Murder at the Pentagon by Margaret Truman Page B

held at army detention facilities at Fort McNair. An arraignment proceeding will be held later this week under the rules of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and the
Manual for Courts-Martial
. Counsel has been assigned. I will introduce one of them to you in a moment.”
    Margit smiled. It was a reflex, and a nervous one at that. Heat from the TV lights outgunned the room’s AC. Let me out of here, she thought.
    “The purpose of military law, as it was conceived in the Articles of War used during the American Revolution, is best stated in the 1984
Manual for Courts-Martial
. The manual states, ‘The purpose of military law is to promote justice, to assist in maintaining good order and discipline in the armed forces, to promote efficiency and effectiveness in the military establishment, and thereby to strengthen the national security of the United States.’ The general court-martial of Captain Cobol will be conducted under, and will adhere to, every tenet of the military system of justice.
    “At his arraignment Captain Cobol will be permitted to enter a plea. He will be represented at that proceeding by his defense counsel. It is, of course, obvious to each of you that this case has significant ramifications. The victim was a highly esteemed member of the scientific community. Dr. Joycelen was deputy director of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, known to most of you as DARPA. Dr. Joycelen’s contributions to national security through his untiring efforts to maintain, and to improve, this country’s military capability to defend itself, are well documented. We have lost a valuable member of the community, and his loss will be felt for a long time.”
    A still photographer crouched low as he approached the podium. He stopped directly beneath Margit and trained his lens on her.
Click. Click
. She thought of the
Playboy
photographer and winced. At least she had her clothes on.
    “At the same time, while Captian Cobol has been accusedof this crime, he has not been convicted of it. While the military system of justice differs in certain areas from the civilian system of justice, the basic rights of the accused are as steadfastly protected as those of any alleged criminal tried under the civilian system.
    “There have been a number of rumors surrounding this case that only add to its unpleasantness. I would suggest that those rumors be dispelled until the facts are brought out through a proper tribunal. For that reason I respectfully request that your questions following the prepared statements deal only with substantive facts.” He glanced up and smiled. “You might as well heed my suggestion. Questions outside the appropriate aspects of this case will be ignored anyway.”
    “Ignoring those questions won’t make them go away, Colonel Bellis,” a reporter yelled.
    “It certainly will accomplish that during this meeting,” Bellis shot back.
    He returned to his prepared text: “Because of the seriousness of the crime being charged here, and the severity of the possible punishments should a conviction be obtained, the court-martial of Captain Cobol will be held under regulations governing a general court-martial. A minimum of five commissioned officers shall sit on the court. In addition, a military judge assigned by the U.S. Army Trial Judiciary, and appointed by the judge advocate general, will sit with the other chosen officers. Although this case will be tried under the command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the military judge will be chosen from another command. As some of you may be aware, military judges are rated by other judges, not by commanders, to ensure their independence.”
    Margit considered Bellis to be a short-and-to-the-point man. Why was he going on so long, and in such detail? The press didn’t want a primer on military law. They wanted the juicy parts of the murder.
    “Trial counsel for the command, the military’s equivalent of a civilian prosecutor, has been assigned by the