"Gentlemen, the Blacklist is real. Rogue intel agencies like Third Echelon are the problem here, not the solution. I want every single operation related to them grounded and gutted, now! I'm shutting Third Echelon down, effective immediately." ― Patricia Caldwell orders the termination of Third Echelon.

Patricia Caldwell is the first female President of the United States, in office from at least 2011 to 2013, serving two terms. She succeeded President David Bowers.

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Background Edit

America's first female President, Patricia Caldwell was elected on a platform of bipartisan cooperation and disentanglement from pointless foreign conflicts. This has made her powerful enemies, from the corridors of power in Washington to the shadowy boardrooms of multinational corporations. Steadfast in her beliefs even when it would be easier to back down, Caldwell relies on a core team of people she can trust absolutely.[1]

2011: The Third Echelon Conspiracy and D.C. EMP Event Edit

President Caldwell's belief that Third Echelon had outlived its usefulness and her refusal to cooperate with Megiddo made her a target of Third Echelon Director and Megiddo mole Tom Reed.

Reed plotted to have Caldwell assassinated and succeeded by her Vice President, Calvin Samson, by staging a terrorist attack on Washington, D.C. with stolen Russian EMP technology and using the downtime to storm the White House with a large force of Black Arrow mercenaries, Splinter Cells and security forces from Third Echelon. When Reed learned that Sam Fisher knew of the conspiracy, he adapted his plan to involve framing Fisher for the assassination and then having Fisher executed in the Oval Office; simultaneously setting up Fisher as the fall guy and covering up the conspiracy.

This plot was ultimately foiled by Fisher with help from Third Echelon Chief Technical Analyst Anna Grímsdóttir, who was acting as a mole inside Third Echelon for President Caldwell. Just before Reed was killed, U.S. Army soldiers retook control of the White House, rescuing the President and demanding Sam to lower his weapon aimed at Reed. President Caldwell stepped in and subtly ordered the soldiers to stand down by claiming, "There's nobody here but us" as it was clear to her that Sam had the situation under control and had a personal grievance to resolve with Reed.

2013: Two years later, the Blacklist Attacks Edit

In the aftermath of the Third Echelon Conspiracy, President Caldwell was re-elected and cracked down on rogue intel agencies such as Third Echelon, deeming them a major threat to the American people. Third Echelon was in ashes and what was left of it was dissolved.

Later, when Blacklist Zero happened, Caldwell authorized the establishment of Fourth Echelon, a "blacker-than-black" special operations unit under the leadership of Sam Fisher[2] and answering directly to her.

She also gave him Fifth Freedom, a broad mandate to do what is necessary to protect the country. After the team uncovered evidence of The Engineers' bases of operations, she ordered Navy SEAL teams to raid the sites, but the troops were all killed. Later, as the situation came to a head, she and her staff evacuated to a secure bunker called Site F in Denver International Airport. They were captured by Majid Sadiq and Caldwell ordered them to stand down. Fisher overruled her and rescued them.

She later held a press conference declaring the crisis is over and that Sadiq had been killed, though he had been extradited to a secure location by Fisher.

Trivia Edit

In the last mission of Splinter Cell: Conviction , White House, Patricia Caldwell is referred to by the U.S. Army soldiers sent to retrieve her as "POTUS". POTUS is the acronym for " P resident o f t he U nited S tates."

, White House, Patricia Caldwell is referred to by the U.S. Army soldiers sent to retrieve her as "POTUS". POTUS is the acronym for " resident f he nited tates." Patricia Caldwell bears a striking physical resemblance to Hillary Clinton, especially in Splinter Cell: Blacklist . Whether Ubisoft intended this or not is not confirmed.

. Whether Ubisoft intended this or not is not confirmed. It is confirmed through dialogue between two construction workers in the Lincoln Memorial level in Splinter Cell: Conviction that Caldwell is a Republican who reached across the political aisle to pick Calvin Samson, a "Blue Dog Democrat", as her vice-presidential candidate when she first ran for President. They ran together as a "mixed ticket". [3]

that Caldwell is a Republican who reached across the political aisle to pick Calvin Samson, a "Blue Dog Democrat", as her vice-presidential candidate when she first ran for President. They ran together as a "mixed ticket". Caldwell's first appearance in the game is by voice during the Lincoln Memorial level. She ordered the Secret Service to grant Sam access to the site where Tom Reed and Lucius Galliard meet.

Appearances in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell media Edit

Games Edit

Novels Edit