Warriors by Barrett Tillman (7 page)

       The king rose, and so did the others. "I believe we can end this discussion for the moment. Your head must be full of ideas and other questions. Commander, I should like you to be my guest for dinner tonight, and perhaps tomorrow you could let us know your decision. We are not asking at this time for any specific plan-only if you would like to train and lead this organization."

       Bennett groped for a response, but the king raised his hand holding the cigarette. "I should explain one more thing. You would not be expected to lead this air force into battle. I pray such need will never arise. But I believe you are the man to make such a force ready for combat."

Washington, D.C.

      
President Walter Arnold left the cabinet meeting shaken by the disarray within his administration. Already there was outspoken division within his two-month-old cabinet. The United Nations had voted without dissent to condemn Israel for the invasion of Jordan and ordered immediate withdrawal of her troops. The United States had abstained, and the cabinet was angrily divided over whether the American delegation should have exercised its veto. Now the president was preparing to meet with a group of influential Jewish leaders who would urge him to treat the invasion as necessary to ensure Israel's security.

       Arnold's razor-thin victory over his Republican opponent was attributed to a turndown in the American economy during the previous administration's final year. Huge deficits and balance-of-payments inequities, combined with OPEC's renewed strength, drove oil to nearly $30 per barrel. The result was another serious recession in Western economies.

       Walter Arnold had been an outstanding U. S. senator with an inbred affinity for all the media-well-spoken, handsome, outgoing. His strong grass roots support confounded the professional pols, who had been unable to knock him out of the primaries. But even some of his own party leaders-who had been shut out of the White House for nearly two decades-privately acknowledged he was not as strong a leader as the presidency required, and now his young administration faced its first serious foreign policy challenge.

       Arnold asked for a background briefing on the Middle East situation before his meeting with the Jewish delegation, which included some major supporters and contributors to his campaign. The Israelis had done nothing to ease Arnold's task, though even he had to admit they were not bound by any such consideration. "Nations don't have friends, they have interests," Henry Kissinger had said. Now Walter Arnold was beginning to understand that ancient truth.

       Public sentiment in the United States was running high against Israel. The invasion of Jordan seemed unwarranted to most Americans. With both military and political advisers on hand, the president settled down in the briefing room to prepare for the upcoming meeting.

       Major General George Miller, the Army briefing officer, stood before the small audience. His two stars attested to his career success, despite an unimpressive appearance. Short and balding, sightly overweight, he looked more like a college lecturer than a warrior. In fact, he had never held a combat assignment. But his analytical ability, smooth style, and political savvy had won him his present position.

       With three sentences of introduction, Miller repeated the litany of all military briefers. He identified himself, though almost everyone in the room was on a first-name basis with him, and stated the purpose of the briefing. The old formula: "Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em; then tell them, and finally tell 'em what you just told ‘em.”

       This time Miller got straight to work. "Mr. President, as you will recall, previous terrorist attacks against Israel and Israeli targets outside the nation's borders have generated widespread sympathy for Israel and condemnation of the PLO. This has been especially true when third parties were harmed, including Americans. But now the terrorist leadership has shifted tactics. In fact, we have fairly good evidence that the PLO has destroyed at least two ultra-radical splinter groups which were planning bombings or suicide attacks in Europe. This change of emphasis indicates a more unified objective for the entire Palestinian movement. It acknowledges increasing understanding of the counterproductive results of terrorism in third-party nations, and it seems to indicate a better-defined goal."

       The general adjusted his glasses, glancing at his notes. "From the Arab and Palestinian 'viewpoint, it makes more sense to concentrate all efforts against Israel rather than diluting their resources in scattered efforts elsewhere. This approach has the additional advantage of removing terrorist outrages from the headlines, thus focusing attention on Israeli colonization of the West Bank and the current operation in Jordan.

