Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military From: mec@cbnewsj.ATT.COM (michael.e.connick) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Tom Clancy Message-ID: <12255@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 13 Dec 89 04:27:05 GMT References: <12211@cbnews.ATT.COM> Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 50 Approved: military@att.att.com From: mec@cbnewsj.ATT.COM (michael.e.connick) [spoiler warning] In article <12211@cbnews.ATT.COM> marsh@linus.UUCP (Ralph Marshall) writes: > > Tom Clancy is a pretty blatant "Go U.S." writer, to the point that I'm > not going to rush out to get whatever his next novel turns out to be. > In "A clear and present danger" he condones a number of unethical > actions on the ground that the means justifies the ends, and besides, > these people are only Third World target practice anyway. Have you read this book? All the way through? "Our hero", Jack Ryan, takes a completely different view of the goings on in Columbia and blows the whistle on the whole operation. I can only assume we're supposed to agree with the book's hero and not the nefarious National Security Advisor. BTW, as it happens my brother-in-law is a friend and neighbor of Mr. Clancy. Tom Clancy even used to be his insurance agent. My brother-in-law served in the Navy on a "boomer" and was used as an informal technical consultant for the "Hunt for Red October". He has a bunch of autographed copies on Clancy's books, including a copy of the "Hunt for Red October" in which Clancy thanks him in writing for giving him the idea for the "Crazy Ivan" manuever. According to said brother-in-law, Mr. Clancy started off with virtually no knowledge of weapons systems, but gathered information from books, journals, and very persistant questioning of every former or current military officer he could find. Since he lives alot closer to Annapolis than West Point, I think that's the cause of his more detailed knowledge of Navy tactics and strategies than those of the Army. He also lives close by to Patuxent Naval Air Station, giving him more of a naval aviation viewpoint than an Air Force one. I was working at the Naval Surface Warfare Center when "The Hunt for Red October" was released. It caused a real sensation at the center in just how accurate it was in portraying many of the capabilities of US subs. There was endless discussion about "who this Clancy guy really is" and how he got hold of the information. I find it quite humorous that he got it all just by reading and asking questions! At this point, he's rather a "darling" of the military and has fairly good access to any reasonable information he wants! ----------------------------------------------------- Michael Connick mec@mtfmi.ATT.COM 201-957-3057 AT&T Bell Labs MT 3F-113 (Dept. 79153)