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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3375048 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #60443 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60443) diff --git a/old/60443-h.zip b/old/60443-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4466075..0000000 --- a/old/60443-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60443-h/60443-h.htm b/old/60443-h/60443-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index f087cbd..0000000 --- a/old/60443-h/60443-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1727 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Eddie, by Frank Riley. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Eddie, by Frank Riley - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll -have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using -this ebook. - - - -Title: Eddie - -Author: Frank Riley - -Release Date: October 7, 2019 [EBook #60443] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EDDIE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="355" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>EDDIE</h1> - -<h2>BY FRANK RILEY</h2> - -<p class="ph1"><i>It's no surprise that the top brass was<br /> -in a complete swivet; Eddie knew answers to<br /> -questions that weren't even asked. What's<br /> -more</i>, nothing <i>was a secret with him around!</i></p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Worlds of If Science Fiction, December 1957.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><i>Philip Duncan, the St. Louis attorney and former FBI agent, who wrote -the definitive "History of Espionage", observes that in all the records -dealing with spies and counterspies there is no more significant case -than that of Dr. John O'Hara Smith, an electronics research engineer. -Duncan maintains that Dr. Smith, whose rather quixotic name is real -and not assumed, contributed more to the advancement of espionage and -counter-espionage methods than any one person in history.</i></p> - -<p><i>For a period of more than a year, the case of Dr. John O'Hara Smith -was known to only a few security and defense officials. The first -public reference to it came on November 22, 1956, when an assistant -to Secretary of Defense Wilson obliquely commented on it in testimony -before the House Military Affairs Committee. Subsequently, more details -were leaked to several Washington correspondents, and then vigorously -denied. A brief account of the matter appeared on an inside page of the -New York Times, but aroused no general interest.</i></p> - -<p><i>As a matter of fact, so little is known about the entire case that -several of the people who were in on its early phases are still not -sure whether Dr. John O'Hara Smith is alive or dead, or whether he was -a spy or counterspy.</i></p> - -<p><i>However, on the basis of information now declassified, plus two highly -technical papers presented to the Institute of Research Engineers, -anyone sufficiently interested can reconstruct most of the case.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It began at approximately 7:15 P.M., August 11, 1955, when Dr. John -O'Hara Smith returned with a bag of groceries to his house trailer in -the Mira Mar Trailer Park, overlooking a long blue reach of the Pacific -Ocean, some twelve miles south of Los Angeles. He put the groceries on -the drainboard beside his spotless two-burner butane stove, carefully -flicked away a speck of dust and then stepped eagerly toward the rear -of his trailer, where an intricate assembly of tubes and wires occupied -what normally would have been the dining area.</p> - -<p>Dr. Smith flipped on a switch, and then received what he later called, -in his precise, pedantic way, a split-second premonition of danger.</p> - -<p>The Go-NoGo panel light flashed and went out; the transistor looked -grey instead of red; the wires to the binary-coded digitizer were -crossed; the extra module in the basic assembly had not been there that -morning....</p> - -<p>Dr. Smith methodically catalogued these details, and he stepped -backward, just a breath of a moment before the low hum sharpened to a -whine. He tripped, and in falling his left shoulder knocked open the -door to the small toilet closet. Instinctively, he writhed the upper -part of his body through the narrow doorway. His thick-lensed glasses -fell underneath him, leaving him practically blind.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="450" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>His elbows and knees were still making frenzied, primordial crawling -movements when the detonation brought a wave of oblivion that almost, -but not quite, preceded the pain.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A squad car from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department turned in -the first report:</p> - -<p><i>John O'Hara Smith, male, white, about 45; critically injured by -explosion in house trailer; removed by ambulance to General Hospital; -explosion occurred at....