Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [81]
“Hey, Peng, how are you this morning?” Clayton was all ears.
“I also had a good time, Peng. Dinner was great and the conversation was better. Almost like the old days. It had a more serious ring this time though, wouldn’t you say?”
“You’ve got an answer from Lin Cheng already? What did he say?” Jack listened carefully and mimed writing at Clayton, who dug out a pad and pen.
“Well, as a matter of fact, I’m sitting here right now with Clayton, and he was more than a little interested in the idea. Do you really think we can pull it off, Peng? This is simply incredible.”
“To sum up then, your boss might be interested in a quiet informal meeting if it could be done in secrecy and all necessary security arrangements could be made. He could make himself available on Saturday but would have to have communications access to his chain of command and Politburo, is that correct?”
“Clayton would also be interested, but as you might have guessed, there are changes in process in our government and we’d have to get our ducks in order. Can you keep this on hold for a couple of hours, Peng, and I’ll get back to you before noon?”
“Great. Yeah, he’s here. Would you like to say hello to him?” He handed Clayton the phone and scratched out a number of notes as Clayton greeted his old friend. In the meantime, Jack had a brainstorm, and he was happy when Clayton said his good-bye to Wang Peng and hung up.
“Here’s an idea for you, Clayton. What if you were to call the president about his succession proposition and ask if it could be postponed a few days? Tell him what just transpired here and ask if we could use the most secure and press-free facility in the country—Camp David—for our meeting. Then, with the president highly visible in the White House over the weekend, the hounds would be less likely to sniff out our meeting. This whole Saudi Arabian crisis is going to hinge on how the United States and China react, and if we could form some kind of understanding ahead of time it could make a huge difference in how we approach it on the international stage. As your chief of staff, I’m strongly advising you to pursue this. What do you say?”
Clayton smiled. They both knew he never had to worry about Jack becoming a yes-man. Summit meetings normally involved months of meticulous preparation, research, position papers, and an agenda hammered out at lower levels. This was madness, and it was amazing that Lin Cheng had agreed to pursue the idea on such short notice. Still, it was a unique situation. Jack could practically watch as Clayton’s gut reaction gradually won over his brain’s logical objections and he made his decision.
“Jack, this is the craziest idea you’ve ever brought to me and makes me seriously question your sanity, but count me in. Sit tight for a few minutes while I call the president and tell him what we’re proposing. If he thinks we’re crazy, I’d have to defer to his judgment, but I think you know that.” Jack nodded and Clayton made the phone call.
After fifteen minutes of intense discussion, the president reluctantly agreed that difficult challenges required unique approaches. While this one pushed the envelope, the president told Clayton it was his call to make and he would be fully supportive of it.
“It works for us, Jack,” Clayton said with excitement. “If Wang and Lin Cheng are agreeable, Camp David is ours for the weekend. Wang can bring along his security specialists to rake the rooms for electronic bugs, and we’ll make sure Lin Cheng has secure communications access to anywhere. We’d need to know the number of people in attendance, but I assume it would be small. We’ll also provide unmarked helicopter transportation to and from Camp David and their departure point.
“Oh, one other thing; the CIA has prepared a global oil analysis report based on the Saudi situation. I know what’s in it, and it might be useful to send Wang a copy if he’s interested; it’ll help get us all on the same page. Check it out, and if they’re okay with everything, we’re good to go for a Friday evening