The Committee: The Assassination of Presidents

By Brian D. Pardo

World War Two was over. America got down to business. Using the technology the war brought, America went to work, making life better for everybody. Huge advances in science, medicine, construction, and technology promised a better country for Americans and a better world to live in for all.
Over 70 percent of Americans believed their government was truthful, honest, and had their best interests at heart. Today those numbers are exactly reversed. After paying off the war debt, who would have believed just six decades later the government would be functionally broke, relying on ever-increasing debt and using the Social Security Trust Fund as a virtual piggy bank until it has been depleted and turned into a de facto Ponzi scheme!
The Cold War, President Johnsons War on Poverty, and an ever-expanding government rife with corruption and greed lost its purpose turning America into a nation of have and have-nots, the regulators and the regulated.
By 1960, assassination became not only accepted but the preferred way to work out problems. The problem is Americans are moral people and do not condone such activities. But lying became the norm. Cover-up at almost any cost is commonplace in our government today and has been for decades.
Today, 70 percent of Americans do not trust the government because the government isnt trustworthy! When did it start? Who started it? It began with the killing of a president! Assassination is not new, but high-level assassination by the government is! Where will it end?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493123261

Brian D. Pardo

Brian Dodd Pardo was born on October 1, 1942. Brian’s mother was on a train on her way to California (when she left the train in Pittsburg, PA to give birth) after his father was transferred to the Pacific Fleet. After the war Brian’s family moved to Phoenix, Arizona where Brian and his brother along with a younger sister were raised. Brian attended Arizona State University where he studied Political Science, Philosophy and Business Administration. Prior to graduation Brian left Arizona State to join the US Army after the Cuban missile crisis caused him to believe the United States was about to go to war with Russia. Brian spent almost seven years in the military when he was honorably discharged as a combat pilot and veteran of the Vietnam War. He married his high school sweetheart and has two daughters and three grandchildren. Brian lives in Waco, Texas where he has resided since 1976.

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PREFACE

W ORLD WAR TWO was over. America got down to business. Using the technology the war brought, America went to work, making life better for everybody. Huge advances in science, medicine, construction, and technology promised a better country for Americans and a better world to live in for all.

Over 70 percent of Americans believed their government was truthful, honest, and had their best interests at heart. Today those numbers are exactly reversed. After paying off the war debt, who would have believed just six decades later the government would be functionally broke, relying on ever-increasing debt and using the Social Security Trust Fund as a virtual piggy bank until it has been depleted and turned into a de facto Ponzi scheme!

The Cold War, President Johnson’s War on Poverty, and an ever-expanding government rife with corruption and greed lost its purpose turning America into a nation of have and have-nots, the regulators and the regulated.

By 1960, assassination became not only accepted but the preferred way to work out problems. The problem is Americans are moral people and do not condone such activities. But lying became the norm. Cover-up at almost any cost is commonplace in our government today and has been for decades.

Today, 70 percent of Americans do not trust the government because the government isn’t trustworthy! When did it start? Who started it? It began with the killing of a president! Assassination is not new, but high-level assassination by the government is! Where will it end?

PART ONE

Nantucket Island

H AVING JUST RETURNED from more than a year in Korea, I am now on my way to see my new girlfriend who worked closely with me over there as well. She had invited me to her family’s summer home on Nantucket Island for a family visit before we both returned to active duty in Washington, DC.

Julia, this is Hawk.

Hi, Hawk. Are you on Nantucket Island yet?

No, I am in Boston. I am at the private air terminal at Logan Airport. I have the reservation, but they said my reservation is for Hyannis Port. I thought you said your family had a place on Nantucket Island.

Yes, that’s right, Hawk. I said the wrong city just in case someone was listening in. Our family compound is on Nantucket Island. It is just a short flight by helicopter to the airport here. I will be waiting for you. I am glad you are here.

Okay, I will see you in a little while.

I have to admit, when Julia does it, she does it right. Here I am in civilian clothes and the staff here is treating me like royalty. I am excited to see Julia. It has only been two-and-a-half weeks since we left Korea, but it seems like a lifetime ago. In a way it was. I have the sense this is a new beginning and I guess it is.

My super sweet Korean fiancé, Bonnie, suddenly died over there along with our newborn child. She became a national hero and preoccupies my mind continually, and I think she will until the day I die. I had a will made out when I was home on leave that if something happens to me or maybe I should say when something happens to me I want my body shipped to South Korea and buried next to her just as we planned. Julia Francis helped me through this tragedy, and I am falling in love with her!

