Tom Clancy's Op-center Balance of Power - Tom Clancy [72]
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NINETEEN
Monday, 9:21 p.m.
Washington, D.C.
Intellectually, Paul Hood knew that the United Nations was a good idea. But emotionally, he did not have much respect for the institution. It had proven itself ineffective in war and largely ineffective in peace. It was a forum for posturing, for making accusations, and for getting a nation's views into the press with the best possible spin.
But he had a great deal of admiration for the coolheaded new Secretary-General, Massimo Marcello Manni of Italy. A former NATO officer, senator in the Italian parliament, and ambassador to Russia, Manni had worked mightily the previous year to keep Italy from tumbling into the kind of civil war for which Spain seemed headed.
At Manni's request, a teleconference had been arranged for 11:00 p.m. by National Security head Steve Burkow. Secretary-General Manni had been talking to the intelligence and security chiefs of all the Security Council nations to discuss the deteriorating situation in Spain. Burkow, Carol Lanning at the State Department, and new Central Intelligence Director Marius Fox-the cousin of Senator Barbara Fox-would be in on the call.
Shortly before Burkow's office called at 8:50, Hood had already informed Bob Herbert and Ron Plummer that he wanted Darrell to remain in Madrid and Aideen to stay in the field.
"If Spain is coming apart," Hood told his team, "then HUMINT is more important than ever." Hood asked Herbert to make sure that Stephen Viens remained in contact with his loyal colleagues at the Pentagon-based National Reconnaissance Office. Viens was a longtime friend of Op-Center's Matt Stoll and had always been a steadfast ally during all previous surveillance efforts. Though Viens had been temporarily relieved of his NRO duties because of an ongoing Senate investigation into funding abuses, Hood had quietly given him an office at Op-Center. Unlike most people in Washington, Hood believed in repaying devotion. The NRO had begun conducting satellite reconnaissance of military movements in Spain some forty minutes before. Hood wanted that photographic surveillance to become part of Herbert's database. He also wanted copies of the pictures sent to McCaskey in Spain, via the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, and to the Striker team, which was airborne. At other intelligence organizations in Washington, department heads tended to covet information to give their groups an edge. But Hood believed in sharing information among his people. To him and to the unique personnel working with him, the job was not about personal glory. It was about protecting Americans and national interests.
In addition to satellite reconnaissance, Op-Center drew on international news reports for information. Raw TV footage was especially valuable. It was plucked from satellite feeds before it could be edited for broadcast. The uncut footage was then analyzed by Herbert's team and also by Laurie Rhodes in the Op-Center photographic archives. Often, camouflaged weapons bunkers were constructed well prior to military actions. While these facilities might not always be visible from space, they often showed up in slightly altered topography, which could be seen in comparative studies from the ground.
Hood took a short dinner break in the commissary, where he read the Sunday comics someone had left lying around. He hadn't looked at them in a while and he was amazed at how little they'd changed from when he was a kid. Peanuts and B.C. were still there, along with Tarzan and Terry and the Pirates and The Wizard of Id. It was comforting, just then, to visit with old friends.
After dinner. Hood had a short briefing from Mike Rodgers in the general's office. Rodgers told him that Striker would reach Madrid shortly after 11:30 a.m., Spanish time. Options for Striker activities would be presented to Hood as soon as they were available.
After the briefing. Hood checked in with the night crew. While the day team continued to monitor the Spanish situation. Curt Hardaway, Lt. Gen. Bill Abram, and the rest of the "P.M.squad," as they called themselves,