Trinity's Child
Encyclopedia
Trinity's Child is a 1983 novel by William Prochnau
. The book depicts a nuclear war waged between the United States of America and the Soviet Union
.
, the United States has engaged in a massive military buildup, hoping to press the economy of the Soviet Union to breaking point and so force them into political compromise. Instead, the Soviet Premier responds by launching a limited nuclear counter-force strike against America, hoping to destroy their military capability whilst leaving the civilian population relatively intact. The President of the United States receives a teletype by the Premier in which he offers the United States three choices; accept the damage and the exchange will end, respond in kind (which would result in the deaths of 3 to 9 million people on both sides), or respond in full (which would certainly result in a global nuclear war). The President decides to respond in kind, much to the chagrin of Gen. Renning (codename "Icarus"), the commander-in-chief of Strategic Air Command
. Icarus believes the teletype to be a ruse, and that the Soviet leadership will retaliate massively, thereby crushing the United States.
As the order is passed on, the first wave of Soviet ICBMs and SLBMs arrive, crippling most of America's missile silos and bomber bases. A missile aimed at Andrews Air Force Base
, so as to prevent the President from leaving Washington, D.C., overshoots its target and detonates in the vicinity of Chevy Chase, Maryland
. Icarus then informs the President that the Soviets have launched a second strike and urges the President to launch their remaining ICBMs and bombers not destroyed in the first exchange. The President reluctantly gives the order just before SAC and Omaha, Nebraska
are destroyed.
As he is evacuated from the White House to be taken to Dover Air Force Base
, the President is informed aboard Marine One
that the second Soviet launch was directed at the Chinese whom had launched their own strike against the Soviets in accordance to a treaty with the United States. Seeing his hasty response will result in further retaliatory strikes, the President falls into a stupor. Suddenly, a missile detonates over nearby Andrews AFB, and causes the helicopter to crash.
Believing the President to be dead, Renning's Navy attache "Harpoon" is given the assignment of locating a successor. He learns through intel by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
that the Secretary of the Interior
is in the swamplands outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana
. Harpoon's Boeing E-4B lands in the city and intercepts the secretary, now with the given name "Condor". The plane leaves Baton Rouge minutes before the city is struck by an ICBM. As the only known successor to be alive, Condor is sworn in as the new president. During Harpoon's briefing, the extent of the damage to both countries is revealed; the Soviet Union has suffered roughly 25 million casualties with the United States suffering 30-35 million. Along with Omaha and Baton Rouge, the cities of Seattle, Los Angeles
, Colorado Springs, New Orleans, Phoenix
, Raleigh, and Washington, D.C. have been destroyed. Massive social disorder and rioting have broken out in American's remaining cities. It is briefly mentioned that Europe remained neutral during the conflict and that India
and Israel
have declared war on Pakistan
.
Believing that America is "losing" the war due to having a higher casualty count, Condor, being urged by the hawkish "Librarian", an air force colonel whose expertise centers on Soviet military doctrine, orders a "Grand Tour"; sending America's remaining bombers into the Soviet Union to destroy leadership bunkers, thus decapitating the Soviet government and leaving the rest of the nation to collapse. Harpoon reasons that the plan will not work as there will be no one in power remaining to "turn off the war". During this, one of the American bombers en route to the Soviet Union abandons its mission. Seeing it as a sign for a truce, the Soviets turn 15 of their bombers around. Condor, seeing the act by the lone bomber as cowardly, states that the United States has "one deserter and the Soviets have 15". Believing Harpoon to be incompetent, Condor relieves him of his command and appoints the Librarian as his new adviser. In his quarters, Harpoon contacts Icarus's successor, "Alice", whom is flying aboard the mobile command center designated "Looking Glass". Learning that a full-scale nuclear strike is imminent, Harpoon attempts to storm the cockpit and crash the plane before the order is given. He is stopped, however, and strangled.
It is then discovered that the president survived the crash and is immediately taken to a FEMA bunker in the outskirts of Olney, Maryland
. There, his Emergency War Orders officer learns that the Soviet Premier is attempting to make contact through a shortwave radio. Not knowing if the call is authentic, the President, now a paraplegic and blind, negotiates a cease-fire with his Russian counterpart. The President manages to make contact with Alice, who at first doubts the identity of his commander-in-chief. However, after much urging and conversation, Alice comes to realize that the man he is speaking to is authentic. The President orders Alice to turn the bombers around. Doing so earns the ire of Condor, who relieves Alice of his command. Condor then orders America's nuclear submarines to launch their arsenal when they emerge in 7 hours time. The President makes contact with Condor and attempts to order him to relinquish command. Condor refuses as he believes to be speaking to a Soviet imposter. Knowing that Condor has his authenticator codes, the President is powerless to call off the order himself.
