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He says they've only shot down three planes. |
Well, if you choose to take his word over mine |
Look, he's there, and you're here. |
Mister President, there were thirtyfour aircraft involved. Thirty acknowledged the recall. That makes four shot down. |
Hello, are you still there?...Uhhuh...I'll be right back. We're still working this thing out. |
How do you know they were shot down, Buck? |
Well, just common sense, sir. Thirty from thirtyfour equals four, or my name's not "Buck" Schmuck! |
Yes? |
Well, sir, it looks like one aircraft, the "Leper Colony", failed to receive the recall. |
Have you tried the recall again? |
Yes, sir. We're still sending it. But it's a funny thing we don't seem to be able to make any contact with the aircraft at all. |
What's the target. |
Well, the Premier doped it out pretty well. Its primary is their missile base at Laputa. |
Is there any chance a single aircraft can penetrate the entire enemy Air Defense, when its course and target are known? |
If I can speak freely, sir look, these guys talk big, but frankly, we think they're short of knowhow. You can't just take a bunch of ignorant peasants and expect them to understand a machine like one of our boys, and I don't mean that as an insult, Mister Ambassador. Hell, we all know what kind of guts your people hav... |
General, stick to the point, please. |
Well, sir, if the A/C's a really good man, I mean really sharp, why he can barrel that plane along so low well you just have to see it some time. A real big plane, like a Sting Ray, zigzagging in, its jet exhaust frying chickens in the barnyard Has he a chance?.....Hell, yes! He has one hell of a chance. |
You've lied to me twice I'm sorry, but it will be strictly routine. These men are experts. |
Zlat, make sure the secret service boys care fully search his seven body orifices. |
What's the gun for, General Ripper? |
Please don't take any notice of this weapon, Major. I love all weapons, and as of late, I've just taken to keeping a loaded weapon nearby at all times. |
Sort of like a new hobby, huh, General? |
That's right, Major. |
I see you're playing your radio, Major. Isn't that contrary to my instructions for the personnel of this base? |
Oh, it's not my radio, sir. I picked it up in the communications center. |
I didn't mean for anyone to play anyone else's radio either, Major. |
Yes, sir. General, can I ask a question? |
Certainly, Major Mandrake. You're a good officer, and you can ask me a question any time you want to. |
Well, General Ripper, sir I was thinking we're on a condition red, aren't we? |
That is correct, Major. |
And a condition red means enemy attack in progress, doesn't it? |
You know the regulations well, Major. |
Well, sir, I was thinking, if an enemy attack is in progress, how come the radio's still playing music? It's supposed to go off, and all we should hear are Civil Defense broadcasts. |
That's a good question, Major. Maybe if you think hard, you can think of the answer yourself. |
Well, I was thinking, maybe an enemy attack is not in progress? |
And if that were true? |
But then, sir, why have you issued the order: Wing attack, PlanR? |
Because I thought it proper, Major. Why else would you think I'd do it? |
Suppose that were the case? |
But why...that would be an awful thing to do, sir. |
Perhaps, Major. Perhaps. Pour me a scotch and soda, please. And help yourself to whatever you like. |
Don't fret about it, Major. There's nothing anyone can do about it now. I'm the only one who knows the threeletter code group for the CRM114. |
I know that, sir. |
We've come a long way since World War II, Major. And the lessons we've learned are all in PlanR. |
I suppose they are, sir. |
You're damned right they are. |
How much soda, sir. |
Just a squirt. |
That about right? |
Perfect. Thank you, Major. And now let's drink a toast. |
What shall we drink to, sir? |
To peace on earth. |
General Ripper, can I ask another question? |
Ask away, Major. |
Well, General I was wondering, why are you doing this? I mean why do you want to start the war? |
I've given it alot of thought, Major. Don't think I haven't. |
No, sir. I mean I didn't think you hadn't given it a lot of thought. |
Do you remember what Clemenceau once said about war? |
I don't think so, sir. |
He said war was too important a matter to be left to Generals. |
I see. |
When he said it, fifty years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to the politicians. Do you follow me, Major? |
I'm trying to, sir. |
You see, Major, at this very moment, while we sit and chat, a decision is being made by the President in the War Room. He knows that the enemy will pick up our planes on their radar in about twenty minutes. |
But when they do, sir, won't they hit back with everything they've got? |
If we haven't taken any further action, they certainly will. Doyyourhappen to remember the statistics on our casualties in the event of a fullscale enemy attack? |
Well, I think I remember reading the report on that. Wasn't it something like a hundred and sixty million? |
That's close enough, Major. |
But then why do you want to kill a hundred and sixty million of our people, sir? |
You're being dense, Major. I certainly don't |
I suppose we might catch them off their guard. |
Our missiles would impact before my planes were even discovered by the enemy, wouldn't they? |
I guess so. |
I know so, Major. I know so. And add to that, the whole Air Command force being committed to clobber everything they've got. |
But even then, we wouldn't get everything. I mean some missiles would abort, or they'd miss their targets, or maybe the enemy have some secret bases we don't know about. |
You're absolutely right. You forgot to mention their nuclear subs. But it wouldn't matter. Sure we wouldn't get off without getting our hair mussed, but we'd prevail. I don't think we'd lose more than fifty million people, tops. |
But if you just let things alone, we wouldn't lose anyone. |
Major Mandrake, I guess you don't follow what's going on too closely, do you? |
Where, sir? |
Where? Everywhere, Major. Everywhere. |
Well, I know they've been going on for years, and they haven't gotten any place. |
Not yet, Major. Not yet. |
And I guess they won't until they agree to let us inspect inside their country. |
You're very naive, Major. Don't they say they want disarmament? |
Yes, sir. But so do we. |
But we mean it because we are a peace loving country. Are they a peaceloving country, Major. |
I don't know, sir. But they're just as anxious to avoid a nuclear war as we are. War just doesn't make sense any more, for anybody. |
But war doesn't make sense precisely because the weapons can kill an entire country right? |
Right. |
Then don't you realize the Bomb gives us Peace not War? And, if that's the case, I ask you again: Why do they want disarmament? |
Well, sir, like I said, for the same reasons we do. I mean, all the experts say the most likely way for War to start nowadays is by an accident, or a mistake, or by some mentally unbalanced person |
Go on, Major. |
I was just going to say, as long as the weapons exist, sooner or later something's going to happen and that'll be it for both countries. |
I've heard the arguments. Like Napoleon's quote, "There's one thing you can't do with a bayonet, and that's sit on it." |
That's right, sir. And don't forget in a few years a lot of other countries will have the bomb. What if they start something? |
Go on, Major. You fascinate me. |
Well, sir, I remember an example that pointed out that if a system was safe on 99.99% of the days of the year, given average luck it would fail in thirty years. |
I still ask, why do they want disarmament? |
Well, for the same reasons we do, sir. Don't you see? |
No, Major, I don't. They have no regard for human life. They wouldn't care if they lost their whole country as long as they won. |
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