It begins in an expensive private military high school where the rich send their sons who have problems. A brash American, the son of one of the country’s richest men, is befriended there by two Russian boys who have a dark, secret mission. Their fathers are high-ranking KGB  big wheels. The three boys hit it off and are inseparable at the posh school. They graduate and remain friends.

The American inherits his father’s empire and becomes one of the richest men in America. He stays in touch with his two Russian friends. Unbeknown to any but operatives in the American spy/special operations circles and the KGB in Russia, the three have a mission. They are to bring America and Russia together to dominate the world. Sort of a trio of Manchurian Candidates.

The brash young American runs for the presidency. He bankrolls his campaign out of his pocket and with secret funds from his two Russian friends. At this time the two Russian friends have become high-ranking members of the KGB as did their fathers.

The American is elected president with the clandestine help of rogues in the American intelligence community and they decimate the other candidate with outside, surreptitious help. The KGB hacks the American opponent’s emails, create fake news sites on the Internet, and spread rumors — getting their old classmate elected president, a man who never served in any political office. But, who twitters masterfully.

The new president surrounds himself with likeminded retired high-ranking military officers, other millionaires and billionaire oil men bent on world domination. The American public fails to see what is happening as they had grown disillusioned and angry with their elected leaders. The public believed it was time for a massive change in order to make America great again. The new president was seen as a savior to the working men and women of the nation because he is a businessman.

But I don’t believe anyone would believe such a bizarre tale as this — so I am gonna put it on a shelf and look at it again in a few years.  Tom Clancy and Ken Follett will surely be relieved that I decided to scratch it. They can’t stand competition from a madcap novelist like me. Not to mention they could never have dreamed up such a plot. It is just too far-fetched.

Bob Scott

Franklin