The day they told the POTUS
The Fiction of John Reizer
The President of the United States sat at the head of the conference table inside the White House Situation Room. Around him were his closest advisors, military leaders, intelligence officials, and cabinet members.
Nobody was speaking.
The POTUS looked around the room.
“What is this emergency meeting about?” he asked.
The National Security Advisor looked up nervously and cleared his throat. “Mr. President, what you’re about to hear will sound impossible.”
The POTUS leaned back in his chair and smiled. “Try me.”
The Secretary of Defense pushed a folder across the table.
The POTUS opened it and slowly began rifling through the pile of papers.
Inside were documents, photographs, and reports dating back more than seventy years.
The smile on his face gradually shifted into a frown.
“I don’t understand.”
The Secretary of Defense looked uncomfortable. “It’s all a lie.”
“What is all a lie?” The POTUS asked.
“The nuclear arsenal of the United States.”
The room fell silent.
The POTUS laughed. “Very funny.”
Nobody laughed with him.
His frown disappeared. He was expressionless.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs spoke next. “We have spent the last eighteen months verifying the information in the file.
The Commander in Chief’s jaw dropped.
“And?”
“And, quite simply, Sir, nuclear weapons do not exist.”
The president blinked his eyes several times.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
The Chairman took a deep breath and then forcefully exhaled. “There are no nuclear missiles, warheads, or hydrogen bombs. Not here or anywhere else.”
The POTUS looked around the room. “You expect me to believe this horseshit?”
“The evidence says exactly that, Sir.”
The POTUS stood up from his chair. “Then what the hell exploded in all those tests?”
The Director of National Intelligence answered. “Large conventional explosions that were carefully staged and coordinated with special effects. There were many falsified reports.”
The POTUS felt his stomach become rigid. “You’re telling me the entire Cold War was fake?”
“Not entirely,” the director said. “The rivalry and fear were real, but the weapons themselves were not.”
The president sat back down. “Why in God’s name would we do this?”
The room grew silent as no one answered immediately. Finally, an elderly advisor spoke. The man had worked in government for almost fifty years.
“Because the hoax worked,” he blurted the words aloud.
The POTUS looked at him.
The elderly advisor continued. “The world had just witnessed two world wars, and we were desperate to prevent a third one.”
The man folded his hands and looked the president square in the eyes. “So our leaders at the time created the ultimate weapon; an imaginary weapon so terrible that nobody would dare risk global war.”
“A hoax,” the POTUS said.
“Yes, a hoax.”
The POTUS rubbed his forehead forcefully with his fingers. “This is nuts!”
The elderly advisor nodded in agreement. “Perhaps, but consider the result. For decades, nations avoided direct conflict because everyone believed civilization could end in a few minutes.”
The president looked at the folder in front of him. “Do other nuclear countries know about this?”
“Some do, some don’t.”
The president’s eyes widened. “Some?”
“Yes,” the advisor replied. “The truth about the nukes was passed selectively from one administration to another. Sometimes, the information was kept secret intentionally, and some leaders to this day genuinely believe the weapons are real.”
The president shook his head in disbelief. “If this gets out…”
“That is our concern,” the Secretary of State interrupted.
The POTUS looked out at the screens covering the walls, displaying maps of the world.
For seventy years, humanity had lived under the shadow of something that did not exist.
“So what happens now?” The president asked.
The advisor smiled. “Nothing has to change, Mr. President. Some things in life are best left alone. Perhaps the world really is a safer place with nuclear weapons in it, or at least the idea that nuclear weapons are in it!”
The One-Hour Diner
Prologue
The police station was a well-lit building that stood out from most of the others. It had been designed and constructed over the last several years and featured a more modernist architectural style than the surrounding structures in the small Montana community.
They entered through the front entranceway and approached the reception area, announcing to the desk sergeant their intention to report information on a previously unsolved crime.
Renee Hudson sat beside Bryan Dawson on a hard, metallic chair. She hadn’t said much since they parked outside. Neither had he. They had been exhausted from everything that had transpired and were conserving their energy for what was to come.
The clock above the reception desk read 3:25 a.m.
Time had kept its promise; it was still moving right along.
Bryan, a handsome middle-aged man with a slender build and brown hair, exhaled slowly, his dark eyes drifting toward the glass partition separating them from the front desk. A tired-looking officer was rifling through some paperwork behind it, unaware of everything they had endured in the last hour.
Renee, an early-thirties brunette and easy on the eyes, shifted uneasily in her seat beside him.
“Once we start,” she whispered, “we don’t get to stop and change our minds.”
Bryan nodded. “I know that.”
She glanced at him, her expression serious. “I just want to say everything right.”
“There isn’t a right way,” he said gently. “There’s only the truth.”
Renee’s fingers flexed. “That’s what scares me.”
A door buzzed and opened somewhere down the hall. Footsteps approached them, and a plainclothes detective appeared in the hallway. He conferred with the desk sergeant briefly, muttered a few words to him, then glanced over at Bryan and Renee.
“Can I help you two?” he asked, his tone overly friendly.
