Heinlein, Robert A – Expanded Universe

say to us: “Surrender-or be destroyed!”

“God grants liberty only to those who love it and are always ready to guard

and defend it.”

-Daniel Webster

We the undersigned are not a committee but simply two free citizens of these

United States. We love life and we want peace . . . but not “peace at any price”-

not the price of liberty!

Poltroons and pacifists will think otherwise.

Those who signed that manifesto have made their choice; consciously or

unconsciously they prefer enslavement to death. Such is their right and we do not

argue with them-we speak to you who are still free in your souls.

In a free country, political action can start anywhere. We read that insane

manifesto of the so-called “Committee for a ‘Sane’ Nuclear Policy” and we despised

it. So we are answering it ourselves-by our own free choice and spending only our

own money.

Page 164

We say to the commissars: “You will never enslave us. The worst you can do

is kill us. But we are resolved to die free!”

“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety

deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

-Benjamin Franklin

No scare talk of leukemia, mutation, or atomic holo

raust will sway us. Is “fall-out” dangerous? Of course it is! The risk to life and

posterity has been willfully distorted by these Communist-line propagandists- but if

it were a hundred times as great we still would choose it to the dead certainty of

Communist enslavement. If atomic war comes, will it kill off the entire human race?

Possibly-almost certainly so if the Masters of the Kremlin choose to use cobalt

bombs on us. Their command of science in these matters seems equal to ours, they

appear to be some years ahead of us in the art of rocketry; they almost certainly

have the power to destroy the human race.

If it comes to atomic war, the best we can hope for is tens of millions of

American dead-perhaps more than half our population wiped out in the first few

minutes.

Colorado Springs is at least a secondary target; all of us here may be

killed.

These are the risks. The alternative is surrender. We accept the risks.

“The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are

worth defending at all hazards.

-Samuel Adams

We have no easy solution to offer. The risks cannot be avoided other than by

surrender; they can be reduced only by making the free world so strong that the evil

pragmatists of Communism cannot afford to murder us. The price to us will be year

after weary year of higher taxes, harder work, grim devotion . . . and perhaps,

despite all this-death. But we shall die free!

To this we pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

We the undersigned believe that almost all Americans agree with us. Whoever

you are, wherever you are, you sons of Patrick Henry-let us know your name! Sign the

letter herewith and mail it to us-we will see that it gets to Congressman Chenoweth,

to both our Senators, and to the President.

This much has been done by two people acting alone. Let’s call ourselves

“The Patrick Henry League” and prove to our government that the Spirit of ’76 is

still alive. We arc t\vo, you and your spouse make four, your neighbor and his wife

make six-we can snowball this until it sweeps the country.

We can advertise in other counties, in other states.

If you who are reading this are not in Colorado Springs, stand up, speak up,

and start your own chapter of “The Patrick Henry League” now. You are a free

citizen, you need no permission, nor any charter from us. Run an ad-quote or copy

this one if you like. Dig down in the sock to pay for it, or pass the hat, or

both-but sound the call in your own home town, mail copies of your ad out of town,

and get some more letters started toward Washington

And let us hear from vou~

Let us all stand up and shout aloud again and forever:

‘Give Me Libert\ or Give Me 1)eath!”