Teddy Roosevelt goes to the Oval Office to discuss the Liopleurodon with President Taft.
The President and former President stood across the room from each other in a standoff, the three subordinates trapped between them. Eyes darted about. Taft was determined not to make the first move. He succeeded; Roosevelt slowly made his way to the Oval Office desk. Taft reciprocated by walking to the other side. Mentor and protégé approached each other. Taft gestured to the office.
“What do you think?”
“I like how you expanded on the West Wing.”
“The Office was built on top of the tennis court.”
“Aw, yes,” Roosevelt said, melancholy in his voice.
Memories of his time in office entered his mind. “The old tennis court.” He pushed the emotion aside. “How’s Nellie?”
“Good,” Taft said with a small nod. “She’s good. Her condition appears to be improving. She’s begun planning the reception for our silver wedding anniversary this June. It’s keeping her busy.”
Roosevelt smiled. Taft opened his arms and they embraced, cutting the tension. Taft was a head taller. They released and Taft looked to Butt.
“Bring that chair over here for our guest.”
“That’s not necessary,” Roosevelt replied. He grabbed it himself and brought it to the desk. He saw the tooth. “May I?”
“Of course,” Taft replied. He, Stimson, and Meyer returned to their seats. Roosevelt remained standing while Butt exited the room.
“Extraordinary,” Roosevelt said softly, swelling with energy. “A sea dragon.”
“A Liopleurodon,” Meyer said.
“The Jurassic,” Roosevelt whispered. He glanced at Taft. “I tried to teach you about nature. About wildlife.”
“I should have listened,” Taft replied, smiling. Roosevelt placed the tooth on the desk and sat down.
“It’s already destroyed a fishing boat,” Meyer explained. “Do you know why it would do that? Eating a human would be like one of us eating a chip. It can’t be worth the effort.”
“This is about territory, not food,” Roosevelt answered. “He’s asserting his dominance of the sea.”
“I’m sure you saw Hearst make a big deal about the whale attack in the Morning Journal,” Stimson said. Roosevelt waved his hand, dismissively.
“Hearst is evil. His sensationalism got McKinley killed.” He looked to the tooth and back to Taft. “Do you know where it came from?”
“An adventurer found it in the Arctic,” Meyer answered. “He gave it to us.” Taft grimaced. He was not sure he wanted Roosevelt to know the truth but had not told his advisors what to say in advance. A lapse in judgment from a fish out of water.
“I assume we didn’t free him,” Roosevelt said.
“Correct,” Meyer said.
“Do you know who’s responsible?” Roosevelt asked. Meyer gestured to the German Army button on the desk. Roosevelt recognized it. His eyes widened. “Treachery!” He looked at Taft. “What’s your plan?”
“I’m going to instruct the Revenue Cutter Service to work with local governments in shutting down the beaches,” Taft said. “The Navy will patrol our territorial waters for the animal.”
Roosevelt’s face scrunched. “You must act more aggressively!” He slammed his fist on the desk. “Chase him across the ocean!”
“I just explained to my advisors that such an operation would require going to Congress for an authorization to use force.”
Roosevelt stopped his jaw from dropping. “Going to Congress will delay the mission. You’ll be letting the Germans make the first move.”
“What do you mean?” Taft asked.
Roosevelt pointed to the button. “Clearly the Kaiser wants it as a weapon.”
Taft and his advisors looked at each other. “If that were the case, why free it?” Taft asked.
Roosevelt put his finger to his chin. “The Army likely seized a narrow window of opportunity. But I know the Kaiser. He’ll see it in action and want to use it against us and his other enemies.”
“You’re speculating,” Taft said.
“No, I’m not,” Roosevelt said. “It’s entirely in line with the Kaiser’s track record. Remember the Venezuelan Crisis of 1902. Venezuela defaulted on its debts to European countries and Germany initiated a blockade and bombarded Venezuelan coastal fortifications. They sought to establish a colony in this Hemisphere, rejecting the Monroe Doctrine. I deployed a fleet of 53 warships under Admiral Dewey to the region and threatened war. Germany retreated under the pressure.” Taft weighed the sincerity of Roosevelt’s argument. “The Kaiser is the most dangerous man in the world. He’s anger-prone and thinks he’s a descendant of Fredrick the Great. He even dresses like the Old Fritz.”
“But going after the Liopleurodon would escalate tensions with Germany,” Taft said.
“On the contrary, a display of force would deter German aggression and enhance the peace. It would be our biggest display of power since the Great White Fleet.”
Taft squirmed in his seat. “I’ll instruct Hill to speak with the Kaiser and Chancellor. We have to keep stable relations with Germany until the animal’s been dealt with.”
Roosevelt sensed that Taft was cracking. He pushed into the opening. “You must show strength. Immediately. Don’t wait for Congress.”
“I won’t violate the Constitution.”
“Remember the Jackson-Lincoln theory of the presidency: national crises call for executive action, and it is the President’s duty to assume he has the legal right to do what the needs of the people demand. Unless the Constitution or laws explicitly forbid the action.”
Taft’s jaw clenched. Roosevelt was venturing into his area of expertise. “When Washington sent troops to face the Indians or Jefferson sent the Navy and Marines to fight the Barbary Pirates, they ordered them to only act defensively until getting authorization from Congress.” He paused. “I also don’t want to waste political capital on this issue when I need it elsewhere.”
