Chapter 3: Visions of Armageddon

Thursday, August 23

Lois and I generally slept separately, as the hormones of this new body tended to have me react too fast. Sometimes, though, we did cuddle through the night. I certainly didn’t object to the increasing sexuality, which, through James Bong, the Others assured me would deepen our bonding.

Images of nuclear explosions, and of killers in the night, awakened meWaking up quite early. I suppose it was partially memory and partially Others-enabled vision, but I became certain that I remembered that today, the President issued a tightly held document, National Security Action Memorandum 181. In it, he reviewed several things associated with Operation MONGOOSE, the CIA program to assassinate Fidel Castro. It occurred to me that if I needed to send some anonymous but plausible messages that could get to top leaders, mentioning the word MONGOOSE could help.

Kennedy asked for psychological analysis of public knowledge of surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles in Cuba. Could this be another “entry point” for me to suggest inside knowledge? It was a huge problem for me to communicate such that the top leadership would listen, but also would not have the FBI chasing me and trying to get me under control.

That gave me an idea – I might be ill-advised to try to reach leaders directly, but perhaps could find ways to leak information to lower levels, such as NSA or CIA analysts.

Looking to my side, and smiled to realize that sometime in the night, Lois had slipped into the bed. The covers had fallen away, and she deserved a minute or two of appreciation. She wore an essentially transparent black nightgown, through which her deep red nipples, and the trimmed landing zone of pubic hair, were apparent. Her breasts were proud, over a trim but not ripped waist and hips.

James appeared on the bed. “Take her into your arms and use your abilities to share your knowledge and memories.”

Gently waking her, I looked forward to the most delightful teaching technique that I could imagine. “Lois, I don’t know if this is just a memory or a message from the Others, but I know, with certainty, that the President is increasingly concerned with Cuba. Attune yourself to me, and let me share what I know.

“In National Security Action Memorandum 181, which the President issued today to an extremely tight circle, reviewed several things associated with Operation MONGOOSE, the government-wide, mostly CIA, program to assassinate Fidel Castro. It occurred to me that if I needed to send some anonymous but plausible messages that could get to top leaders, mentioning the word MONGOOSE could help. I reflected on MONGOOSE.

“After the fiasco of the Bay of Pigs, Kennedy developed a distrust of CIA, and of the Joint Chiefs at that time -- although he had been warned that the Bay of Pigs invasion was not militarily viable.

“Castro had become personal for him, clouding his judgment, much as in my timeline, Lyndon Johnson focused his ego on Ho Chi Minh.

“Kennedy ordered studies on how best he could destabilize Cuba and remove Castro and his immediate circle. Robert Kennedy was as or more emotional about it; Bobby had often been the more activist of the brothers.

“I remembered a CIA document that described how the Kennedys had “chewed out” the director of clandestine operations, Richard Bissell, “for sitting on his ass and not doing anything about getting rid of Castro and the Castro regime.”

“CIA’s infrastructure of agents in Cuba had been damaged by roundups after the invasion, but the Kennedys had trouble accepting the slow pace of such rebuilding. Having lost confidence in Bissell, and the CIA organization, he brought in Brigadier General Edward Lansdale, variously regarded as a genius and a demon for covert operations. His greatest success had been teaming with President Ramon Magsaysay to end, in a positive manner, the Hukbalahap Communist insurgency in the Philippines. His reputation was more mixed, as he worked, in 1954 to 1956, to establish covert operations in French Indochina and then the two Vietnams.

“The President set up the Special Group subcommittee of the National Security Council, charged with overseeing the MONGOOSE program. Lansdale was attached to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, although he was to work with John McCone, the Director of Central Intelligence, to use CIA resources.

“Bissell, who previously had had incredible success in creating the nation’s photoreconnaissance satellites, was left twisting in the wind. He had resigned, along with the previous DCI, Allen Dulles.

Kennedy asked for psychological analysis of public knowledge of surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles in Cuba. Could this be another “entry point” for me to suggest inside knowledge? It was a huge problem for me to communicate such that the top leadership would listen, but also would not have the FBI chasing me and trying to get me under control.

“Lois, that’s basic information. Where do we go from here? I might be ill-advised to try to reach leaders directly, but perhaps could find ways to leak information to lower levels, such as NSA or CIA analysts.

Code words

“I’m trying to figure out how I could influence anything, if I decide to influence anything at all. I do know some code words that could connect me with the Army Command Post and at least one-stars, but I’d like to save that for something in real time.

“We’d want to be extremely careful in mailing anything, since the FBI is very good at backtracking letters. Still, I know various code words that themselves are classified, and would have instant credibility in a letter.”

“Code words?”, she asked.

“You know that there are basic security markings such as SECRET and TOP SECRET?” She nodded. “Especially sensitive documents have additional markings. For example, things that are in the area of signals intelligence, at least, carry a stamp HANDLE THROUGH COMINT CHANNELS ONLY. Do you know anything about the National Security Agency (NSA)?”

“Only that it’s a very secret part of the intelligence community (IC), and might be where the codebreakers and codemakers work.”

