Morelli hissed out of the corner of his mouth at Aub. “What’s he trying to do—get us all deported?”
“He knows what he’s doing . . . I think,” Aub muttered.
Clifford carried on, refusing to be distracted. “But the tradition has not been followed. The promise of the Renaissance has not been kept. The same ignorance and prejudices that were there before are still with us today, but disguised; they still have the same power to inspire fear and suspicion in men’s minds. First it was religious terror; today it’s political terror. Nothing’s changed. The knowledge that was gained and which should have become the birthright of all men has been perverted to more sinister ends, and the rest of the world has not been permitted to follow the path that Europe laid.”
Nobody spoke while Clifford paused to drink from the water glass on the table in front of him. Foreshaw was regarding him through narrowed eyes, but had apparently elected to defer any verdict until he knew what this extraordinary address was leading up to. Clifford set the glass down and faced them once more.
“The lesson of history is that what you don’t give, somebody will sooner or later take. Never mind the morality of it—those are the facts. The lesson is about to be repeated. The world is again all set to match brute force with brute force in an attempt to solve a problem that can’t be solved that way. Only wisdom and understanding can solve it.
“I appreciate that nobody in this room made things turn out that way; neither did the government you represent. You’ve inherited the results of centuries of mismanagement, and you can’t go back in time and change what’s been done. Now it’s too late to worry about how it might have been different anyway. We’re stuck with it.
“I am convinced that as things are, mankind has run itself into a blind alley. The world is paralyzed by a military-technological deadlock that has existed on and off for over a hundred years. History has shown the futility of hoping that this deadlock will ever be dissolved by rational and civilized means, but while it continues to exist, there can be no meaningful progress for the world.”
Clifford began pacing himself, getting ready to make his final point. “In other words it’s too late now to avoid the deadlock, because it’s happened, and it’s painfully obvious that it’s not going to go away. Even World War III won’t solve anything. All that’ll happen is that each side will wear the other to a standstill just as in 1914–1918, and within fifty years the same situation will emerge all over again.”
Clifford took a long pause to let his words sink in, and then drew a deep breath.
“The only alternative then is that this deadlock must be smashed—smashed totally, finally, irrevocably and for all time! That’s what I am here to offer.”
A murmur of surprise ran around the room. Puzzled but intrigued frowns spread across their faces.
“Up until now, the very fact that the deadlock has persisted has ruled out any such alternative. But today I can offer you a weapon more potent than anything previously dreamed possible—a weapon that will pale your missiles and your hydrogen bombs into insignificance and enable this deadlock to be ended once and for all.”
He paused to allow his words time to take effect, and then resumed: “Make no mistake, I am not doing this for any reasons of loyalty, duty, ideology, or creed, or for any other such delusions. I am doing it because it is the only way left to restore science to a position of freedom and dignity, and to allow the human race a chance to cast off finally the yoke that is driving it toward total spiritual destruction. It seems to me ironically fitting that the cure for mass insanity should be the ultimate insanity.
“Gentlemen, you have repeatedly reaffirmed your obligations to counter the threat to the Western world that is posed by the alliance of nations and races pledged to destroy it. By powers vested in you, you have sought to compel my involvement in this. Very well—so be it. I will place at your disposal the means of eliminating that threat permanently. This time we will finish it. If I am to be involved, it will be this or nothing.” He looked around the audience and finally let his eyes come to rest on Foreshaw. “That is the deal. Do you want me to go on?”