</i></p> - -<p>Two days later, the Sheriffs Department apparently closed the case with -a one-line addition to its original report:</p> - -<p><i>Explosion believed to have been caused by leaking butane connection.</i></p> - -<p>But, in the interval, other agencies had entered the case.</p> - -<p>The first was the Industrial Security Office attached to the Western -Division of the Air Force's Research and Development Command in the -once suburban community of Inglewood, California.</p> - -<p>When Chief Security Officer Amos Busch received a call at 11:32 the -morning after the explosion, he automatically noted the time on his -desk pad. The call was from Pacific Electronics, Inc., a subcontracting -firm in nearby El Segundo.</p> - -<p>The president and owner of Pacific Electronics was on the phone. In a -tone that betrayed considerable agitation, he identified himself as -Wesley Browne.</p> - -<p>"One of my research engineers—my best engineer, dammit—was nearly -killed last night in an explosion ... maybe he's dead now," reported -Browne, his words breathlessly treading on each other. "There's -something damn funny about this...."</p> - -<p>Amos Busch wrote: Research engineer ... explosion ... nearly killed. -Then he asked judicially:</p> - -<p>"What do you mean by 'damn funny', Mr. Browne?"</p> - -<p>"This engineer was working on our vernier actuating cylinder for the -Atlas guided missile.... Just two days ago, he—he said he wanted me to -know where his files were ... in case anything happened to him...."</p> - -<p>Amos Busch was a jowly, greying man who gave the appearance of being -slow moving. But before the president of Pacific Electronics, Inc., -hung up, Busch had already used another phone and the intercom to put -in motion a chain reaction that would deliver to his desk the security -report on Dr. John O'Hara Smith.</p> - -<p>There was nothing out of order in the report. There couldn't have been, -or Dr. Smith wouldn't have been cleared for the ballistic missile -program. According to the report, he had lived aloofly for all of his -adult years. Even as a boy, his sole interest had been to tinker with -mechanical projects. His grades and IQ were high above the norm, and -his attitude towards his classmates varied between impatience and -out-right sarcasm. "I always thought John was a lonely boy," a former -teacher had recalled to an FBI officer during the security check. "He -never had anything in common with other youngsters." After obtaining -his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin, -he had worked for Allis-Chalmers Research Division in Milwaukee and -lived with his mother until her death in 1951, when he bought a house -trailer and moved to the coast. He had no close friends, no record of -even a remote connection with any communist or communist-front group.</p> - -<p>Security Officer Busch decided to visit the trailer, or what remained -of it. He was not an electronics man, or even a normally incompetent -do-it-yourself mechanic, but when he saw the shattered tangle of wires -and tubes, along with the obvious remnant of a short-wave receiver, -Amos Busch promptly called Major General David Sanders, commander of -the USAF's Western Development Division.</p> - -<p>General Sanders scratched his tanned bald head, and said,</p> - -<p>"We'd better get the FBI in on this, Amos."</p> - -<p>The FBI went to work with a thoroughness that made John O'Hara Smith's -previous security investigation look like the processing of an -application to join the Kiwanis. While agents sifted every detail of -his life since the day of his birth, he was moved to a private room at -General Hospital and three nurses cleared for security were assigned to -care for him.</p> - -<p>For eight days, Smith was in a coma. On the morning of the ninth day, -he groaned, turned to one side and rolled back again. The nurse on duty -put down her magazine and moved quickly to his bedside. She moistened a -cloth and wiped the perspiration from his high forehead, brushing back -the thinning tangle of fine, brown hair.</p> - -<p>His eyes blinked open, stared at her. He whispered:</p> - -<p>"Eddie ... what happened ... to Eddie?"</p> - -<p>Remembering her instructions from the FBI, the nurse turned to make -certain the door was closed.</p> - -<p>"Was Eddie in the trailer with you?" she asked, bending closer to catch -his reply.</p> - -<p>He gave her a look of utter disgust, and tried to moisten his cracked -lips with the tip of his tongue. But he drifted off again without -replying.</p> - -<p>This incident was duly recorded in the FBI's growing dossier, along -with another conversation that took place in the office of Wesley -Browne at Pacific Electronics, Inc. After carefully reviewing John -O'Hara Smith's work record, FBI agent Frank Cowles inquired:</p> - -<p>"Is there anything—anything at all, Mr. Browne—that you would -consider out of the ordinary about Smith's recent actions?"</p> - -<p>There was a trace of uneasiness in Browne's manner, but he tried to -cover it by looking annoyed.</p> - -<p>"I don't know why in the devil you fellows are spending so much time on -Smith!... He sure as hell didn't blow himself up!"</p> - -<p>"Of course not," Cowles said, placatingly. "But we never know where a -lead will come from...."