Renee and Bryan stood up. “We need to report something important,” Bryan said. His voice sounded nervous and cautious. “It’s about a previously unsolved crime.”
The detective’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s step into an interview room.”
They followed the man down a narrow hallway, the walls lined with flyers for missing people.
The interview area was tiny, with a small table and four chairs. A small camera was mounted on a wall in the corner of the room.
The policeman gestured for them to sit, then closed the door. “I’m Detective Calloway,” he said, taking the seat across from them. “Take your time and start wherever you need to.”
Renee nodded.
Bryan glanced over at her, then nodded as well. “I’ll start,” he said.
He told the policeman everything that had happened as plainly as possible.
Detective Calloway didn’t interrupt. He took notes, his expression unreadable.
When Bryan finished, the silence was deafening.
Renee picked up the conversation without looking at Bryan and gave her accounts of everything.
After Renee finished, Detective Calloway set his pen down on the table. “Do you two understand the seriousness of what you’re telling me?”
“Yes,” Renee said.
“Yes,” Bryan added.
Calloway leaned back in his chair, studying them. “Why confess now?”
Bryan thought about the question for a few seconds before responding. “Because the guilt of keeping all this in over the past several years never left our sides,” he said.
Renee nodded. “We tried to bury it, but that didn’t work.”
Calloway exhaled through his nose. “There was a homicide connected to this case,” he said. “Your statements could reopen a lot of doors.”
“We know,” Bryan said.
Renee closed her eyes briefly. “We’re not asking for leniency.”
The detective watched them for a long moment, then stood up and walked over to where the camera was mounted on the wall. He reached up and turned on the device. A red light appeared on the front of the camera.
“Okay,” he said. “Then we’re going to do this the right way.”
Releasing July 4th, 2026
About the Book
Over sixty minutes in an isolated roadside diner in rural Montana, two strangers are forced to confront suppressed and traumatic memories, discovering that time, guilt, and truth are far more dangerous than the authorities awaiting them.
Click here to read the author interview!
Coming to DirecTV soon!
Watch It For Free!
Inventing a cancer cure was their first mistake!
Click on the Image to Watch the Movie
Sometimes fiction is not an escape from reality, but rather the only way to talk about it.
–John Reizer
Truth Engines
Pre-order Available at Select Retailers
What if fiction reveals the truths modern society refuses to face?
Truth Engines is a bold collection of science fiction shorts that acknowledges the hidden realities currently affecting humanity. Blending imagination with clever storytelling, these writings explore a wide range of important subjects currently impacting all human beings.
Releasing September 1st, 2026
Science fiction has traditionally been a way for writers to discuss difficult ideas safely. It has allowed authors to examine dangerous possibilities before they become reality. Sometimes fiction entertains us, sometimes it warns us, and sometimes it says the necessary things that otherwise couldn’t be said.
These stories are not meant to preach or claim absolute answers. They are meant to encourage thought. They will hopefully inspire readers to ask questions about power, truth, freedom, artificial intelligence, corruption, media influence, medical ethics, surveillance, and the future direction of humanity itself.
Some readers may see these stories as pure fiction. Others may recognize pieces of the modern world hidden inside them. That choice belongs to you, the reader.
The goal of my writing is twofold: to entertain while also encouraging people to think more deeply about the systems shaping human life behind the scenes.
Whether these stories inspire agreement, debate, curiosity, or discomfort, I hope they stay with you long after the final page.
Sometimes fiction is not an escape from reality, but rather the only way to talk about it.
–John Reizer
Beta Reviews
It’s an amazing read! The stories in Truth Engines were born and live in the spaces between the 88 black-and-white notes on a piano keyboard. If you’re a fan of The Twilight Zone, you’ll really love this book!
–A Beta Reader
Truth Engines is an incredible reading experience!
–A Beta Reader
The Big Pharma Conspiracy Movie
Inventing a cancer cure was their first mistake!
Critical Reviews
“Rachel Alig is terrific as Donna while Justin Ray as Clyde also manages to impress. Combining witty commentary with a constant threat to life, script writers Palo and Reizer develop a narrative that is funny and charming while ensuring that none of the thrill and danger is lost in the process.”
– INDIE WRAP MAGAZINE
“Drama, thrills, comedy and so much more: Directors Andrew Arguello and MJ Palo’s Target List has all the fixings of a great movie. Combining a fantastic cast with the witty writing of MJ Palo and John Reizer, whichever way you flip this film, it lands on its feet with feline agility.”
– INDY REVIEWS
“The script by Palo with John Reizer, for the most part, rides that perfect balance between its more dramatic moments and perfectly placed moments of humor that never distract. While they’re probably not going to get invited to any big pharma conventions anytime soon, Reizer and Palo have a point, and they make it beautifully.”
“Target List is a great view for anyone who wants a compelling and suspenseful flick with a message that matters.”
– RICHARD PROPES – THE INDEPENDENT CRITIC
Gareth Icke – Derby, England
GARETH ICKE – DIRECTOR OF THE DAVID ICKE WEBSITE“Target List had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Not the least because of its believability!“
Click on the image below to visit the website!
NoFakeNews 