Heinlein, Robert A – Expanded Universe

cruise outside the atmosphere and launch super-high-speed, atomicarmed rockets on

cities below. Hap Arnold tells his boys to keep their eyes on Buck Rogers. Somebody

is wrong-is it Hap Arnold or his more conservative colleagues?

Compulsory military training-France had that, for both wars. The end was

Vichy.

Aircraft carriers vs. battleships. Look, pals, the aircraft carrier was the

weapon of this war, before Hiroshima. Carriers don’t look so good against space

ships. Let’s build galleons instead; they are cheaper, prettier, and just as useful.

Decentralization of large cities-let’s table this one for a moment. There is

some sense to it, if carried to its logical conclusion. But not with half measures

and not for $250,000,000,000, the sum mentioned by Sumner Spaulding, its prime

proponent.

Bigger and better atomic weapons for the United States-this has a reasonable

and reassuring sound. We’ve got the plant and the trained men; let’s stay ahead in

the race. Dr. Robert Wilson says that atomic bombs a hundred or a thousand times as

powerful as the Hiroshima bomb are now in prospect. Teddy Roosevelt advised us to

“Speak softly but carry a big stick.”

It is a tempting doctrine, but the great-hearted Teddy died long before

Hiroshima; his day was the day of the charge up San Juan Hill. A hundred obsolete

atomic bombs could destroy the United States-if the enemy struck first. Our super

bombs would not save us, unless we were willing to strike first, without declaring

war. If two men are locked in a basement, one armed with a 50-calibre machine gun,

the other with an 18th century ball-and-powder pistol, victory goes

to the man who shoots first, not to the one with the better weapon. That is the

logic of atomics and now is the time to learn it by heart.

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Agreements to “outlaw” atomic weapons? Swell! Remember the Kellogg Pact? It

“outlawed” war.

Consolidation of the armed forces: A proposition sensible in itself, but

disastrously futile unless we realize that all previous military art is obsolete in

the atomic age. The best pre-Hiroshima weapons are now no more than the sidearms of

the occupying military police. Buck Rogers must be the new chief of staff. Otherwise

we will find ourselves with the most expensive luxury in the world-a second-best

military establishment.

Purchase of military aircraft in quantities to insure new development-we

bought sailing ships-of-theline in the 1880’s. This makes the same sort of

pseudosense. Airplanes are already obsolete-slow, clumsy, and useless. The V-2 is

credited with a speed of 3600 miles per hour. Here is a simple problem in

proportion: The Wright Brothers crate at Kittyhawk bears the same relation to the

B-29 that the V-2 bears to the rocket ship of the coming war. Complete the equation

by visualizing the coming rocket ship. Then stop wasting taxes on airplanes.

An efficient intelligence system-Fine! But no answer in itself. The British

intelligence was quite efficient before this war. Mr. Chamberlain’s desk was piled

high with intelligence reports, reports which showed that Munich need never have

happened. This has since been confirmed by high German General Staff officers. But

Mr. Chamberlain did not read the reports. Intelligence reports are useful only to

the intelligent.

Moving the aircraft industry inland-excellent preparation for World War II.

Move an industry which we don’t need for World War III inland where it will be safe

from the weapons of World War II. While we are about it let’s put stockades around

them to keep the Indians out. In the meantime our potential enemies will have plenty

of time to perfect long-range rockets.

Placing key war industry underground-assembly lines underground are all very

well, but blast furnaces and many other things simply won’t fit. Whatever digging in

we do, be sure we do it so secretly that the enemy will never suspect, lest he drop

an earthquaketype atomic bomb somewhere near-by and bury all hands. Let us be

certain, too, that he does not introduce a small atomic bomb inside the underground

works, disguised as a candy vending machine, a lunch pail, or a fire extinguisher.

The age of atomics is a field day for saboteurs; underground works could be colossal

death traps.

No one wants this new war, no sane men anywhere. Yet we are preparing for it