Major Hawk?

Yes, sir.

I am your pilot, sir. We have your luggage loaded. We are ready when you are.

Well, that’s great because I am ready right now.

Sir, this is rather unusual, but a request came down that we divert from the airport on the island and land on the helipad directly in front of General Francis’s beach house. I assume you are okay with that, sir?

Absolutely, let’s get going.

This was Julia’s fine touch. She does it right! There is no doubt about that. Since it was just me and the pilot, I climbed into the copilot’s seat and we lifted off. The pilot took the scenic beach route along the mainland coast and then swung out toward the island when it came into view. What a beautiful place. Small fishing and pleasure boats dotted the water all around the island. The pilot flew low so I could actually see the faces of the boaters looking up at us. It was a picturesque sight!

Some of the houses on the beaches are magnificent and then some are smaller and quaint, but all have a wonderful view of the ocean or the bay. Julia’s place was right on the ocean. The pilot pointed it out to me as we approached from the southwest.

We come here pretty often. The General hardly ever leaves the compound, but we see a lot of military and high level civilian traffic in there. He must be pretty important.

I wouldn’t know. I didn’t come here to see him. My short answer and the tone of my voice let him know I don’t like to be questioned. I feel sure he meant no harm, but you never know. He told me he was instructed to call on a frequency he was not familiar with when we approached the helipad just inside the seawall.

I just nodded, and he made his call. Then as we approached, the security men became more visible. As we landed, a security officer told him to keep running as they unloaded my bags. I got out and saw Julia jogging toward me in short shorts and a brief tank top blouse. To say she looked good would be a colossal understatement. She looks great! She had a huge smile on her face and immediately grabbed me and hugged me as if we hadn’t seen each other for a very long time.

Welcome to our humble summer home!

I am more than happy to be here, Julia. It is good to see you. It looks like you have been spending some time on the water.

Oh, just every day waiting for you, Hawk! Come on let’s go up on the veranda. Dad and I were just about to have lunch. We have a place set for you.

That’s great, Julia. I am starving. I almost missed my flight to Boston and that stupid airline had a bag of peanuts they didn’t want to part with it seemed!

Oh, I know. I hate to fly commercial. From now on, Uncle Sam will haul us around in one of those Air Force private jets!

I could see Julia’s father studying me very closely as we approached. I hope Julia didn’t play me up too big. Well, it didn’t matter now. Still, I was strangely nervous almost like I was back in school meeting my girlfriend’s dad for the first time.

General Francis immediately stood up and offered his hand to me. As we shook hands, he started the conversation. I am pleased to meet you, Hawk. I can call you Hawk?

Oh yes, sir. It is a pleasure meeting you, General. You daughter is very proud of you as I am sure she should be!

The feeling is mutual, Hawk. She feels the same way about you too. I have complete faith in her judgment. You are welcome here. Please sit down. We were just about to have lunch.

I joined Julia and her father. It couldn’t have gone better. He has complete knowledge of everything we did in Korea, and I don’t think he missed a single point. I am genuinely surprised at the depth of his knowledge.

The General did most of the talking, but every so often Julia would try to slow him down a little. But it was really better with me. I like to listen before I talk. I think he just didn’t want to intimidate me, but possibly he didn’t realize that would never happen. Julia was more than aware, but she could see I was being very polite.

After lunch she suggested we take the boat out. The General politely excused himself, but suggested us youngsters go and have a fun time. I was more than ready. As Julia and I walked down to the dock, she boldly took my hand and held it tight all the way. I thought that was mostly for her father, but maybe for me too.

Two military guards had the boat ready for us and asked if we wanted them to come with us. I looked them right in the eye and allowed as how I could handle it. Just as Julia was boarding the boat, the guard looked at me and smiled with a wink. She’s all yours, Major!

As we left the dock, the General watched observantly from the veranda and then walked into the house. Julia told me we should circumnavigate the island. Show me the way, baby, this is my first time.

Did you say your first time, Hawk?

I meant my first time in the boat, Julia. You know what I meant! We both laughed. I pulled her close to me and kissed her. She told me she knew of a neat little spot where we could anchor the boat in clear shallow water kind of hidden in a cove. Show me the way!

