Heinlein, Robert A – Expanded Universe

things over, the purpose being presumably to reduce oscillations. The New York Stock

Market responded with an upward surge. The Dow-Jones Industrials closed at

“Mr. Chairman, are these unofficial figures I have in front of me-that each

of you has in front of you-correct? Or have my informants been leading me down the

garden path? The figures on the use of hard drugs, for example?”

“Madam President, I don’t know quite how to answer that.”

“You don’t, eh? You’re Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and for four years

before that chief of staff of your service. If these figures are not right, how far

are they off and which way?”

“Ma’am, that is a question that should be put to each of the Services, not

to me.”

“So? General, you are relieved of active duty. A request for retirement will

be acted on favorably, later today. You are excused. General Smith, take the chair.”

The President waited until the door closed behind the ex-Chairman. Then she

said soberly, “Gentlemen, it gives me no pleasure to put an end to the career of a

man with a long and brilliant record. But I cannot keep in a top spot in my official

family a military officer who can’t or won’t answer questions that, in my opinion,

must be answered if I am to carry out my duties as Commander in Chief. If he had

answered, ‘I don’t know now but I’ll start digging at once and won’t stop until’-but

he said nothing of the sort. I gave him two chances; he brushed me off.” She sighed.

“I suppose he dislikes taking orders from one with no military experience; I do not

assume that my sex and skin color had anything to do with it. General Smith, you are

in the chair by default; I can’t ask you about the other Services. How about your

own? Hard drugs.”

“I suspect that this figure is conservative, Ma’am. I’ve been trying to get

hard data on hard drugs since I was appointed to this job a year ago. In most cases

we need evidence from medical officers to make it stick

• . . and all our doctors are overworked; we don’t have nearly enough of them. Worse

yet, some of the doctors are pushers themselves; two were caught.”

“What happened to them? Making little ones out of big ones?”

“No, Ma’am. Discharged. In civilian practice, I suppose.”

“For God’s sake, why? Has the Army forgotten how to hold a court martial?

Two drug pushers, simply sent home and still licensed to practice medicine- and to

prescribe drugs. General, I’m shocked.”

“Ma’am, may I say something in my own defense? Then you can have my request

for retirement, if you wish it.”

“Please. Go ahead.”

“These cases occurred before I became Chief of Staff. At the time these two

were caught, I was Superintendent of the War College; drugs are not a problem there.

When last I had troop duty, I did have a policy of treating use of hard drugs as a

criminal offense, as permitted and required by regulations. But the very most I ever

managed was to get some sent to the V.A. for hospital cure and rehabilitation. Under

the present rules, if a man has a good lawyer-and they do, usually-he can get away

from courts martial and appeal to a civilian judge. That usually ends it.”

“Madam President, may I add something?”

“Certainly, Admiral.”

Page 235

“Have you heard of the mutiny in the Somers about a century and a half

back?”

“I- Yes, I think I have! A novel. Voyage to the-Voyage to the First of

December. Right?”

“There was a novel some years back; I think that was the book’s title. I

haven’t read it. Then you are aware that it was a tragic scandal, with mutineers

hanged at the yardarms. What I wanted to say was this: I think the figures on drugs

in the Navy are about right-lower than in the Army, of course; the circumstances are

different. But what is killing the Navy- aside from a shortage of career officer

material-is that both mutiny and sabotage are out of hand -. – because offenses that