Trinity's Child is a 1983 fiction novel written by William Prochnau. The book narrates of a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The story takes place during the waning years of the Cold War when the US engages in a massive military buildup against the Soviet Union to push the Soviet economy to a breaking point, with the aim of bringing it to a political compromise favoring the US. Plot The US president is informed by the head of SAC that a Soviet first strike is underway. The Soviet premier offers the United States three choices via a HOTLINE message: Accept the damage, ending the exchange. Respond in kind, leading to the deaths of 3 to 9 million people on both sides. Respond with a massive counterattack. As the order to respond in kind is passed on, the first wave of Soviet ICBMs and SLBMs strike and cripple most of America's ICBM missile silos and bomber bases. As a Soviet missile strikes near Chevy Chase, Maryland, and the President is informed of a second Soviet strike. The president reluctantly gives a second order to respond in kind just before SAC and Omaha, Nebraska, are destroyed. As he is evacuated from the White House, the president is briefed that the second launch was directed at the Chinese, therefore a second response was unnecessary. During the flight a nearby detonation causes Marine One to crash. Believing the president to be dead, a US Navy admiral code-named "Harpoon" is given the assignment of locating a successor, who turns out to be the US Secretary of the Interior. He is sworn in and given the code-name "Condor." Harpoon's Boeing E-4B becomes the American military's new command center. It is revealed that Baton Rouge, Seattle, Los Angeles, Colorado Springs, New Orleans, Phoenix, Raleigh, Honolulu and part of Washington, DC, have also been destroyed, and massive looting and panic has broken out in the remaining cities and towns across the country. Harpoon urges Condor to turn the bombers around to see if the Soviets respond in kind as a way of signaling an intent to de-escalate, since communications are down and direct talks have not been possible since the explosions. Colonel Fargo, a Soviet capabilities expert, suggests a decapitation strike targeting Soviet leadership bunkers with America's nuclear submarines. Believing that the US is "losing" the war, Condor orders the decapitation strike. One