As we pulled up to a beautiful secluded spot not fifty feet from shore, I turned off the engines and threw the anchor overboard. As I did this, Julia was out of her clothes in thirty seconds and dove naked into the clear water. She surfaced and turned to me, Come on in, Hawk! The water is great.

Yes, and so are you, Julia! I stripped down and jumped in beside her. We held each other and worked our way toward shore where we made mad passionate love. Damn, Julia, you are so hot… I mean hot!

I missed you, Hawk. I don’t think a day or night has gone by that I haven’t thought about this minute. And then when you finally got here, I thought my dad was never going to shut up.

Speaking of your dad, he probably has a satellite looking at us right now.

No, Hawk. I told him we are serious. He knows the whole story, Bonnie and all. He likes you. He respects you. After all, you came up with the plan that saved millions of lives and put the Korean situation behind us.

I thought the President did that. At least that is what he said on TV to the nation. We both laughed. Politicians, you can’t live with them or without them that’s for damn sure! Fundamentally, most are just parasites on the body politic!

"I know, Hawk. And so do the people that count. Presidents will come and go, but the military will always be here. We have a very long institutional memory, Hawk. We know exactly which Presidents have done what! We won’t forget either."

Thank God for that. Hey, I am on a beautiful beach with my gorgeous redhead and what are we doing… talking politics? We changed the subject and spent most of the rest of the afternoon just talking and making love. I could feel her strength when I held her. Julia is a good woman, a really good woman! I lost one good woman—I am not going to lose another.

Later, we swam back to the boat and climbed in, got dressed, and headed for the house.

As we pulled up to the dock, the security guards helped dock the boat. The senior guard asked politely if we had a nice time. Julia smiled demurely and assured him we had. She said she would show me where my room is, and we could get cleaned up for dinner. Her father liked to eat early and then conveniently retire to his quarters I was told.

When we got to my room, my bags had been unpacked and everything neatly put away. "I hope you don’t mind, my dad has a fetish for squared away rooms as he always calls them."

No, no, I don’t mind at all. I am going to take a shower and then I will be down.

Me too, she replied with a giggle!

Oh, maybe we could just take our shower together.

Don’t push it, soldier! Julia smiled and hurried off to her room.

Man, what a place. Or maybe I should say palace! The entire interior is very ornate with many, many works of original art. The General is a collector of the first order. At dinner, served by impeccable waiters, I asked him about many of his pieces of art.

Seeing that I was genuinely interested, he discussed his major pieces that had been in the family since he was a child, long before he became the patriarch of the family. His father was a West Point Graduate too and army General as well when he retired.

He enjoyed talking about the family’s art collection, especially to someone who could appreciate the cultural value as well as the monetary value of the collection. Julia was just as enthused. She pointed out that these were just their summer home collection. Back in Washington, the General lived in an even larger mansion with even more collected pieces of art. Obviously this is a very wealthy family.

I also discovered that Julia’s brothers and their wives had just left last week, so I would not get to meet them on this trip. Her oldest brother, her favorite, was in New York where the family maintained an apartment on Fifth Avenue, on the Upper East Side right across from Central Park. Julia told me she loved to jog in the park, with several big body guards of course. My mother loved this place!

The General finally asked me if I was following the situation in Iran. I honestly answered I knew very little about it as I was more focused on the Far East and Vietnam in particular.

"Well, Hawk, I would like to discuss the situation in Iraq and Israel with you in depth over the next couple of days, and the Shah of Iran who is a strong ally of ours, and the United Kingdom as well. He has a thoroughly modern army thanks to us and, more particularly, a modern air force right on the border with southern most Russia. The Russians don’t like it one bit either, but they like extreme Islamists even less!

"We also have medium range ballistic missile batteries in Iran under our control directly aimed at Russia. To be frank, I am worried about the stability of the Shah’s government, and I do not have a lot of faith in the CIA’s ability to contain the situation. In fact, there is a lot I don’t like about the CIA.

Would you be interested in discussing a mission there with me? And you too, Julia?

Yes, sir, General. I would be more than happy to talk about it. Wouldn’t you too, honey, ah, I mean, Julia?

The General smiled. Well good, tomorrow then. Right now I am going to retire to my quarters and leave you two to your own devices!