       "The new effort began four months ago, shortly after the last major terrorist attack in Europe. You may recall that was the coordinated operation which timed the bombing of our embassy in Lisbon with the suicide commando raid on the El Al office in Amsterdam. "

       Walter Arnold nodded in recollection. Four Americans and three Portuguese had died in the Lisbon explosion. The Israeli airline office had been a repeat of the Rome tragedy of 1985, this time with nineteen dead, thirty-three wounded, four terrorists killed and two captured. The two actions had rebounded against the PLO faction, as an extended bill of credit for Israel which had been stalled in the senate had gone through two days later.

       General Miller continued. "Beginning last October, small-scale military operations were conducted on the borders of Israel from Lebanon by a fanatic Muslim army. The PLO denied affiliation, and while that's probably an exaggeration, it is clear that the aggressive group was acting largely on its own. The Israeli decision to enter Jordan was precipitated by increasing raids from across that border. In one three-day period in November, sixty-two Israeli soldiers were killed and twice that number wounded. The militant Likud party narrowly won a vote of confidence forced by the more radical politicians." Miller looked over his reading spectacles for emphasis. "Prime Minister Aloni and Defense Minister Shelkan share their views.

       "Likud promised swift action to end the cross-border assaults, which in fact were no longer mere raids. The operations were supported by artillery and frequently by long-range rocket batteries. The objective of these assaults usually were Israeli military facilities, though on one occasion a kibbutz on the West Bank was overrun and occupied briefly. By the time the raiders were repulsed, some forty civilians had died. That was the first time the Arabs tipped their hand with more sophisticated weapons, since at least one Israeli helicopter was shot down by an SA- 7 man-portable missile. "

       Taking in the summary, Arnold was concerned about both international and domestic factors. "General, who supported these radicals? Where did they get all of this hardware?"

       "Sir, we have hard intelligence on logistics, advisers, and weapons from Iran, Syria, and Libya. Additionally, North Korean and Cuban assistance has been observed. Soviet participation was reported but hasn't yet been proven."

       The president leaned back in his seat. "Thank you, General."

       Miller realized he had been dismissed, picked up his papers, and walked out. When the door closed, Arnold looked down the table at his press secretary.

       "Jerry, let's face it. The Arab raids leading up to the Israeli invasion don't really matter anymore. We have to deal with the current situation. We have a carrier battle group in the Mediterranean but it can't really do anything, and I damn sure don't want it to!" He paused for emphasis, then looked at his aide. "How do you assess the public mood about what's happened in Jordan?"

       Jerry Butler knew what his boss was getting at. "Mr. President, there is no doubt about it. The two recent cases of Israeli espionage in this country have hurt their cause. Things seemed to die down after the influence-peddling episode in the House Armed Services Committee last summer. But then the new antitank round was found crated and ready for shipment to Israel-"

       "Yes, yes. I remember." Arnold's voice was harsher than he intended, but the recollection of those events still rankled. With practiced ease the president shifted into his modulated make-thevoters-feel-good baritone. "What I need to know, here, is how you interpret the country's mood right now. Forget the damn polls. What do
you
think?"

       Recognizing the conciliatory tone, Jerry continued. "I was coming to that, sir. My point is, with recent examples of continued Israeli spying over here, not many voters will feel very sympathetic to their invasion of Jordan. Since you're asking me, Joe Average on the street is going to want us to steer well clear of supporting or even condoning what's happening in Jordan. Our national interests don't seem to be threatened, so why get involved?"

       Arnold nodded assent. "All right, we'll have to deal with the anti-Israeli lobby as well as with the Jewish lobby. It means steering a neutral course right down the line. You understand?"

       The press secretary nodded. "Yes, sir."
I sure do,
he thought.
It means walking the fence again. Remember the first principle of politics: Never upset a voter without a good reason.

Chapter 2

Riyadh

      
JOHN BENNETT LEANED BACK ON THE OVERSIZED PILLOWS on his king-size bed in the luxurious suite. Hands behind his head, he lay with eyes closed, recalling the dinner that had ended only two hours before.

