Night Probe!

  "I want you to be fully aware, Mr. Pitt, that this meeting is highly irregular. The President has precious little time for pithy chats with third-level civil servants. If your father, Senator George Pitt, hadn't made the request and implied that it was urgent, you wouldn't have gotten past the front gate."

  Pitt gave the pompous ass an innocent look. "Gosharootie, I'm flattered all to hell."

  The chief of staffs face clouded. "I suggest you show respect for the office of the President."

  "How can one be impressed with the President," said Pitt with a sardonic smile, "when he hires assholes like you."

  Harrison Moon IV stiffened as though shot. "How dare you-!"

  At that moment the President's secretary came into the office. "Mr. Pitt, the President will see you now."

  "No!" shouted Moon, leaping to his feet, his eyes glazed in rage. "The appointment is canceled!"

  Pitt approached Moon and grabbed him by the lapels of his coat and jerked him halfway across the desk. "My advice to you, kid, is not to let the job go to your head." Then he shoved Moon backward into his swivel chair. But Pitt had shoved a bit too hard. The momentum of Moon's weight tipped the chair over and he spilled onto the floor.

  Pitt smiled cordially at the stunned presidential secretary and said, "You needn't bother showing me the way, I've been to the oval office before."

  Unlike his chief of staff, the President greeted Pitt courteously and held out his hand. "I've often read of your exploits on the Titanic and Vixen projects, Mr. Pitt. I was particularly impressed with your handling of the Doodlebug operation. It's an honor to meet you at last."

  "The honor is mine."

  "Won't you please sit down," the President said graciously.

  "I may not have the time," said Pitt. "I'm sorry?" The President lifted an eyebrow questioningly. "Your chief of staff was rude and treated me damned shabbily, so I called him an asshole and roughed him up a bit."

  "Are you serious?"

  "Yes, sir. I should imagine the Secret Service will burst in here any second and drag me off the premises."

  The President walked over to his desk and punched an intercom button. "Maggie, I want no interruptions for any reason until I say so."

  Pitt was relieved when the President's face stretched into a wide smile. "Harrison gets carried away at times. Perhaps you may have shown him an overdue lesson in humility."

  "I'll apologize on my way out."

  "No need." The President dropped into a highbacked chair across a coffee table from Pitt. "Your dad and I go back a long way. We were both elected to Congress in the same year. He told me over the phone you had stumbled on a revelation, as he put it, that boggles the mind."

  "Dad's earthy rhetoric," Pitt laughed. "But in this case he's one hundred percent right."

  "Tell me what you've got."

  Pitt opened the briefcase and began laying papers on the coffee table. "I'm sorry to bore you with a history lesson, Mr. President, but it's necessary to lay the groundwork."

  "I'm listening."

  "In early nineteen fourteen," Pitt began, "there were no doubts in British minds that war with Imperial Germany was just around the corner. By March, Winston Churchill, who was then first lord of the admiralty, had already armed some forty merchant ships. The War Department forecast the opening of hostilities for September after the European harvest was in. Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, the secretary of state for war, realizing the coming conflict was going to be a colossal drain of men and resources, was shocked to find only enough ammunition and supplies for a three-month campaign.

  "At the same time the United Kingdom had been busy on a crash program of social reform that had already caused a substantial increase in taxation. It didn't take a clairvoyant to see that mushrooming armament costs, interest on debts, welfare and pension payments would break the back of the economy."

  "So Britain was scraping the bottom of its treasury when it entered World War I," said the President.

  "Not quite," replied Pitt. "Shortly before the Germans poured into Belgium, our government had loaned the British one hundred and fifty million dollars. At least it went into the records as a loan. In reality it was a down payment."

  "I'm afraid I've lost the trail."

  "The Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, and King George V met in a closed-door emergency session on May second and came up with a solution born of desperation. They secretly approached President Wilson with their proposal and he accepted. Richard Essex, undersecretary of state under William Jennings Bryan, and Harvey Shields, deputy secretary of the British Foreign Office, then drafted what was to be briefly known as the North American Treaty."

  "And what was the gist of this treaty?" asked the President.

  There was a cold silence of perhaps ten seconds while Pitt hesitated. Finally he cleared his throat.

  "For the sum of one billion dollars Great Britain sold Canada to the United States."

  Pitt's words flew over the President's head. He sat blank, unbelieving of what he heard. "Say again," he demanded.

  "We bought Canada for one billion dollars."

  "That's absurd."

  "But true," said Pitt firmly. "Before the war broke out there were many members of Parliament who doubted loyal support by the colonies and dominions. There were liberals as well as conservatives who openly stated that Canada was a drain on the empire."

  "Can you show me proof?" asked the President, his eyes skeptical.

  Pitt handed him a copy of Wilson's letter. "This was written by Woodrow Wilson to Prime Minister Asquith on June fourth. You'll note that it was creased through part of one sentence. I ran a spectrograph test on it and found the missing words cause the line to read: 'my countrymen are a possessive lot and would never idly stand by knowing with certainty that our neighbor to the north and our own beloved country had become one.' "

  The President studied the letter for several minutes, then he set it on the coffee table. "What else do you have?"