“That’s correct. They do a lot more. What you’re describing is part of the discipline of communications intelligence, or COMINT. There are other disciplines, such as electronic intelligence or ELINT, which analyzes radar and other non-communications things. Anyway, an especially sensitive paper describing a COMINT success wouldn’t just be stamped TOP SECRET, but, at the present time, TOP SECRET DINAR. Later this year, the DINAR word would appear in a press photograph and an annoyed NSA had to spend $250,000 for new rubber stamps and procedures.

“You can imagine, then, the flap that would take place if some letter arriving contained, in an appropriate way, the DINAR caveat. Another code word, IRONBARK, this time used by CIA, identifies material from our most important spy in the Soviet Union, whose name I won’t mention at this time.

“What I’m wondering is whether we could do some reverse honey traps. A honey trap, in CIA jargon, is the use of seduction, by a spy, to get information. What I call a reverse honey trap would be a loyal American giving information into the national security apparatus, by seducing someone in it.

“Would you, or some girlfriends, or even students, be willing to do such an operation? The powers tell me I’ll have some ability to influence people, including sexually -- but I do have a set of ethics. I want someone to make the informed decision to do things. I’m fine on using my powers to improve their seductive abilities.”

Lois could very well have some utterly loyal girlfriends that could do a reverse honey trap, seducing for the good side of the force and telling rather than taking information. I sat down with her, over tea -- this body had not yet gotten a thorough coffee habit although I was working on it. We sipped tea, thoughtfully. This body had not yet formed a coffee addiction. “Harold, what is your goal in this?”

“Let me state what I think is my key objective: keep the crisis in moderation. In my timeline, JFK’s response wasn’t ideal in every respect, but it avoided a nuclear war that was more imminent than anyone in the U.S. realized. Finding that compromise meant walking a delicate line between radicals of all views, including hard-liners in the American, Cuban, and Soviet governments.

“If things work out, we’ll have a peaceful if diplomatically awkward solution. This will contribute to preventing disasters in a couple of more years, which will strengthen JFK to avoid them.” I didn’t want to mention the Kennedy assassination and Johnson’s getting us enmeshed in Vietnam.

“I see the most important approach is to strengthen Kennedy’s position and prevent a catastrophe. Remember, he’s already had the experience of one catastrophe with the Bay of Pigs. It’s little known that he brought a graceful end to the Operation WHITE STAR counterinsurgency program in Laos.

James put words in my mind. “You can’t say anything about the Kennedy assassination, or the alternate outcome if it can be prevented. Do, however, think about it, and that JFK’s ego was much less controlling than was LBJ’s.”

Agents of access and of influence

“It would be wise to try to get means of communication to people who can influence key people in the Administration. Let me share several terms. An agent of influence actually can get opinions heard by the target. An access agent gets you access to an agent of influence, or to the principal if you can talk directly to the principal.

A long shot is to the President’s sex life. His assistant appointments secretary, Dave Powers, we learned, got playmates for him, and sometimes joined him for group sex. One such person was a virginal intern, Mimi Beardsley, who sometimes slept with him during the Crisis. A couple of secretaries called Fiddle and Faddle, but actually Priscilla Ware and Jill Cowen.

“Maybe we can get contacts in the military or in intelligence. It’s funny to think that when a hostile power uses sex to get secrets, they call it a honey trap.

“Yes, Harold. I have contacts, but not nearly as many as my friend Terry, whom you haven’t really met as yet.” She hesitated. “You’re going to get intensely involved with her, but the Others want that to wait until school starts. You know her daughter, Arlene.”

“That bitch? Nasty.”

“I know, personally, that she’s much more intelligent than she lets on. The Others tell me that it’s important and possible for you two to work together, and also involve her mother, whom I know very, very...” She blushed a little. “ ... very well.”

I picked up on her cue. “You and Arlene’s mother are friends with benefits?”

“Yes. But Terry is also a Registered Companion and trains them. Think of how important Registered Companions could be to your mission. Arlene hasn’t publicized it around school, but she has Companion-in-Training status.” I really hadn’t met any RCs, but I knew of their reputation in this timeline. Charming, intensely sexual, ethical. Not that it was difficult for me to grow hard at my chronological age, my pants tented.

Amateur Companionship

Lois noticed. “Good. Now, will I do for now?

“You will do very well.” I noticed that this morning, rather than her beatnik boots, she wore stiletto-heeled bedroom sandals, of which I fully approved. “Let’s play with some kinks. Go to that nice recliner and hook your legs over its arms. Show off your lovely crotch and legs.” I slipped out of my robe. “Let’s masturbate at each other.”

She moaned happily, and did as I suggested. Lois pulled aside the crotch of her leotard, revealing that her fishnets were sheer to the waist, with no panties. For a minute or so, she fondled through them, and then said “the hell with it” and ripped them open. Her fingers rapidly strummed her clit, and then went up and down between her nether lips.

Pulling down my sleep pants, my hand moved with equal speed. She remembered a comment of mine, and stretched a leg out to me, saying “enjoy my slut shoes.” I made eye contact, and then licked her heel, not submissively but confirming how she projected sexuality through it.