The chapter opens with a description of the situation at the White House. It is nearly six o'clock in the afternoon, and the president has not yet received his report from his meeting with the vice president. The vice president has been working furiously on the report, but his hand has slipped and he is unable to complete the task. He asks the secretary if he can finish the task before the end of the day, but the secretary refuses, saying that he has something important to do at home.