[Illustration]
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Letter from Herr Theophrastus Paracelsus Bosche, astrologer, to
Professor Albrecht Aigen, Brunn University.
Most respected Herr Professor:
I am amused that a so-eminent scientist like yourself should ask
information from a so-despised former astrologer to The Leader. It is
even more amusing that you ask about a mere soothsayer--a man who
displayed an occult gift of prophecy--whom you should consider merely
one of the charlatans like myself whom The Leader consulted, and who
are unworthy of consideration by a scientific historian. We have no
effect upon history, most respected Herr Professor! None at all. Oh,
none! I am much diverted.
You ask about the Herr Schweeringen. He was a predictor, using his
occult gift of second sight to foreknow events and tell The Leader about
them. You will remember that The Leader considered himself to have
occult powers of leadership and decision, and that all occult powers
should contribute to his greatness. At times of great stress, such as
when The Leader demanded ever-increasing concessions from other nations
on threat of war, he was especially concerned that occult predictions
promise him success.
At a certain time the international tension was greater than ever
before. If The Leader could doubt the rightness of any of his actions,
he doubted it then. There was great danger of war. Prime Minister
Winston had said flatly that The Leader must withdraw his demands or
fight. The Leader was greatly agitated. He demanded my prediction. I
considered the stars and predicted discreetly that war would be
prevented by some magnificent achievement by The Leader. Truly, if he
got out of his then situation it would be a magnificent achievement. But
astrology, of course, could only indicate it but not describe what it
would be.
The Leader was confident that he could achieve anything he could
imagine, because he had convinced even himself that only treason or
disloyalty could cause him to fail in any matter. He demanded of his
generals what achievement would prevent the war. They were not
encouraging. He demanded of his civilian political advisers. They dared
not advise him to retreat. They offered nothing. He demanded of his
occult advisers.
The Herr Schweeringen demanded of me that I tell him my exact
prediction. His nerves were bad, then, and he twitched with the strain.
Someone had to describe the great achievement The Leader would make. It
would be dangerous not to do so. I told him the prediction, I found his
predicament diverting. He left me, still twitching and desperately sunk
in thought.
I now tell you exact, objective facts, Herr Professor, with no
interpretation of my own upon them. The Herr Schweeringen was closeted
with The Leader. I am told that his face was shining with confidence
when he went to speak to The Leader. It was believed among us charlatans
that he considered that he foreknew what The Leader would do to prevent
war at this time.
Two hours later there were shots in The Leader's private quarters. The
Leader came out, his eyes glaring, and ordered Herr Schweeringen's body
removed. He ordered the execution of the four senior generals of the
General Staff, of the Minister of Police, and several other persons. He
then went into seclusion, from which he emerged only briefly to give
orders making the unthinkable retreat that Prime Minister Winston had
demanded. No one spoke to him for a week. Confusion began. These are
objective facts. I now add one small boast.
My discreet prediction had come true, and it is extremely diverting to
think about it. The Leader had achieved magnificently. The war was
prevented not only for the moment but for later times, too. The Leader's
achievement was the destruction of his regime by destroying the brains
that had made it operate!
It is quite possible that you will consider this information a lie. That
will be quite droll. However, I am, most respected Herr Professor, (Et
cetera.)
* * * * *
Letter from Dr. Karl Thurn, University of Laibach, to Professor Albrecht
Aigen, Brunn University.
My dear friend:
Your information about the elder Schweeringen received. The information
about his prediction is interesting. I could wish that it were complete,
but that would seem to be hopeless. Your question, asked in a manner
suggesting great disturbance, is another matter. I will answer it as
well as I can, my friend, but please remember that you asked. I
volunteer nothing. The question of the rise and power of The Leader is
your research, not mine.
Here is my answer. Years back an American researcher named Rhine
obtained seemingly conclusive proof that telepathy took place. Tonight
he would have a "sender," here, attempt to transmit some item
telepathically to a "receiver," there. Tomorrow morning he would compare
the record of what the "sender" had attempted to transmit, with the
record of what the "receiver" considered he had received. The
correspondence was far greater than chance. He considered that telepathy
was proven.
But then Rhine made tests for precognition. He secured proof that some
persons could predict with greater-than-probability frequency that some
particular event, to be determined by chance, would take place tomorrow.
He secured excellent evidence for precognition.
Then it was realized that if one could foresee what dice would read
tomorrow--dice not yet thrown--one should be able to read what a report
would read tomorrow--a report not yet written. In short, if one can
foreknow what a comparison will reveal, telepathy before the comparison
is unproven. In proving precognition, he had destroyed his evidence for
telepathy.
It appears that something similar has happened, which our correspondence
has brought out. Young Schweeringen predicted what a computer would
report from unknown numerals and instructions. In order for the computer
to match his predictions, it had to err. It did. Therefore one reasons
that he did not predict what the computer would produce. The computer
produced what he predicted. In effect, what appeared to be foreknowledge
was psychokinesis--the same phenomenon as the movement of crumbs of
cheese by my rat. One may strongly suspect that when young Herr
Schweeringen knew in advance what the computer would say, he actually
knew in advance what he could make it say. It is possible that one can
consciously know in advance only what one can unconsciously bring about.
If one can bring about only minor happenings, one can never predict
great ones.
This is my answer to your question. I would like very much to know what
the elder Schweeringen predicted that The Leader would accomplish!
My she-dog has died. We had a new attendant in the laboratory. He fed
her to excess. She died of it. (Et cetera.)
* * * * *
Letter from Professor Albrecht Aigen to Dr. Thurn.
