Donald Trump has said and done a lot of things in the past two years that have elicited the response, “Good lord, get this guy committed already.” Up there is his protracted feud with a dead man, the late senator John McCain. The president has repeatedly attacked McCain since the lawmaker died in August, railing against him for refusing to help repeal the Affordable Care Act, mocking his academic performance without a trace of irony, and, in a surreal rant at an Ohio factory, complaining that he “didn’t get ‘thank you’” for giving McCain “the kind of funeral that he wanted,” a gripe that, naturally, completely misrepresented the situation. So, deranged as it may be, you can sort of understand why someone at the White House was apparently worried that the mere sight of McCain’s name was liable to set the president off during a trip abroad, triggering an international meltdown they hoped to avoid.

The Wall Street Journal reports that, ahead of Trump’s visit to Japan, the White House attempted to get the U.S. Navy to move the warship USS John S. McCain “out of sight” in anticipation of the president’s arrival. In a May 15 email, sent from a U.S. Indo-Pacific Command official to Navy and Air Force officials, plans were laid out for Trump’s arrival, including removing the apparently offensive vessel. “Please confirm #3”—i.e., the McCain item—“will be satisfied,” the official wrote.

Given that the warship was undergoing repairs and would be difficult to move, there were reportedly discussions on how to handle the situation. Initially, per the Journal, a tarp was hung over McCain’s name, and “sailors were directed to remove any coverings from the ship that bore its name.” Later, after the tarp was removed, a barge was brought closer to the ship, blocking its name, because apparently Trump is viewed the world over as collicky baby.