  Without comment Pitt passed over the photograph of Bryan, Essex and Shields leaving the White House with the treaty. Then he played his trump card.

  "This is the desk diary of Richard Essex for the month of May. The entire scope of the conferences leading to the North American Treaty is set down in scrupulous detail. The last entry is dated May twenty-second, nineteen fourteen, the day Essex left the capital for Canada and the final signing of the treaties."

  "You said treaties, plural."

  "There were three copies, one for each country involved. The first to sign were Asquith and King George. Shields then carried the historic papers to Washington where, on May twentieth, Wilson and Bryan added their names. Two days later, Essex and Shields departed together by train to Ottawa where the Canadian prime minister, Sir Robert Borden, affixed the last signature."

  "Then why was it no formal transfer of Canada into the Union took place?"

  "A series of unfortunate circumstances," explained Pitt. "Harvey Shields, in company with a thousand other souls, went down with the transatlantic liner Empress of Ireland after it collided with a coal collier and sank in the St. Lawrence River.

  His body and the British copy of the treaty were never recovered."

  "But surely Essex reached Washington with the American copy.

  Pitt shook his head. "The train carrying Essex plunged off a bridge into the Hudson River. The disaster became something of a classic mystery when neither the crew and the passengers, nor any trace of the train, was ever found."

  "That still left one copy in Canadian hands."

  "The trail goes cold at this point," said Pitt. "The rest is speculation. Apparently Asquith's cabinet rebelled. The ministers, including no doubt Churchill, must have been furious when they discovered the Prime Minister and the King had tried to sell off their largest dominion behind their backs."

  "I doubt the Canadians were overly fond of the deal either."

  "With two copies of the treaty gone it would have been a simple matter for Sir
Robert Borden, a loyal Englishman, by the way, to have destroyed the third, leaving Wilson with no tangible evidence to advance an American claim."

  "It doesn't seem possible official records concerning negotiations of such magnitude could be so conveniently lost," said the President.

  "Wilson states in his letter he instructed his secretary to destroy all mention of the pact. I can't speak for the Foreign Office, but it seems a safe bet to say they're collectors. Traditionally, the British aren't given to throwing away or burning documents. Whatever treaty papers survive are probably buried under a ton of dust in some old Victorian warehouse."

  The President rose and began pacing. "I wish I could have studied the wording of the treaty."

  "You can." Pitt smiled. "Essex penned a draft in his desk diary."

  "May I keep it?"

  "Of course."

  "How did you happen onto this diary?"

  "It was in the possession of his grandson," Pitt answered without elaboration.

  "John Essex?"

  "Yes."

  "Why did he keep it a secret all these years?"

  "He must have been afraid its exposure would cause an international upheaval."

  "He may have been right," said the President. "If the press blasted this discovery on a slow news week, there is no predicting the grassroots reaction by people on both sides of the border. Wilson was right: the Americans are a possessive lot. They might demand a takeover of Canada. And God only knows the hell Congress would raise."

  "There is a catch," said Pitt.

  The President stopped his pacing. "And that is?"

  "There is no record of payment. The initial deposit was converted to a loan. Even if a copy of the treaty turned up, the British would reject it by claiming, and rightfully so, they were never compensated."

  "Yes," the President said slowly, "nonpayment could void the treaty."

  He moved to the tall windows and gazed across the winter brown grass of the White House lawn, saying nothing, struggling with his thoughts. Finally he turned and stared directly at Pitt.

  "Who knows about the North American Treaty besides you?"

  "Commander Heidi Milligan, who began the preliminary research after finding the Wilson letter, the Senate historian who uncovered the photographs, my father, and of course, Admiral Sandecker. Since he is my immediate superior I only felt it fair he should know what I was investigating."

  "No one else?"

  Pitt shook his head. "I can't think of anyone."

  "Let's keep it a select club, shall we?"

  "Whatever you say, Mr. President."

  "I deeply appreciate your bringing this matter to my attention, Mr. Pitt."

  "Would you like me to pursue it?"

  "No, I think it best if we drop the treaty back in its coffin for now. There is no purpose in damaging our relations with Canada and the United Kingdom. I see it as a simple case of what nobody knows, won't hurt them."

  "John Essex would have agreed."

  "And you, Mr. Pitt, would you agree?"

  Pitt closed his briefcase and stood up. "I'm a marine engineer, Mr. President. I steer well clear of political involvement."

  "A wise course," said the President with an understanding smile. "A wise course indeed."

  Five seconds after the door closed behind Pitt, the President spoke into his intercom. "Maggie, get me Douglas Oates on the holograph." He settled behind his desk and waited.

  Soon after taking up residence in the White House he had ordered a holographic communications system installed in his office. He took an almost childlike interest in studying his cabinet members'

  expressions, body movements and outward emotions while he visually talked to them miles away.

  The three-dimensional image of a man with wavy auburn hair and conservatively attired in a gray pinstripe suit materialized in the middle of the oval office. He was seated in a leather executive chair.