My dear Karl:
I have resolved to dismiss psionic ability from my investigation into
The Leader's rise to power. This much I will concede: The Leader could
enslave--englamour--enchant anyone who met him personally. He did. To a
lesser degree, this irresistible persuasiveness is a characteristic of
many successful swindlers. But he could not have englamoured the whole
nation. He did not meet enough persons personally to make his regime
possible, unless he could cause other persons to apply their own
magnetism to further his ambitions, and they others and others and so
on--like an endless series of magnets magnetized originally from one.
This is not possible. I restrict myself to normal, plausible
hypotheses--of which so far I have no faintest trace.
You agree with me, do you not--that it was impossible for The Leader to
weave a web of enchantment over the whole nation by his own psi energies
controlling the psi energies of others? I would welcome your assurance
that it could not be.
* * * * *
Letter from Professor Albrecht Aigen to Dr. Karl Thurn.
My dear Karl:
Did you receive my last letter? I am anxious to have your assurance that
it was impossible that The Leader could englamour the whole nation by
his psionic gifts.
* * * * *
Telegram, Dr. Albrecht Aigen to Dr. Karl Thurn.
Karl, as you are my friend, answer me!
* * * * *
Letter, Dr. Karl Thurn to Professor Albrecht Aigen.
... But what have you discovered, my friend, that you are afraid to
face?
* * * * *
Letter. Professor Albrecht Aigen to Dr. Karl Thurn.
My dear Karl:
I appeal to you because I have discovered how nearly our nation and the
whole world escaped horrors beside which those of The Leader's actual
regime would seem trivial. Give me reasons, arguments, proofs beyond
question, which I can put into my report on his career! I must
demonstrate beyond question that psi ability did not cause his
ascendancy! Help me to contrive a lie which will keep anyone, ever, from
dreaming that psi ability can be used to seize a government and a
nation. It could seize the world more terribly....
I cannot express the urgency of this need! There are others who possess
The Leader's powers in a lesser degree. They must remain only swindlers
and such, without ambitions to rule, or they might study The Leader's
career as Napoleon studied Alexander's. There must be no hint, anywhere,
of the secret I have discovered. There must be nothing to lead to the
least thought of it! The Leader could have multiplied his power
ten-thousand-fold! Another like him must never learn how it could be
done!
I beg your help, Karl! I am shaken. I am terrified. I wish that I had
not undertaken this research. I wish it almost as desperately as I wish
that The Leader had never been born!
* * * * *
Letter from Colonel Sigmund Knoeller, retired, to Professor Albrecht
Aigen, Brunn University.
Herr Professor:
In response to your authorized request for information about certain
events; I have the honor to inform you that at the time you mention I
was Major in command of the Second Battalion of the 161st Infantry
Regiment, assigned to guard duty about the residence of The Leader.
Actual guard duty was performed by the secret police. My battalion
merely provided sentries around the perimeter of the residence, and at
certain places within.
On August 19th I received a command to march three companies of my men
into the residence, to receive orders from The Leader in person. This
command was issued by the Herr General Breyer, attached to The Leader as
a military aide.
I led my men inside according to the orders, guided by the orderly who
had brought them. I entered an inner courtyard. There was disturbance.
People moved about in a disorderly fashion and chattered agitatedly.
This was astonishing in The Leader's residence. I marched up to General
Breyer, who stood outside a group biting his nails. I saluted and said:
"Major Knoeller reporting for orders, Herr General."
There was then confusion in the nearby squabbling group. A man burst out
of it and waved his arms at me. He looked like The Leader. He cried
shrilly:
"Arrest these men! All of them! Then shoot them!"
I looked at the Herr General Breyer. He bit his nails. The man who
looked so much like The Leader foamed at the mouth. But he was not The
Leader. That is, in every respect he resembled The Leader to whom I owed
loyalty as did everyone. But no one who was ever in The Leader's
presence failed to know it. There was a feeling. One knew to the inmost
part of one's soul that he was The Leader who must be reverenced and
obeyed. But one did not feel that way about this man, though he
resembled The Leader so strongly.
"Arrest them!" shrilled the man ferociously. "I command it! I am The
Leader! Shoot them!"
When I still waited for General Breyer to give me orders, the man
shrieked at the troopers. He commanded them to kill General Breyer and
all the rest, including me. And if he had been The Leader they would
have obeyed. But he was not. So my men stood stiffly at attention,
waiting for my orders or General Breyer's.
There was now complete silence in the courtyard. The formerly squabbling
men watched as if astonished. As if they did not believe their eyes. But
I waited for General Breyer to give his commands.
The man screamed in a terrible, frustrated rage. He waved his arms
wildly. He foamed at the mouth and shrieked at me. I waited for orders
from General Breyer. After a long time he ceased to bite his nails and
said in a strange voice:
"You had better have this man placed in confinement, Major Knoeller. See
that he is not injured. Double all guards and mount machine guns in case
of rioting outside. Dismiss!"
I obeyed my commands. My men took the struggling, still-shrieking man
and put him in a cell in the guardhouse. There was a drunken private
there, awaiting court-martial. He was roused and annoyed when his new
companion shrieked and screamed and shook the bars of the door. He
kicked the man who looked so much like The Leader. I then had the
civilian placed in a separate cell, but he continued to rave
incoherently until I had the regimental surgeon give him an injection to
quiet him. He sank into drugged sleep with foam about his lips.
He looked remarkably like The Leader. I have never seen such a
resemblance! But he was not The Leader or we would have known him.
There was no disturbance outside the residence. The doubled guards and
the mounted machine guns were not needed.