The devil's alternative - Frederick Forsyth (First edition)

The President of the United States read the memorandum with an expression of increasing horror. 

'This is appalling,' he said when he had finished. 'Whichever option I choose, men are going to die.'

Adam Munro looked across at him with no sympathy. In his time he had learned that, in principle, politicians have little enough objection to loss of life, provided that they personally cannot be seen publicly to have had anything to do with it.

'It has happened before, Mr President,' he said firmly, 'and no doubt it will happen again. In the Firm we call it The Devil's Alternative.'