Julia got up and walked over and hugged her dad. You are the greatest, Dad! I don’t know how I could be so lucky to have two such wonderful and capable men in my life. I love you both!

The General smiled, We love you too, honey. I feel confident about that. You are a good man, Hawk. I know you saved my daughter’s life and looked after her. I am eternally grateful for that.

I think it was the other way around, General. Julia is a chip off the old block! I can definitely see that, sir!

Well, good night then. I will see you both in the morning. With that, the General took leave for his quarters along with one security officer. After he left, Julia told me a security officer watched over her dad at all times. They are in the house and on the grounds day and night. Like the President, General Francis is under 24/7 protection although maybe not quite that intense as the President! Of course, the General is not a public figure either.

Julia told me that he had the most comprehensive knowledge of world affairs with all the dangers and challenges of any man in the United States Government. His command is so important that his personal protection is a matter of vital national interest.

General Francis, on the other hand, has little respect for the other government agencies, but he must work with them in situations like those developing in Iran and the potential fall of the Shah.

With the semisecret placement of offensive medium-range nuclear missiles based in the country, it is easy to see why the overthrow of the Shah would be of concern. The mobile launchers are continuously on the move for obvious reasons.

A radical Islamist, Ayatollah, who had been living in exile in Europe could easily fill a power vacuum if it came to that. Worse neighboring Iraq under a strong dictator has been rattling swords against Iran which could further complicate the situation. To make matters worse, General Malaki recently grabbed control of the security apparatus of the Iraqi government and the Ba’ath Party despite being in political prison at the moment. In reality he could walk out at any time.

Julia and I got a drink and retired to the veranda where we talked well into the night. I don’t know what the future holds, but it should be interesting. No doubt, whatever it is, it has a very high level of support within our government.

Finally, I told Julia I just had to lay down in bed. She grabbed my hand and walked me to my room. I can be back in a few minutes or I could spend the night in my room… your call!

"Ah, let me see… my room!" I blurted out almost instantly. We both laughed. Shortly after I got in bed, Julia slipped in beside me. Her soft feminine body snuggled up next to mine made me feel comfortable and relaxed. We both immediately fell asleep!

The sunlight was shining through the huge windows of my bedroom when there was a light knock on the door. Instinctively I shouted out, Yes!

As a maid opened the door, she disregarded the fact that Julia and I are not dressed. Looking directly at me she asked if we wished to join the General for breakfast. It was nine-thirty already. Julia rolled over and said we would but to give us about twenty minutes. The maid acknowledged Julia’s response and closed the door.

Holy shit, now what is your dad going to say?

He isn’t going to say anything, Hawk. For God’s sake we are both adults. He just wants us to be happy. I am very happy—how about you?

"Well, yes, I am happy. It’s your dad I am worried about. Is he happy?"

Don’t worry about it, sweetie. I promise you he is okay with us.

Okay, I’ll take your word for it. Let’s not keep him waiting. We both jumped up and quickly dressed. We walked downstairs together and joined the General on the veranda.

Well, good morning sleepyheads. I take it you both slept well last night.

I just nodded as Julia assured him we had. He smiled and said he was pleased we could join him because he had to go back to Washington. I quickly realized that meant Julia and I had the house to ourselves for two weeks. I could hardly believe our good fortune. Maybe he planned it that way.

The General told us he had a Special Operations assignment he wanted to assign to us. Julia would be the handler, and I along with Swede would carry out the mission. Is this in Iran, General?

No, as a matter of fact, it is in Europe. The target, however, is a scientist working for Iraq who is working on a project that could be dangerous to Iran and to Israel. I will wait until you both report to Washington where some of your colleagues will be waiting for you. Meanwhile, have fun, relax, and enjoy each other. You both deserve that!

I thanked the General profusely, but he said it was he and our country that owed me their gratitude. Julia told me later some mad scientist was building a long barrel howitzer gun tube that could fire a very heavy warhead over two hundred miles for the Iraqis. That sounds unlikely, but some strange things go on in the world of weapons development.

Shortly after breakfast, a large military helicopter landed on the helipad, and an aide ran up to tell him they were ready when he was. Okay, Sergeant. Thank you. I will be there shortly. The General’s Chief of Staff came down from another section of the house and handed the General a light briefcase.