  Douglas Oates, the secretary of state, nodded and smiled. "Good morning, Mr. President. How goes the battle?"

  "Douglas, how much money has the United States given away to Britain since nineteen fourteen?"

  Oates stared quizzically. "Given?"

  "Yes, you know, war loans written off, economic aid, contributions, whatever."

  Oates shrugged. "A pretty substantial sum, I should imagine."

  "Over a billion dollars?"

  "Easily," replied Oates. "Why do you ask?"

  The President ignored the question. "Arrange for a courier. I have something of interest for my friend in Ottawa."

  "More data on the oil bonanza?" Oates persisted.

  "Even better. We've just been dealt a wild card on the Canadian solution."

  "We need all the luck we can get."

  "I guess you might call it a red herring."

  "Red herring?"

  The President had the look of a cat with a mouse under its paw.

  "The perfect ploy," he said, "to divert British attention from the real conspiracy."

  The President side stroked to the edge of the White House pool and pulled himself up the ladder as Mercier and Klein came from the dressing room.

  "I hope an early morning swim doesn't disrupt your schedules."

  "Not at all, Mr. President," said Mercier. "I can use the exercise."

  Klein peered around the indoor pool room. "So this is the famous swimming pool. I understand the last president who used it was Jack Kennedy."

  "Yes," replied the President. "Nixon had it covered over and held press conferences here. Me, I'd rather swim than face a horde of drooling reporters."

  Mercier grinned. "What would the Washington press corps say if they heard you refer to them as a drooling horde?"

  "Strictly off the record." The President laughed. "What say we break in the new hot tub? The workmen finished installing it yesterday. "

  They settled into a small circular area built into the shallow end of the pool. The President turned on the circulating pumps and set the temperature at 105 degrees Fahrenheit. As the water heated, Mercier felt sure he was being scalded to death. He began to sympathize with lobsters.

  Finally the President relaxed and said, "This is as good a place as any to conduct business. Suppose you gentlemen tell me where we stand on the Canadian energy situation."

  "The news looks grim," said Mercier. "Our intelligence sources have learned that it was a parliamentary minister, Henri Villon, who ordered the blackout from James Bay."

  "Villon." The name rolled off the President's tongue as though it had a bad taste. "He's that double-talking character who bad-mouths the United States every time he buttonholes a reporter.

  "The same," replied Mercier. "There's talk he may run for President of the new Quebec republic."

  "With Guerrier dead, there is an ugly chance he might win," added Kleii.

  A frown crossed the President's face. "I can't think of anything worse than Villon dictating price and supply policies for James Bay and the new oil discovery by NUMA."

  "It's frustrating as hell," grumbled Mercier. He turned to Klein. "Is the reserve as vast as Admiral Sandecker predicts?"

  "He came in on the low side," Klein answered. "My experts went over NUMA's computer data. It appears ten billion barrels is closer to the mark than eight."

  "How is it possible the Canadian oil companies missed it?"

  "A stratigraphic trap is the most difficult of all oil deposits to find," explained Klein. "Seismic equipment, gravity meters, magnetometers, none of them can detect the presence of hydrocarbons in that geological state. The only surefire means is by random drilling. The Canadians sank a well within two miles of the Doodlebug's strike but came up dry. The position was inserted on the oil maps with the symbol denoting a dry hole. Other exploration systemns have stayed clear of the area."

  Mercier waved the rising steam from in front of his eyes. "It would appear we've made Quebec a very wealthy new nation."

  "Provided that we tell them," said the President.

>   Klein looked at him. "Why keep it a secret? It's only a matter of time before they stumble onto the field themselves. By pointing the way and cooperating in the development, the Quebec government, out of gratitude, will surely sell us the crude oil at reasonable prices."

  "A false optimism," said Mercier. "Look what happened in Iran and the OPEC nations. Let's face it, half the world thinks the United States is fair game when it comes to price gouging."

  The President tilted his head back and closed his eyes. "Suppose we possessed a piece of paper establishing that Canada belongs to the United States?"

  Mercier and Klein sat in bewildered silence, uncertain of what the President had in mind. Finally Mercier spoke the words that were on their minds. "I can't imagine such a document."

  "Nor I," said Klein.

  "Wishful thinking," the President said, airily waving his hand. "Forget it, we've got more down-to-earth problems to discuss.

  Mercier looked into the water. "The greatest danger to our national security is a fragmented Canada. I feel we must do whatever is possible to assist Prime Minister Sarveux in preventing Quebec from going it alone."

  "You make a sound case," said the President. "But I'm going to ask you to shelve it."

  "Sir?"

  "I want you to coordinate a top secret program with the State Department and Central Intelligence to make certain that Quebec independence becomes a reality."

  Mercier looked like he'd been bitten by a shark. "I don't think you realize-"

  "My decision is final," the president interrupted. "I'm asking you as a friend to follow through for me."

  "May I ask why?"

  A faraway look came into the President's eyes and Mercier felt a chill run through him at the sudden hardening that entered the man's voice.

  "Trust me when I say that a divided Canada is in the best interests of North America."