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WHITE HOUSE PRESS ROOM
WASHINGTON, DC
FRIDAY; 18 MAY
3:30 PM EDT
CHAPTER 30
White House Press Secretary Lauren Hart stood at the podium and
leaned close to the bank of microphones. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she
said, “the President of the United States.”
The men and women of the news media came to their feet as President
Chandler strode into the room. The usual smattering of polite applause
died away when he reached the podium.
White House Chief of Staff Veronica Doyle watched from just inside
the door.
Camera flashes began popping at irregular intervals. The president
looked out over the assembled press corps and marshaled his thoughts.
“Good afternoon,” he said finally. “As most of you are no doubt aware,
five days ago, a squadron of German war planes engaged in an extended
sea battle with two warships of the British Royal Navy. One of the British
ships, HMS York, was sunk as a result, and the other ship, HMS Chatham,
was severely damaged. Four German aircraft were destroyed. Over two
hundred British Sailors were killed, as well as the pilots of the downed
German planes.
“Last night, shortly before midnight eastern daylight time, two
squadrons of British Sea Harriers conducted coordinated missile strikes on
a German warship in the North Sea, apparently in retaliation for the earlier
attacks on York and Chatham. The German guided-missile frigate FGS
Sachsen sustained major damage. Eighty-six German Sailors were killed
along with one British pilot, who failed to eject when his aircraft was
destroyed.
“There has been a great deal of speculation in the media as to who fired
the first shot, and—more to the point—what led the German and British
navies into conflict to begin with.
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