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‘Good thinking,’ he said. ‘The news shows will spend the day speculating about what you’re going to do, and won’t pay so much attention to Moore sniping from the sidelines.’
‘Good,’ she said. In truth, she hardly cared about Moore any longer, but she did not want to dampen Sandip’s enthusiasm.
After Sandip she called in Gus and said: ‘I want you to walk me through the protocol for declaring nuclear war.’
He looked stricken. ‘Is it going to come to that?’
‘Not if I can help it,’ she said. ‘But I have to be ready for anything. Let’s sit down.’
They sat opposite one another on the couches. ‘You’re familiar with the atomic football,’ he said.
‘Yes, although that’s really for use when I’m out of the White House.’
‘Okay, so if you’re here, which is likely, the first thing you’re supposed to do is meet with top advisors.’
‘Everybody thinks this is a decision of the president alone.’
‘In practice it is, because there’s not likely to be time for discussion, but, if possible, you have to do it.’
‘Well, I guess I’d want to, if I could.’
‘You might just speak to me. Allow a minute.’
‘What next?’
‘Step two, you call the War Room at the Pentagon, using the special phone in the atomic football if you’re not here in the White House. When you reach them, you need to prove your identity. You have the Biscuit?’
Pauline took from her pocket an opaque plastic case. ‘I’m going to open it,’ she said.
‘The only way to do that is to snap it in two.’
‘I know.’ She took the little case in both hands and twisted in opposite directions. It broke easily to reveal a plastic rectangle like a credit card. The card was changed every day.
Gus said: ‘Whatever is printed on the card is the identification code.’
‘It says: Twenty-three Hotel Victor.’
‘You read it to them and they’ll know it’s you giving the order.’
‘And that’s it?’
‘Not yet, no. Step three, the War Room sends out an encrypted order to the crews of missile launchers, submarines and bomber aircraft. Elapsed time is now three minutes.’
‘And now the crews have to decode the order.’
‘Yes…’
He did not addobviously, but a hint of impatience in his voice made Pauline realize that she was interrupting with stupid questions, a sign that the discussion was making her tense. I need to stay very calm today, she thought. She said: ‘Sorry, dumb question. Go on.’
‘The War Room’s order gives targets, time of launch, and the codes required to unlock the warheads. Unless the emergency has come as a total surprise, those targets will normally have been pre-approved by you.’
‘But I haven’t—’
‘Bill’s going to send you a list in the next hour or so.’
‘Okay.’
‘Step four is launch preparation. Crews have to confirm the authentication codes, enter the target co-ordinates and unlock the missiles. Up until this point it is possible for you to countermand your order.’