       Bennett had dined with King Rahman and one of the children.

       Queen Aishah was out of sight with her daughters and youngest son, which Bennett knew to be the custom. The boy at dinner looked about fifteen, spoke very good English, and seemed conversant in aviation matters. Bennett had almost dropped the spoon in his soup when the younger casually mentioned logging 200 hours in his personal Beechcraft Bonanza.

       The evening was easygoing and pleasant. The king had pointedly avoided discussing business, preferring to compare notes on places both men had seen and known. Having made three deployments to the Mediterranean, Bennett was familiar with the area, though he allowed himself greater knowledge of Toulon and Naples nightlife than the sovereign. But Rahman had impressed Bennett with mention of a fourth-place finish at the Le Mans twenty-four-hour race "in my impetuous youth."

       It had gone like that all evening. But just before adjourning, the monarch had drawn Bennett aside.

       Holding Bennett's arm and leaning close, he had said, "One thing for you to consider before our meeting tomorrow. You are aware of the strength of the Israeli Air Force, both in type and number of aircraft and in quality of pilots. Now, assuming you have an unlimited budget to procure any number, any type of fighter, and the time to train young men to your standards, is it possible that this air force might match the Israelis?"

       Bennett returned the king's level gaze. This was the tacit question which forced itself to his consideration during the morning session with the ministers.

       "I need to know, Your Majesty, if you intend me to commit this force against the Israelis. You understand it could jeopardize my status as a retired American military officer."

       The king said, "Yes, I understand that completely. And I want you to know, between the two of us, that I would not expect you to be compromised that way. But I will be honest with you, my friend. As events now stand, with the invasion of Jordan, anything is possible. I must know all the possibilities beforehand. As Safad Fatah has told you, we Saudis are likely to find ourselves in the middle before long. We may well have to fight our Arab neighbors as well as the Israelis. That is why I need a highly professional, thoroughly competent air defense force. "

       Bennett's mind raced. Something did not fit here. He respected this man who ruled the desert kingdom, and very much wanted to believe him. "Tell me, Your Majesty. You already have a modern, well-equipped air force. Why not simply expand it along the lines you already have?"

       A smile crossed the king's face. "Ah, Commander Bennett, please understand. The Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force bears the markings of my nation, but in a real sense it is not mine. The aircraft, the support, and most of all the maintenance, depends upon foreign sources. Your country's contribution is nearly over, with the military assistance group. Now with the political factors we face, both in Washington and in our own region, we cannot count upon an uninterrupted flow of materiel or advisers. For this reason I want an independent air force, directly under my control with an absolute minimum of dependence upon external factors.

       "You will excuse me if I speak bluntly. The Jewish lobby in America is very strong. Every time the United States wishes to sell us equipment or provide advisers, your politicians are deluged with letters and protests. This despite the very well-known fact that
my
country has not gone to war against Israel since 1948. But if our military supplies are embargoed, I will have my Arab brothers to worry about-perhaps even more than the Israelis."

       At length Bennett said, "I see your point, though I wonder if the 'Jewish lobby' is as important to American policymakers as purely strategic considerations."

       Gripping Bennett's arm even harder, the king spoke in a soft, almost toneless voice. "I ask you, John Bennett. Can you build me a fighter force the equal of the Israelis'?"

       There was a pause of nearly half a minute as Bennett gazed at the elegant candelabra on the table. Then, softly but clearly, he had said, "Given time, yes."

       Now, reclining in bed, Bennett's thoughts turned from the evening's conversation to metaphysics. He was not much on classic literature but he was well read enough to draw a comparison. The potentially Faustian nature of his relationship with the Saudi king struck him with chilling intensity.
So here you are, Bennett. Satan leans on your shoulder and whispers in your ear, tempting you with the best offer a fighter pilot ever had, or hoped to have. In exchange for .
..
what?