[chico20854]

May 21, 1998

Nothing official for today. Unofficially,

The new American President, the former Secretary of State, is briefed on the myriad challenges the nation faces, including over 30 percent casualties from the nuclear attacks and aftermath, a collapse of the economy, what is looking to be a poor spring planting and petroleum production of approximately 25 percent of a year earlier.

The Joint Chiefs' logistic coordinator, the J-4, issues a directive that civilian rail and river transportation is to be organized along military lines. Regional military commanders are ordered to propose strategic rail and river corridors where remaining assets are to be concentrated.

The Freedom-class freighter Rhode Island Freedom, en route unescorted to Pusan, South Korea with a cargo of replacement vehicles and foodstuffs for 8th US Army, strikes a mine while traversing the Kanmon Straits (separating the Japanese islands of Honshu and Kyushu). While taking on water the captain radios for help; Japanese tugs respond but are unwilling to approach the ship, afraid of striking additional mines. The ship settles in as the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force dispatches a minesweeper to clear a way for the tugs.

CIA officer David Hudson lands on Gotland Island in the mid-Baltic and is nearly immediately taken into custody by Swedish coast defense troops.

The Soviet Kilo-class submarine B-888, captured by the Swedish Navy, arrives in the port of Goteborg, where the boat is rushed into a drydock for repairs. The intelligence officers that were flown aboard disembark, while the crew are hurried off to special facilities for interrogation before being transferred to POW camps.

Italian salvage experts complete their assessment of the Mese hydropower plant. Like the team at the Campore Basso plant, they determine that the underground facility has survived the nuclear exchange nearly intact and will require extensive repairs to the grid connections but can be fairly easily restored to operation.