During the 7-hour window, the President and Alice attempt to create a plan to stop Condor. Alice then states that he will use the Looking Glass as a weapon to intercept the E-4B, thus killing Condor and relinquishing authority to the President. The President refutes the plan, urging that there must be another way. Alice convinces him otherwise, and the President accepts his sacrifice. Several hours elapse as Alice attempts to catch up to Condor, who declares the Looking Glass to be manned by treasonous men. Minutes before the submarines emerge and the order is given to launch, the Looking Glass intercepts the E-4B, killing everyone onboard both. Command is returned to the President who orders a full cessation of hostilities of his military. The Soviet Union responds in kind. However, the outcome of the conflicts in the Middle East and the Soviets and Chinese are left unanswered.
During these events, a subplot focuses on Polar Bear One, a B-52 Stratofortress
bomber on a mission to the Soviet Union with a nuclear payload. The book explores the enormous psychological stress which the crew must endure during the mission - several of the crew crack under this pressure. It is this bomber that abandons its mission and turns away from Russia.
. There are some significant differences between the two - most significantly, in the movie the initial nuclear exchange is prompted by renegade Russian terrorists rather than part of a Soviet plot. This is likely intended to avoid demonizing either side as being the aggressor. Another element of the movie is a romantic subplot between the captain of the B-52 and his female co-pilot, something absent from the book.
William Prochnau
William Walter Prochnau is an American journalist.His work on the Vietnam War while at the Seattle Times landed him on the master list of Nixon political opponents....
. The book depicts a nuclear war waged between the United States of America and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Plot summary
During the waning years of the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the United States has engaged in a massive military buildup, hoping to press the economy of the Soviet Union to breaking point and so force them into political compromise. Instead, the Soviet Premier responds by launching a limited nuclear counter-force strike against America, hoping to destroy their military capability whilst leaving the civilian population relatively intact. The President of the United States receives a teletype by the Premier in which he offers the United States three choices; accept the damage and the exchange will end, respond in kind (which would result in the deaths of 3 to 9 million people on both sides), or respond in full (which would certainly result in a global nuclear war). The President decides to respond in kind, much to the chagrin of Gen. Renning (codename "Icarus"), the commander-in-chief of Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
. Icarus believes the teletype to be a ruse, and that the Soviet leadership will retaliate massively, thereby crushing the United States.
As the order is passed on, the first wave of Soviet ICBMs and SLBMs arrive, crippling most of America's missile silos and bomber bases. A missile aimed at Andrews Air Force Base
Andrews Air Force Base
Joint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 11th Wing, Air Force District of Washington ....
, so as to prevent the President from leaving Washington, D.C., overshoots its target and detonates in the vicinity of Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
. Icarus then informs the President that the Soviets have launched a second strike and urges the President to launch their remaining ICBMs and bombers not destroyed in the first exchange. The President reluctantly gives the order just before SAC and Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
are destroyed.
As he is evacuated from the White House to be taken to Dover Air Force Base
Dover Air Force Base
Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force base located two miles southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware.-Units:...
, the President is informed aboard Marine One
Marine One
Marine One is the call sign of any United States Marine Corps aircraft carrying the President of the United States. It usually denotes a helicopter operated by the HMX-1 "Nighthawks" squadron, either the large VH-3D Sea King or the newer, smaller VH-60N "WhiteHawk", both due to be replaced by the...
that the second Soviet launch was directed at the Chinese whom had launched their own strike against the Soviets in accordance to a treaty with the United States. Seeing his hasty response will result in further retaliatory strikes, the President falls into a stupor. Suddenly, a missile detonates over nearby Andrews AFB, and causes the helicopter to crash.
Believing the President to be dead, Renning's Navy attache "Harpoon" is given the assignment of locating a successor. He learns through intel by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
that the Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of the Interior
The Secretary of the Interior may refer to:* The United States Secretary of the Interior* The Secretario de Gobernación Secretary of the Interior...
is in the swamplands outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. Harpoon's Boeing E-4B lands in the city and intercepts the secretary, now with the given name "Condor". The plane leaves Baton Rouge minutes before the city is struck by an ICBM. As the only known successor to be alive, Condor is sworn in as the new president. During Harpoon's briefing, the extent of the damage to both countries is revealed; the Soviet Union has suffered roughly 25 million casualties with the United States suffering 30-35 million. Along with Omaha and Baton Rouge, the cities of Seattle, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Colorado Springs, New Orleans, Phoenix
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:* Phoenix , a mythical bird* Phoenix, Arizona, a United States cityPhoenix or The Phoenix may also refer to:- Mythology :* Fenghuang, the Asian phoenix...
