Natesh gave a wide grin. “It was incredible. My friends, I’ve worked on strategy for a number of years. I realize that I’m younger than the majority of you here. But in studying our situation for the past day and comparing it to various past scenarios in the private sector, I think this may be one of the potential routes we can take. We need to identify how we can take America’s glasses right off its face.”

Bill said, “You want the Chinese to become pickpockets?”

Still smiling, Natesh responded, “Precisely that. You see, the pickpocket man told us all how he was able to do what he did. He told us all how much practice it had taken him to perfect the sleight of hand moves to take the various articles from people without them realizing it. But that was less than half the trick. It all has to do with cognitive science. Our brains can only process so much information at once. So if they get too much information all at the same time, they are forced to prioritize. Through the power of suggestion, the pickpocket helps them to suggest what priority they process the information by directing their attention to various other things. If he wants to take your wallet, he calls your attention to your wristwatch. While you’re looking at your wristwatch on your left hand, he’ll talk to you, pat you on the shoulder with one hand, and take your wallet with the other. He moves in close so there is less time to react. Before you know it, there are just too many activities happening at once to process them all efficiently.”

David said, “So you think China should launch a bunch of distractions?”

Natesh said, “Again, we’re here to plan the attack. I think that the people we have in this room can help us to identify and plan enough high-priority decoy events that the United States won’t see the eyeglasses taken off their face.”

Brooke raised her hand and said, “Natesh, I appreciate a good story. But having worked in signals intelligence collections, we do a pretty good job of monitoring China. How do you propose that—”

“I’m not saying that you don’t, Brooke. But I think we need to come up with ideas for how to create a distraction that would effectively require the majority of the United States’ time and resources to be dedicated to it. Better yet, let’s think of a few distractions. Tie them together. But don’t tie them to China. So when the United States has its eye on its wallet and cell phone, the glasses become overlooked.”

“And how do you do that?” asked Brooke.

“Start a separate war. Make the U.S. go to war with another country so they’re spread thin and absorbed in it.” said David. “That’s what I’d do.”

Henry said, “Okay, what country can we pick a fight with that would cause us to mobilize the most military assets? How about Canada? I hate those guys and their polite manners.”