</p> - -<p>He repeated the question.</p> - -<p>Browne hesitated.</p> - -<p>"I suppose," he began, shifting his big bulk uncomfortably, "this will -sound kind of odd ... but you know we've got the subcontract to produce -this actuating cylinder for the Atlas...."</p> - -<p>The agent nodded.</p> - -<p>"Well, six months before we were asked to submit specs and bids on such -a cylinder, Smith came to me and said he had an idea for something the -Air Force might soon be needing...."</p> - -<p>Agent Cowles maintained his air of polite attention, but his cool grey -eyes narrowed. Browne shifted again, and continued:</p> - -<p>"I told him to go ahead—you never can tell what these research guys -will come up with...."</p> - -<p>"And what did he come up with, Mr. Browne?"</p> - -<p>"You won't believe this, maybe—but he came up with the design for the -complete vernier hydraulic actuating cylinder—including the drive -sector gear—at least three months before we had the faintest idea such -an item would even be needed!"</p> - -<p>The FBI man's ball-point pen moved swiftly.</p> - -<p>"Anything else?"</p> - -<p>Browne instinctively lowered his voice:</p> - -<p>"Smith even suggested that the cylinder would help to offset the roll -and yaw in an intercontinental ballistic missile!"</p> - -<p>A brittle edge came into the agent's courteous tone:</p> - -<p>"Did you report this to security?"</p> - -<p>In spite of the air-conditioning unit in the window, the president and -owner of Pacific Electronics, Inc., seemed to feel that the room was -getting very warm. He ran a fat forefinger under his white collar.</p> - -<p>"No," he admitted. "We got the contract, of course—it was a -cinch!—and I just wrote it off as a lucky break.... You can see how -I'd feel, can't you?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Cowles, "I can."</p> - -<p>Bit by bit, a new picture of the meticulous, professorial Dr. Smith -began to emerge from the FBI dossier.</p> - -<p>During the working week, his habit had been to keep his trailer in -a small park just off Sepulveda Blvd., a half-mile from the Pacific -Electronics plant. After work on Fridays, he invariably left for the -weekend, usually for any one of a dozen scenic trailer parks along the -coast between San Diego and Santa Barbara. He always went alone. No -one had ever seen or met "Eddie". Outside of working hours, Smith's -only association with his professional colleagues was through the -Institute of Research Engineers. He attended monthly meetings, and -occasionally wrote dry, abstract articles on theoretical research for -the Institute's quarterly journal.</p> - -<p>Under microscopic study and chemical analysis, investigators determined -that nitro-glycerine had caused the explosion. The fused mass of -electronics wreckage in Smith's trailer were identified as parts of a -computer assembly. Thousands of dollars had been spent on components -over the past three years. Purchases, usually for cash, were traced to -various electronic supply companies in the greater Los Angeles area.</p> - -<p>Dr. Smith's bank account showed a balance of only $263.15. But the big -find came from a safety deposit box in the same branch bank. There, -along with a birth certificate, his mother's marriage license, an -insurance policy, his doctor's degree from the University of Wisconsin -and an unused passport, was a duplicate set of computer memory tapes.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It took the FBI forty-eight hours to play a few selected segments from -these tapes, which obviously had been recorded over a period of several -years.</p> - -<p>Two notations made by Agent Cowles indicate the type of material -contained on the tapes:</p> - -<p>"If a deliberate attempt were made to run a thermonuclear test -explosion within the frontiers of Russia, in such a way as to avoid -detection, it would almost certainly be successful...."</p> - -<p>"The Soviet Union may soon develop a new ratio of fusion to fission -energy in high yield weapons and will require additional data...."</p> - -<p>FBI agents listening to these playbacks were convinced, almost to a -man, that they had stumbled across the hottest espionage trail since -the arrest of Klaus Fuchs and the case of the Rosenbergs.</p> - -<p>A round-the-clock security guard was placed outside the hospital room -of John O'Hara Smith, while Federal authorities waited impatiently -to see whether he would live or die. Smith would answer, or leave -unanswered, a lot of vital questions.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Security notwithstanding, it was the day after Labor Day before the -medical staff of General Hospital would permit the first direct -questioning of Dr. Smith. And then the interrogators were instructed:</p> - -<p>"Only a few minutes."</p> - -<p>Three men filed quietly into Smith's room as soon as the nurse removed -his luncheon tray. They stood in a semi-circle around the foot of his -bed.