, Raleigh, and Washington, D.C. have been destroyed. Massive social disorder and rioting have broken out in American's remaining cities. It is briefly mentioned that Europe remained neutral during the conflict and that India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
have declared war on Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Believing that America is "losing" the war due to having a higher casualty count, Condor, being urged by the hawkish "Librarian", an air force colonel whose expertise centers on Soviet military doctrine, orders a "Grand Tour"; sending America's remaining bombers into the Soviet Union to destroy leadership bunkers, thus decapitating the Soviet government and leaving the rest of the nation to collapse. Harpoon reasons that the plan will not work as there will be no one in power remaining to "turn off the war". During this, one of the American bombers en route to the Soviet Union abandons its mission. Seeing it as a sign for a truce, the Soviets turn 15 of their bombers around. Condor, seeing the act by the lone bomber as cowardly, states that the United States has "one deserter and the Soviets have 15". Believing Harpoon to be incompetent, Condor relieves him of his command and appoints the Librarian as his new adviser. In his quarters, Harpoon contacts Icarus's successor, "Alice", whom is flying aboard the mobile command center designated "Looking Glass". Learning that a full-scale nuclear strike is imminent, Harpoon attempts to storm the cockpit and crash the plane before the order is given. He is stopped, however, and strangled.
It is then discovered that the president survived the crash and is immediately taken to a FEMA bunker in the outskirts of Olney, Maryland
Olney, Maryland
Olney, a census-designated place and an unincorporated area of Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, is located in the north central part of the county, twenty miles north of Washington, D.C. It was largely agricultural until the 1960s, when growth of the Washington suburbs led to its conversion into...
. There, his Emergency War Orders officer learns that the Soviet Premier is attempting to make contact through a shortwave radio. Not knowing if the call is authentic, the President, now a paraplegic and blind, negotiates a cease-fire with his Russian counterpart. The President manages to make contact with Alice, who at first doubts the identity of his commander-in-chief. However, after much urging and conversation, Alice comes to realize that the man he is speaking to is authentic. The President orders Alice to turn the bombers around. Doing so earns the ire of Condor, who relieves Alice of his command. Condor then orders America's nuclear submarines to launch their arsenal when they emerge in 7 hours time. The President makes contact with Condor and attempts to order him to relinquish command. Condor refuses as he believes to be speaking to a Soviet imposter. Knowing that Condor has his authenticator codes, the President is powerless to call off the order himself.
During the 7-hour window, the President and Alice attempt to create a plan to stop Condor. Alice then states that he will use the Looking Glass as a weapon to intercept the E-4B, thus killing Condor and relinquishing authority to the President. The President refutes the plan, urging that there must be another way. Alice convinces him otherwise, and the President accepts his sacrifice. Several hours elapse as Alice attempts to catch up to Condor, who declares the Looking Glass to be manned by treasonous men. Minutes before the submarines emerge and the order is given to launch, the Looking Glass intercepts the E-4B, killing everyone onboard both. Command is returned to the President who orders a full cessation of hostilities of his military. The Soviet Union responds in kind. However, the outcome of the conflicts in the Middle East and the Soviets and Chinese are left unanswered.
During these events, a subplot focuses on Polar Bear One, a B-52 Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
bomber on a mission to the Soviet Union with a nuclear payload. The book explores the enormous psychological stress which the crew must endure during the mission - several of the crew crack under this pressure. It is this bomber that abandons its mission and turns away from Russia.
Television adaptation
The book was made into a television movie, By Dawn's Early LightBy Dawn's Early Light
By Dawn’s Early Light is an HBO Original Movie, aired in 1990 and set in 1991. It is based on the 1983 novel Trinity's Child, written by William Prochnau. The film is one of the last films to depict the events of a fictional World War III before the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the...
. There are some significant differences between the two - most significantly, in the movie the initial nuclear exchange is prompted by renegade Russian terrorists rather than part of a Soviet plot. This is likely intended to avoid demonizing either side as being the aggressor. Another element of the movie is a romantic subplot between the captain of the B-52 and his female co-pilot, something absent from the book.