THE BRIEFING ROOM at the White House simmered with suppressed excitement. The previous evening’s TV news reports from Moscow had stung President John McGuire into calling an extraordinary press conference. Over sixty reporters crowded the room; the walls were lined with TV cameras, their operators elbow to elbow. It was hot; already those in the front rows had begun to perspire under the lights. President McGuire was a reluctant briefer of the press; he thought it better to say nothing than to risk saying too much. But the sight of the Soviet Bear pretending to be threatened by US F14s, followed by the injured innocence of Admiral Grekov had been too much for him. If America’s own TV networks couldn’t see when they were being manipulated, then it was time someone told them. The press spokesman stepped up to the podium. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.’ There was a scraping of chairs as the reporters stood up; their chatter subsided expectantly. ‘Please sit down.
