Object
Administrative Birthday Request (Nancy Becker → Leo; delivered by Charlie)
A terse administrative request — a compact line of instruction originating from Nancy Becker's office and delivered to Leo's late‑night office by Charlie. The message reads like a folded slip of stationery or a brisk verbal relay: short, time‑sensitive, and administrative in tone. Characters treat it as an offstage obligation rather than a tangible artifact; Charlie delivers it with quiet formality, Leo absorbs it and redirects the task, and the order lands on Sam as a delegated responsibility. Its modest physical presence contrasts with the immediate personnel consequences it triggers.
1 appearances
Purpose
To request that the President provide a personal birthday letter for the Deputy Transportation Secretary, creating a small administrative task to be drafted, approved, and signed.
Significance
Functions as a narrative catalyst: it exposes internal workflows and loyalties, reveals Leo's private trust in Sam, and seeds interpersonal resentments within Communications despite its trivial subject. The request compresses bureaucratic hierarchy into a single moment of assignment, showing how small administrative acts map onto staff relationships and obligations.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used