The Forever Spy by Jeffrey Layton

Author:Jeffrey Layton [Layton, Jeffrey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2017-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 51

“Mr. President, I don’t think we can afford to keep this situation under wraps much longer. The media jackals smell blood.”

“What are you hearing?”

“That we know what happened but are not talking.”

“Well, they certainly have that one right for a change.” President Tyler Magnuson stared over his desk at his national security advisor. It was mid-morning. The two men were alone in the Oval Office. POTUS grimaced as he asked, “Has the Navy confirmed the initial report?”

“Yes, sir,” Peter Brindle said. “The tanker was definitely struck by a rocket torpedo, but there’s a complication.” The advisor leaned forward a bit. “It might not have been the Russians after all. It turns out the North Koreans have the capability.”

“What?”

“The CIA has a credible report that the North Korean Navy has at least half a dozen of the Russian rocket torpedo knockoffs manufactured by Iran. They apparently made some kind of trade—missile parts for the torpedoes.”

“Good Lord, when did all of this happen?”

“We don’t know when the trade occurred. The agency is rechecking shipping records for the past couple of years. They might find something, but you know how devious both of them are.”

“Go on.”

“Anyway, a CIA asset in China made the report about the rocket torpedoes a month ago. The individual involved is with the PLA Navy, so the intel’s credibility is high. The agency had not yet processed the report, but that all changed after the tanker was blown up.”

President Magnuson leaned back in his chair. He gazed at the map mounted on a nearby wall panel. He had taped the NOAA chart of Prince William Sound to the wall himself. After mulling over the situation he turned back to face Brindle.

“What about those recordings? I thought we had hard evidence that the submarine was Russian.”

“That’s right, sir. What the hydrophones picked up in the Hinchinbrook Entrance was a Russian boat. But in light of the North Korean connection, it’s possible that what was picked up might have been the playback of another recording.”

“You mean it could have been faked?”

“It’s possible. The Navy Department’s underwater acoustic experts could not rule it out. Apparently, our submarines have been using false recordings to hide some of their own operations.”

POTUS glowered, clearly agitated.

“There’s more, sir. The Navy indicated that if the North Koreans were involved, they would have used a diesel submarine to sneak into Prince William Sound. When operating on batteries, they are incredibly quiet. The monitoring hydrophones would never pick it up if it was operating in stealth mode.”

“It wouldn’t have to be a nuclear submarine?”

“No. They could have modified one of their diesel boats to make the trip across the North Pacific. Once they reached Prince William Sound, they would switch to battery power. They’re much quieter than nuclear plants. No pumps, turbine, or steam plants to worry about.”

The president raised his hands in frustration. “This is just great. I’ve got an environmental disaster on my hands that was the result of an act of war, but I can’t pin it on anyone.

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