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Page 266
this year. Under the circumstances, we are entitled to hear the truth from you"
As Caidin's words grew more harsh, Vincent Kellner rose from his seat and walked to the side of the room, frowning at the President, trying to calm him.
Charlotte Conroy was alarmed at the tenor of the President's message. Stop, be careful, she implored silently. A lesson of her childhood sprang to mindwhen playing crack the whip, the person at the end of the line must remember to take very small, very cautious steps, or be flung out into the unknown. She couldn't bear to watch the exchange any longer; she left the room altogether.
But Cole Caidin shrugged off Kellner's murmured warning. He had sincerely come to believe that he and Aleksandr Cherny were friends, personal friends. This friendship, and the attendant diminishment of superpower tensions, had been a central feature of his Administration's policy, one that had garnered much praise around the diplomatic world. Now his goodwill was being met with ingratitude and, by inference, humiliation and betrayal. Caidin was absolutely convinced of his righteousness.
"Since you refuse to accept my warning, President Cherny, let me make my position clear, No matter what threat we face from you, the United States cannot and will not accept a radical change of government in Russia, a fascist regime." The President touched his jaw again. The throbbing pain stiffened his resolve. "We have approached you in friendship, to give you vital information that you choose to ignore. If a weapon was emplaced in Hudson Bay, it indicates that a Soyuz government armed with nuclear missiles is an unacceptable risk for the United States"
Vincent Kellner closed his eyes and shook his head, knowing what came next, appalled at the outcome of this encounter.
"Therefore, Mr. President," Caidin said heavily, "it shall be the policy of the United States of America that any unlawful change in the government of Russia will be considered an

 
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