Chapter 143

I was up early; my mates were coming tonight for the fund raiser at Dayton Ohio. It was a sold out event at the coliseum with sixty thousand seats, plus all the floor space.

Dayton was home to Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the Air Force museum. It was also part of the steel belt that was recovering after steel jobs went abroad to Japan first, then Korea and later China.

` President Thomas - being from Kansas - had a special place in his heart for what was known as the rust belt and fly-over country. His administration worked hard to continue and expand growth and jobs in the region.

Auto manufactures rebuilt several closed auto plants. New technologies cleaned up dirty industries. New machining and casting technologies along with better quality control had drawn big contracts from aerospace and other manufacturers.

Parts could be designed, manufactured, tested and delivered to aircraft manufacturing industries in Texas, California, Georgia, Maryland and Oregon in hours, not the days it took from China and Japan.

A new battery company had been started with the latest technology in batteries for hybrid and electric cars. Not only did they produce the battery, they produced super-efficient electric motors to go with them. Then they started producing the complete drive train. The company has expanded several times plus adding a second and third shift.

Adam had worked on the speech. I read the hard copy, made some suggestions, asked some questions and sent it back for refinement. I would test speak it with the teleprompter at lunch.

Grady Sinclair from the State Department was back; I spent the rest of the morning getting educated about Nigeria. At 1100 I put the process in play to make the call to the emir of Nigeria. A general outline of the topics of the conversation and a requested time for the call was some of the things that had to be discussed. Both parties had to be in agreement at diplomatic levels before heads of state could have an open conversation.

The only exception to that rule were the red and green phones on my desk in the Oval Office. The red phone was direct to the Kremlin and the green phone was to the British Prime Minister.

President Obama had the green phone and the bust of Churchill removed. President Trump had both reinstalled. President Thomas kept the bust and phone. President Thomas called the British Prime Minister often, usually to discuss NATO matters and other challenges in Europe.

I had talked with Prime Minister Attenborough multiple times. I had invited him to the White House and he had invited me to State visits and to address the Parliament. I had agreed to go in June and he would come to America in July.

After lunch the call was approved. The Emir would be available for my call at 1300; that would leave me an hour before my mates were to arrive. We were to immediately leave for Andrews and then Dayton.

I called on time and began a guarded conversation that slowly picked up steam. We talked about his vision for his country and then about its current problems. We discussed the agreement with Black Bear security forces in the northern areas.

I asked him if he knew that Black Bear had been taken over by Jones Business Groups and that I was President of Jones Business Groups before I became President of the United States.

‘‘I know some of the details,’’ he replied.

‘‘My family members took over because of US laws when I became President. But I must admit I follow some of the things that happen,’’ I said.

‘‘I know through their intelligence that Boko-Haram was on their way to destroy Gusau. The Boko-Haram unit that ran into the JBG joint expeditionary force was only one of two that were to meet up close to the town,’’ I said.

‘‘I know that President Thomas extended offers of cooperation in intelligence gathering and training for your army. I wanted to extend that offer again.’’

‘‘I would also like to have more talks with you about possibly helping you achieve some of your goals for your people,’’ I said.

‘‘The Polokwane mining town and its rebuild - is that a JBG project or a US government project?’’ he asked.

‘‘It is a JBG project. We bought the mines, the town and the surrounding area. We rebuilt everything and extended the runway so we could get men and equipment in and out, added a hospital, medical clinic and food stores.’’

“We needed a Doppler radar there to assist the heavy cargo planes we use. The radar was a joint project with the US Air Force, NASA - our space agency - and NOA - our weather agency. All of them had various needs in the area; it made the radar affordable for JBG,’’ I said.

‘‘Are you still helping the refugee camp?” he asked.

‘‘ Yes we do,’’ I said.

‘‘We have the need for many such projects and have oil revenue to pay for them, but corruption from foreign companies cripple the projects with inferior materials and slow progress,’’ he said.

‘‘Unless you don’t have any workers available, it doesn’t make sense to contract out the complete project. Contract out the engineering and supervision if necessary. But let the bidder train your people to be builders, masons, plumbers carpenters and welders and many projects will get done without outside contracting,’’ I said.

‘‘You have a different opinion than the Chinese - they insist on what they call turnkey as loans,’’ he said.

‘‘You don’t need turnkey or loans, you have more than enough oil revenue to begin pay as you go projects for your people by your own people. Improved infrastructure will increase oil and minerals output to pay the way without loans.’’

‘‘Beware of loans that are intended to get your resources for nothing and force you to give up control of your lands,’’ I said.

‘‘I agree,’’ he said.

‘‘ I invite you and your advisors to Washington where can put together a plan along the lines we have discussed. We can discuss grants of assistance for construction training and additional security in the north,’’ I said.

‘‘I will take your offer under advisement and respond soon. I do want to work closer with your JBG security in the north. We shall make contact with them and offer more assistance and it may require more from your company,’’ the Emir said and ended the call.