General Francis hugged Julia and shook my hand. I will see you two in DC in a couple of weeks. With that he headed to the helicopter, and they immediately took off. I asked Julia where the Chief of Staff came from. She told me he was there the whole time in a private area connected to the General’s quarters. Dad has to be in constant touch with the Pentagon and the NSA and the CIA, and who knows who else. He always has a staff with him, and some are permanently stationed here.

Oh wow, that must be tough duty!

No, honestly! Even I can’t go back there. There must be ten to twelve people back there following who knows what all around the world. I know there are some very sophisticated encryption devices back there and satellite screens kind of like in the Situation Room in Seoul. It is a very stressful place to work I am told.

If you say so, Julia! Well, what are we going to do today?

I thought we might spend some time looking at beach houses from the water of course. Then there are some really neat places to go for lunch and dinner. Really, whatever you like. I don’t care as long as we can come and go by boat.

"Well, if you put it that way, what I like is just hanging out here with you, but I am up for a little sightseeing—whatever you like."

Julia and I had little difficulties deciding what to do. The house staff treated us like honored guests at the world’s most luxurious hotel. When we weren’t eating out, we ate in with a menu to put even the fanciest restaurants to shame.

I have never been in a private home where dinner was ordered off a limited but well thought-out menu, featuring only the best of everything with a world-class chef in charge of the kitchen.

Oddly, Julia is a pretty good cook. She loves to visit the kitchen and help prepare meals under the supervision of the kitchen staff. They enjoy having her there and having an interest in what they actually do. I wonder if they know she cooks up great spam and mashed potatoes from c-rations!

To me it is just beyond my imagination. I grew up in an affluent household, but this is light years from my background. Still, everyone is very courteous and likes the fact I am just a regular guy just like them. They enjoyed talking to me, and I enjoyed them as well.

Having known Julia since she was a little girl, most of the staff had fond memories of her growing up. They enjoy telling stories about her early years and teenage years which sometimes embarrassed her in a pleasant way.

She would just roll her eyes and pretend she was unaware of their personal knowledge in some cases, like the time as a developing thirteen-year-old she raced across the immense front yard to fetch a paper in her bikini underwear. She had no idea she was noticed. Then there was the time she and two seventeen-year-old girlfriends jumped in the pool naked on a dare, unaware two secret service agents were just yards away and offered them towels as they climbed out of the pool.

Julia had a crush on one of them and was profoundly embarrassed while the young agent could hardly believe his luck. Now, they all laughed about it, but it was no laughing matter at the time. Julia turned a little red when one of the maids related that story. Now, of course, she realized it was just a part of growing up.

It reminded me of a time me and several friends decided to jump off a bridge into Canyon Lake outside of Phoenix in the middle of the winter with no clothes on. We stripped and left our clothes at the foot of the bridge, then walked to the middle. Just as we decided it was way too cold to jump, a carload of girls came around the corner and on to the bridge. We had no choice but to jump. The water was so cold I swear I got up and ran across the water to the shore. The girls laughed and called out to us knowing they caught us literally with our pants down.

Our two weeks went by in what seemed like several days. One morning a sergeant from the operations room informed Julia and me we had orders to report to General Francis’s office in the Pentagon the following day. It was time to get serious again. These two weeks allowed Julia and me time to get to know each other much better in an open, honest environment. We both were grateful for the time we had together, but we were ready to get back to work.

Washington, DC

Julia and I woke up around 0500. She immediately left for her room so we could get into uniform and pack our bags. After breakfast, a car was waiting to take us to the Nantucket Island Airport where a military jet was waiting to take us to Washington, DC.

We lifted off precisely at 0900 for the short hour or so trip to Washington. Soon we landed at Andrews AFB and took a staff car to the Pentagon. General Morton has a large suite of offices connected to his own Situation Room where a number of staffers were busily doing whatever it is they do every day. I could see different areas of the world were staffed according to their importance to U.S. security interests.

This interest included monetary security as well. I was surprised to learn Military Intelligence was more than casually interested in world and U.S. economic matters. Balance of trade, domestic economic output, and a host of other economic indicators are carefully watched in each section of the world, then in each major economy classified as friendly, enemy, or neutral.

We have an interest in all of them. They are well aware of corruption within our own monetary regulatory system which I am told concerns them greatly. Just weeding corruption out of the U.S. DOD is a full-time job. Just imagine what it’s like over at the SEC and the FED where money is all they deal with.

