The Enemy Within

The President waited for Corbell to settle himself before dropping his tight, confident smile. He stared across the elegant, polished table at his assembled advisors. “Well?” he asked sourly. “Are we any closer to putting a cap on this god damned situation?”

Nobody spoke up immediately.

“Well?”

David Leiter, the Director of the FBI, cleared his throat. “I’m afraid not, Mr. President.” “And why the hell not?” the President demanded angrily. He jerked a thumb toward the television set parked in the corner of the Cabinet Room. The sound was off, but the picture was on. Right now it showed aerial shots of Chicago’s South Side. Whole city blocks were burning.

“This country’s third largest city is under martial law and tearing itself to pieces. One of the country’s biggest civil rights leaders has been blown to hell along with a couple of hundred other important people, congressmen included. Jesus Christ, Nightline’s running broadcasts asking whether or not this is the first battle of a full-scale American race war! What am I supposed to tell the American people? That we’re still twiddling our damned thumbs while this army of white-power maniacs is out there killing at will?”

Leiter and the others sat stiffly, waiting for the fiery burst of executive temperament to fade slightly. Years of service to this President had taught them how to ride each storm out.

“There’s no solid evidence to suggest that we’re facing an army of terrorists, Mr. President,” the FBI Director said quietly. “Even assuming the press club bombing and the schoolyard massacre were conducted by different people, we’re still talking about less than ten individuals, possibly no more than five. Taking the time between the two attacks into account, I suspect both were carried out by the same group.”

“Well, then, these five or ten fanatics of yours are making quite a mess, David,” Sarah Carpenter said sharply. There was little love lost between the Attorney General and the head of the FBI. In the past, they’d repeatedly locked horns over Justice Department policy and spending priorities. Now she saw an opportunity to score a few points at his expense. “If you hadn’t dragged your heels when I ordered you to increase surveillance of the neo-Nazi extremists, we might not be facing this crisis today!”

Leiter glared back at her. “With all due respect, Madam Attorney General, I doubt all the electronic eavesdropping in the world would have picked up the slightest hint of either the bombing or the school massacre before they occurred. The people conducting this campaign are not stupid.”

He turned back to the President. “Frankly, sir, my behavioral sciences people are puzzled. Neither of these attacks fits the pattern we’ve come to expect from the extreme right in this country. They tend to be an impulsive, open poorly educated lot. But both the National Press Club bombing and the slaughter in Chicago bear every indication of sophisticated, intricate planning and flawless execution.”

“So?” the President prompted impatiently.

“I think we’re facing a small number of uncommonly skillful and resourceful terrorists. Probably with military training or experience. And, given their choice of targets, their political orientation seems clear.” Leiter shook his head glumly. “But I seriously doubt they’re in our files as active members of existing neo-Nazi organisations. We’re checking out every possible suspect anyway, but so far, we’re coming up empty.”

“What about a foreign connection?” Admiral Andrew Dillon, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, asked. “I understand your agents have been investigating a possible tie-in to Germany’s neo-Nazi organisations.”

“That’s correct, Admiral.” The FBI Director nodded to ward his counterpart from the CIA “With help from Bill’s people we’ve been trying to rule the possibility in or out.”

“Have you made any progress?”

“Nothing significant. At least not so far.” Leiter shrugged. “Several hundred thousand Germans visit the U.S. every year on business or as tourists. That’s rather a large haystack to hunt through for what must be a very small needle.”

“Terrific, Mr. Leiter,” the President ground out. ‘-‘Do you have any good news to report or just more about all the things you don’t know?”

The tiniest flash of irritation crossed the FBI Director’s face, but then vanished beneath a bland mask. “Some good news, Mr. President. Our investigative teams are just beginning to work the Chicago crime scene, but we do have a few leads in the National Press Club bombing.”

“What kind of leads?”

Leiter started ticking them off one by one. “First, we’ve been able to track the explosives used to their point of origin a manufacturer in Arizona. One of Special Agent Flynn’s teams is combing through their records right now ”

“To find the buyer?” the President interrupted.