We’re allowed no newspapers, no radio, allowed no communication coming or going, and we’re given no reason, as if that was necessary.
They’ll never, never let us go, and they’d be fools if they did.
They think that if we can’t communicate, or if we can’t build another machine, our fangs are drawn, and when the excitement dies, we fall into oblivion, six feet of it.
Well, we can’t build another machine.
But, communicate?
Look at it this way. A soldier is a soldier because he wants to serve his country.
A soldier doesn’t want to die unless his country is at war.
Even then death is only a last resort.
And war isn’t necessary any more, not with our machine.
In the dark?
Try to plan or plot in absolute darkness, which is what would be needed.
Try to plot or carry on a war without putting things in writing.
O.K.
Now—
The Army has Mike’s machine.
The Army has Mike.
They call it military expediency, I suppose.
Bosh!
Anyone beyond the grade of moron can see that to keep that machine, to hide it, is to invite the world to attack, and attack in self-defense.
If every nation, or if every man, had a machine, each would be equally open, or equally protected.
But if only one nation, or only one man can see, the rest will not long be blind.
Maybe we did this all wrong.
God knows that we thought about it often.
God knows we did our best to make an effort at keeping man out of his own trap.
There isn’t much time left.
One of the soldiers guarding us will get this to you, I hope, in time.
A long time ago we gave you a key, and hoped we would never have to ask you to use it.
But now is the time.
That key fits a box at the Detroit Savings Bank.
In that box are letters.
Mail them, not all at once, or in the same place.
They’ll go all over the world, to men we know, and have watched well; clever, honest, and capable of following the plans we’ve enclosed.
But you’ve got to hurry!
One of these bright days someone is going to wonder if we’ve made more than one machine.
We haven’t, of course.
That would have been foolish.
But if some smart young lieutenant gets hold of that machine long enough to start tracing back our movements they’ll find that safety deposit box, with the plans and letters ready to be scattered broadside.
You can see the need for haste—if the rest of the world, or any particular nation, wants that machine bad enough, they’ll fight for it. And they will! They must! Later on, when the Army gets used to the machine and its capabilities, it will become obvious to everyone, as it already has to Mike and me, that, with every plan open to inspection as soon as it’s made, no nation or group of nations would have a chance in open warfare. So if there is to be an attack, it will have to be deadly, and fast, and sure. Please God that we haven’t shoved the world into a war we tried to make impossible.
With all the atom bombs and rockets that have been made in the past few years—Joe, you’ve got to hurry!
GHQ TO 9TH ATTK GRP
Report report report report report report report report report report
CMDR 9TH ATTK GRP TO GHQ
BEGINS: NO other manuscript found.
Searched body of Lefko immediately upon landing.
According to plan Building Three untouched.
Survivors insist both were moved from Building Seven previous day defective plumbing.
Body of Laviada identified definitely through fingerprints.
Request further instructions, ENDS
GHQ TO CMDR 32ND SHIELDED RGT
BEGINS: Seal area Detroit Savings Bank.