As Julia and I sat there waiting to be briefed, I learned a lot just watching and observing, something that I was trained to do very well. Suddenly, I noticed a big familiar figure coming through the large doors to the inner sanctum. It was Swede.

Julia and I immediately jumped up and greeted Swede like a long lost friend. Well, he is a friend but not long lost! We didn’t know it, but being a redhead Swede could pass for Julia’s brother or some other close relative. That concept did not escape military planners who were about to brief us.

Swede was very happy to see us. He spent most of his thirty-day leave at home shooting pool with his buddies and chasing women. He asked us what we had been up to. We both smiled and quickly glanced at each other. Never mind, I know exactly what you guys have been up to! It’s cool. Hell, I would be doing the same thing if I could find a good woman.

Don’t give me that bullshit, Swede. You didn’t spend thirty days on leave without getting laid!

All right, you guys. Remember we are in mixed company here.

Sorry, Julia. I just kind of think of you as one of the guys when we are in uniform.

I understand, Swede. I think of you the same way, but someone may be listening. After all, this is the center of the universe for army intelligence.

Swede looked confused. About that time, a Major came over to us. Colonel, Major, Sergeant—the briefing team is ready for you now. Will you please follow me? We walked back into an even more private area that is several stories underground below the Pentagon.

As we came through the door, General Morton greeted us in a genuinely friendly manner. It was good to see him. His former Chief of Staff, Colonel Stafford, was not present. Before we could inquire, he told us the Colonel had been reassigned and was no longer involved in G-2 corps level intelligence activities. I never liked the guy anyway. He is narrow-minded and afraid to think out of the box. If he had been in charge, North Korea would still be menacing us with their atomic bomb.

We all sat around a long conference table. Swede was noticeably nervous. I leaned over to him and told him to relax. These guys put their pants on the same way we do. He seemed relieved a little. A young female Captain stood up at the podium and began her presentation.

"Good morning, or maybe I should say good afternoon. My name is Captain James, and I am assigned to the Iraq Desk. We have a situation in Iraq that is concerning us as a threat to Iran and to Israel. In a roundabout way, we are threatened as well, but not directly.

"First, there is a very capable scientist that has been proposing for years that we develop a weapons system around a very long artillery tube capable of firing a very large round, perhaps thirty inches or more in diameter and weighing several tons at least, with a range of 250 miles.

"The scientist, Dr. Kermen Ramadi, is well-known to us. He has made a number of requests for a proposal on his system which we have studied and rejected. Like Hitler’s railroad gun, it takes around two hundred men to just operate it, and in this case, it cannot be moved at all, giving us a very limited range of targets.

"Of course this would depend on where the gun is placed, but it certainly is not mobile. I have put Dr. Ramadi’s picture up on the screen, but we will provide you with a more current picture as well.

"In any event, after we rejected his long-range gun proposal, he presented his plan to NATO and then to other governments as each rejected his proposal. He ended up in Israel proposing such a gun that could hit any target accurately in any surrounding country including Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Once he was rejected by the Western powers, he moved to the dark side. He approached enemies of Israel. That got our attention. It also got the attention of the CIA and the NSA. Dr. Ramadi is treading on very dangerous ground. Needless to say, the Israelis are more than a little concerned.

May I ask a question, Captain?

Yes, of course, Major. What is it?

Can these cannons fire a nuclear round?

"Yes, that is just one of the things we are worried about. So far we are the only ones with a nuclear artillery shell, but this gun could throw perhaps a one or two-ton nuclear shell two hundred miles or maybe more. Even a two-ton high explosive shell accurately aimed at say a building could cause massive destruction in high density population areas or perhaps ships at sea for instance.

"A shell like this could not be stopped once fired as it would travel at very high velocities. We are looking at a muzzle velocity of five thousand feet per second or more. If someone other than us developed a nuclear shell, I see no reason why his gun couldn’t deliver that weapon as well.

"Okay, so you can see our concern. Well, Dr. Ramadi hit pay dirt with General Malaki. The Iraqi Security Agency secretly agreed to fund the weapon and gave Dr. Ramadi a virtual blank check to proceed. He began construction of the mount and supporting structure which is a masterpiece of engineering.

He located his first gun site near Al Shamir south of Baghdad. I am putting up pictures of the site as it stands right now. Everyone in the room gasped.

The picture showed a massive construction site. The tube itself is about halfway up. It is about