NATO's attempt to start WWIII in Kosovo
I made it clear to Clark that I was fed up with taking orders from Washington, from people who seemed to have no appreciation of the problems on the ground.
"Mike, these aren't Washington's orders, they're coming from me."
"By whose authority?"
"By my authority, as Saceur."
"You don't have that authority."
"I do have that authority. I have the authority of the Secretary-General behind me on this."
"Sir, I'm not going to start World War Three for you." Again Clark stated what he wanted done. I said to him: "Sir, I'm a three-star general, you can't give me orders like this. I have my own judgment of the situation and I believe that this order is outside our mandate."
"Mike, I'm a four-star general, and I can tell you these things."
He insisted that he was giving me a direct order. I told him that I would have to talk to my superiors in London. He telephoned Charles Guthrie, the chief of the defence staff, and outlined the discussion that had just taken place. Guthrie asked to speak to me. I took the phone and moved away from Clark to speak to Guthrie in private.
"I cannot go on," I told him, "I'm going to have to resign."
"For God's sake, Mike, don't do that," Guthrie replied hastily. "It would be a disaster." He asked to speak to Clark again.
"Well, I must say, Wes," he said, "that I agree with Mike - and so does Hugh."
Clark was visibly nonplussed. Hugh Shelton was his boss, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff. He had gone out on a limb, and now he found that he had gone too far.
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