Debt of Honor - Tom Clancy [242]
That was good, the Ambassador thought. Were he more knowledgeable, he might be a dangerous enemy.
"Mr. Ambassador, you requested this meeting," Hanson said. "We will let you begin."
Ryan endured the opening statement. It was lengthy and prepared and predictable, what any country would say under these circumstances, added to which was a little national spice. It wasn't their fault; they'd been pushed, treated as lowly vassals despite years of faithful and productive friendship. They, too, regretted this situation. And so forth. It was just diplomatic embroidery, and Jack let his eyes do the work while his ears filtered out the noise.
More interesting was the demeanor of the speaker. Diplomats in friendly circumstances tended to the florid, and in hostile, they droned, as though embarrassed to speak their words. Not this time. The Japanese Ambassador showed overt strength that spoke of pride in his country and her actions. Not quite defiant, but not embarrassed either. Even the German ambassador who'd given word of Hitler's invasion to Molotov had shown grief, Jack remembered.
For his part, the President listened impassively, letting Arnie show the anger and Hanson show the shock, Jack saw. Good for him.
"Mr. Ambassador, war with the United States of America is not a trivial thing," the Secretary of State said when the opening statement was concluded.
The Ambassador didn't flinch. "It is only a war if you wish it to be. We do not have the desire to destroy your country, but we do have our own security interests." He went on to state his country's position on the Marianas. They'd been Japanese territory before, and now they were again. His country had a right to its own defensive perimeter. And that, he said, was that.
"You do know," Hanson said, "that we have the ability to destroy your country?"
A nod. "Yes, I do. We well remember your use of nuclear weapons on our country."
Jack's eyes opened a little wider at that answer. On his pad he wrote, nukes?
"You have something else to say," Durling observed, entering the conversation.
"Mr. President—my country also has nuclear arms."
"Delivered how?" Arnie asked with a snort. Ryan blessed him silently for the question. There were times when an ass had his place.
"My country has a number of nuclear-tipped intercontinental missiles. Your own people have seen the assembly plant. You can check with NASA if you wish." The Ambassador read off the name and the dates in a very matter-of-fact way, noting that Ryan took them down like a good functionary. The room became so quiet that he could hear the scratching of the man's pen. More interesting still were the looks on the other faces.
"Do you threaten us?" Durling asked quietly.
The Ambassador looked straight into the man's eyes, twenty feet away. "No, Mr. President, I do not. I merely state a fact. I say again, this is a war only if you wish it so. Yes, we know you can destroy us if you wish, and we cannot destroy you, though we can cause you great harm. Over what, Mr. President? A few small islands that are historically our possessions anyway? They have been Japanese in all but name for years now."
"And the people you killed?" van Damm asked.
"I regret that sincerely. We will of course offer compensation to the families. It is our hope that we can conclude matters. We will not disturb your embassy or its personnel, and we hope that you will grant us the same courtesy, to maintain communications