Sandecker shrugged and then dropped his bomb. "I admit NUMA scientists and engineers are not in the business of executing criminals, but—"

"What was that you said?" Wallace demanded. "What are you insinuating?"

With feigned innocence Sandecker replied. "No one briefed you?"

"Briefed me on what?"

"The unfortunate accident that took the life of Qin Shang."

"He's dead?" Wallace gasped.

Sandecker nodded solemnly. "Yes, he suffered a temporary fit of insanity and attacked my special projects director on the wreck of the Princess Dou Wan, who in self-defense was forced to kill Qin Shang."

Wallace was stunned. "Do you have any idea of what you've done?"

"If ever a monster deserved to be terminated," Sandecker came back caustically, "it was Qin Shang. And I might add that I'm proud it was my people who were responsible."

Before the President could censure the admiral, Peter Harper jumped into the debate. "I received a report from the CIA revealing that certain members of the Chinese government were themselves plotting to assassinate Qin Shang. Their plan was to appropriate Qin Shang Maritime Limited and merge it with their government-owned shipping line, China Marine. There is no reason to believe they will curtail illegal smuggling operations, but without Qin Shang they won't be able to operate as efficiently or on the same scale. This is all to our advantage."

"You must realize, gentlemen," said Pecorelli diplomatically, "the President has policies to protect and interests to defend no matter how unpopular they might seem."

Sandecker gave Pecorelli a stern look. "It's no longer a secret, Harold, that Qin Shang acted as a middleman between the White House and illegal Chinese interests."

"Purely a misinformed judgment call," Pecorelli said, shrugging indifferently.

Sandecker turned to President Wallace. "Rather than bring Duncan and me in here to chew our asses, we should be awarded medals for getting rid of a scourge to national security and laying one of the greatest treasures of all time in your lap." "You will certainly score a vast number of points with the Chinese when you return it to them," added Monroe.

"Yes, yes, an amazing feat," Wallace acknowledged unre-sponsively. He pulled a handkerchief from his suit coat pocket and dabbed his upper lip, and then blandly continued to defend his decisions. "You have to look at the international situation through my eyes. I am currently balancing a hundred different trade deals with China worth billions of dollars to the American economy and hundreds of thousands of jobs for American workers."

"But why should American taxpayers help build China into a global power?" asked Harper.

"If nothing else," said Monroe, changing the subject, "allow the INS more powers to halt illegal immigration. At last estimate over six million illegals are in the United States. We've established solid programs for reducing the flow over the border with Mexico, but the smuggling of Chinese across our shorelines is far more sophisticated and calls for stronger

measures."