Top Secret:

             You could hear a pin drop.

The Cabinet Room was so silent that those in attendance almost feared to breathe.

No one had seen the president so upset.  He slammed his hand down on the table so hard that several items in front of him bounced up.  He stared at the Director of the CIA for what seemed like an eternity.  "You don't know!  You don't know!, he almost screamed.  "Every time I ask you.  I get the same damn answer.  "I don't know. I don’t know. I have nothing new to report on Iran."

"We've got to find out what's going on in Iran.  We've got a problems in Afghanistan, we've got problems in Iraq, and there is North Korea.  We don't seem to know what the hell is going on anywhere, especially Iran."

The president continued with sarcasm, "Why can't our vaunted intelligence agencies find anything out."

Dead silence.  No one dared to speak.  Finally someone mumbled, "Remember Howard Stafford?" Most of those in attendance remembered.  Howard Stafford had attempted to argue with an angry President.  He had disappeared from the Cabinet meetings.  He was probably now stamping passports in Zimbabwe.

Finally George Amaturo, one of the anonymous assistants lining the back wall, "Mr. President, you dropped your fountain pen."

"No, it's not mine," handing it back to Amaturo.

"It's mine," said Secretary of State, Alexander Hatfield.  "It must have bounced off the table."

This drew a laugh from everyone, including the President. 

The ice was broken, at least for now.