The Invitation(66)
“Then what factual evidence do you have to say it was a hoax?”
“I don’t have any. I never claimed to have any. All I have are clues.”
“Like what, what clues?”
“One clue is the way President Myers behaved when all of this was going on. He wasn’t surprised or startled by any of it. It was almost as if he was expecting it. If—think about this now—if all this happened as we’ve been told, then how did the President seem to know about it beforehand? It seems to me that if this thing occurred naturally, he would’ve been astonished like all the rest of us. Did he look astonished to you? He practically introduced this alleged extraterrestrial, or whatever it was. Clue number two: we have incontrovertible evidence that some type of communications microchip was deliberately placed in the brain of Ken Myers, and the overwhelming likelihood is that it was done in a government hospital in Beijing. The question is, are they linked? I don’t have an answer, but if any of you can come up with a better explanation, I’m ready to hear it.”
“Are you saying President Myers was some kind of agent for the Chinese government?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Well, what are you saying? Because it certainly sounds that you’re alleging espionage.”
“I’m not making allegations here. All I’m saying is that we need to consider every rational explanation for what happened in Miami. That’s all.”
“And as a follow-up, quickly, can I ask you, Director Stuart, how did you verify this hospital visit in China by Ken Myers that, uh, you say took place?
“That question touches on methods and procedures that I’m not at liberty to discuss, not because we have anything to hide, but because this has been long-standing policy for all intelligence agencies in this country for decades. I will say this: I believe the evidence we have is compelling.”
Another teeming spate of questions prompts Jim Thatcher to interject.
“All right, all right, you, Ma’am in the third row, your question, please.”
“This is for the FBI director. Mr. Slaughter, you said you had a video recording of Ken Myers that was taken by his college roommate, and you said he, Ken Myers, and I’m quoting you now, ‘exhibited strange behavior.’ What did you mean by that?”
“The recording basically shows Mr. Myers reading for several hours. There’s nothing remarkable about it except for one thing. The phenomenal speed reading that Ken Myers displays is something way beyond anything normal, and we have no explanation for it.”
“How fast are you talking about?”
“An average of about 240 word per second.”
“How do you know he was actually reading that fast? Maybe he was just pretending for the camera.”
“Well, first, he was alone, and secondly, he didn’t know he was being recorded.”
“Are you saying he was secretly recorded?”
“Yes”
“Is that, or was that, legal?”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“So what you’re saying, Director, is the FBI accepted a recording of Ken Myers from someone who obtained that recording illegally. In other words, he broke the law.”
“That’s correct.”
“Doesn’t that undercut his credibility?”
“I don’t think so, not in this case. Our experts have looked very carefully at this recording, and found it to be completely authentic. As to the question of Phillip Garrett breaking the law in surreptitiously recording Ken Myers, this happened over twenty-six years ago. The statute of limitations has long since passed. Besides, Phillip Garrett came to us with this, and as far as we can tell, he’s been completely open and honest with us.”
“Yes, Sir, you in the sixth row, your question please,” the spokesman says.
“This is for the CIA director. Mr. Stuart. If I read you correctly, you are suggesting, maybe not alleging, but at least suggesting that the President of the United States was an agent for the Chinese government. I hate to use the word, but you’re essentially suggesting, if not alleging, that Ken Myers was a traitor. Isn’t that right?”
“No, I’m not.”
“But you are. You’re suggesting the possibility of treason.”
“No, those are your words, not mine. All I’m trying to do here is find the truth. None of us have anything to gain by being here today. It’s not easy saying these things, and I guarantee you that we’ll be excoriated for it. Some will say there’s a partisan motivation in what we’re saying. If you believe that, ask Senator Merrick, who, most would agree is a friend and ally of President Myers. He received the same information as we did. We’re here today because it’s the right thing to do, not because we want to somehow tarnish the memory or reputation of Ken Myers. Look, my nine-year-old daughter came to me in tears this morning, asking me what they did to our President. I didn’t…”