wrong end of history, if you know what I mean.”
    “I have no idea what any of what you just said means, but it sounded like you threatened me,” MacIntyre said in a loud voice so that others could