</p> - -<p>Agent Frank Cowles opened a black leather folder the size of a small -billfold and presented his credentials. He introduced General Sanders -and Security Officer Busch. It was the first time any of the men had -seen John O'Hara Smith. The reports had called him pudgy, but now he -had lost twenty pounds and his cheek bones were gaunt under his pallid -skin. He wore unusually thick, dark-rimmed glasses that magnified his -eyes and gave him an owlish appearance. He returned their scrutiny with -a mixture of assurance and impatience, like a professor waiting for his -class to come to order.</p> - -<p>"Good morning, gentlemen," he said tartly. "It's about time someone -came to see me about this...."</p> - -<p>Cowles cleared his throat and suggested cautiously:</p> - -<p>"Then you're willing to give us a statement, Dr. Smith?"</p> - -<p>"Don't talk drivel, man! How are you going to know anything about it if -I don't make a statement!"</p> - -<p>Though still weak, Dr. Smith's voice had a high, imperious quality. -Clearly, he did not wish to waste time or strength on mere -conversation.</p> - -<p>The three men exchanged glances. Cowles and Amos Busch took out -notebooks.</p> - -<p>"Now, Dr. Smith," Cowles began, "what is your view as to the nature of -the explosion in your trailer and the reason for it?"</p> - -<p>"I'm an electronics research engineer, not an expert in explosives," -Smith retorted with some asperity. "But as to the reason, I'm sure they -wanted to destroy Eddie and me!"</p> - -<p>He glared, as if daring anybody to challenge this statement.</p> - -<p>"Eddie?" ventured Cowles.</p> - -<p>"I try to speak plainly, Mr. Cowles.... I said 'Eddie and me'!"</p> - -<p>General David Sanders rested two large hands on the foot of the white -iron bedstead and squeezed until his knuckles bulged ominously. A -volatile man, he had trouble with his own temper even without being -provoked. But his voice was deceptively calm:</p> - -<p>"Dr. Smith, do I gather that someone else was in the trailer with you -at the time of the explosion?"</p> - -<p>Smith grimaced expressively, and answered as if speaking to an -eight-year-old:</p> - -<p>"No, General Sanders.... I was quite alone."</p> - -<p>After thirty years in the Air Force, Amos Busch was not used to hearing -a Major General spoken to in this way. It violated his sense of -propriety.</p> - -<p>"Dr. Smith," he exploded, "just who or what in the hell is or was -Eddie?"</p> - -<p>With what was remarkably close to an air of incredulity, Smith looked -slowly from one to the other.</p> - -<p>"I gather you gentlemen haven't read my latest article."</p> - -<p>"Not thoroughly," Cowles admitted.</p> - -<p>"Then you don't know of my research work with an educatable computer," -Smith said accusingly. Seeing that they didn't, he added: "I have named -it 'Eddie'!"</p> - -<p>"What ... what is an educatable computer?" ventured Cowles.</p> - -<p>It was clear that Dr. Smith welcomed this question. His eyes glowed -behind their thick lenses, and his high voice dropped its edge of -sharpness.</p> - -<p>"Eddie is a computer with a capacity to learn," he replied proudly. "It -learns from assimilation of information and deductive reasoning—at a -rate at least 10,000 times that of the human mind! That's why Eddie -comes up with so many answers!... The only problem is, we seldom know -what questions the answers answer."</p> - -<p>His three interrogators had the look of men leaning into a heavy wind. -General Sanders recovered first, and demanded:</p> - -<p>"What the devil was it made for then?"</p> - -<p>"Eddie was not designed for any specific task—that's why Eddie is so -valuable ... and dangerous!"</p> - -<p>Dr. Smith rolled out this last word as if he relished it.</p> - -<p>"Do you realize," he went on, with careful emphasis, "that Eddie has -solved problems we won't even know exist for another thousand years!"</p> - -<p>This pronouncement was greeted by a moment of strained silence. General -Sanders finally said,</p> - -<p>"H-m-m-m."</p> - -<p>He looked at Busch, who looked at Cowles, who asked:</p> - -<p>"Does Eddie solve any problems closer to our own time, Dr. Smith?"</p> - -<p>"Of course...."</p> - -<p>"Did Eddie come up with the idea for that Atlas stabilizing cylinder?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly."</p> - -<p>General Sanders moved a step closer to the bed.</p> - -<p>"Any other ideas like that?" he inquired eagerly.</p> - -<p>Dr. Smith's smile was neither wholly supercilious nor merely -self-assured. It was a little of both, plus a lot of pure satisfaction -at being stage center with his favorite subject. He cocked his head -back and stared down his stump of a nose.</p> - -<p>"You're working on a missile defense system for bombers, aren't you?" -he challenged General Sanders.</p> - -<p>"What about it?" hedged the General.</p> - -<p>"Have you learned how to design a finned missile which can be launched -across the bomber's airstream without being thrown off course?"</p> - -<p>General Sanders ignored a warning glance from Amos Busch.</p> - -<p>"Do you ... does this Eddie know how to do it?"</p> - -<p>"Eddie says it doesn't matter!"</p> - -<p>"What?"</p> - -<p>"Eddie says what difference does it make if the missile is thrown -off course by the airstream—as long as you can reorient it into a -compensated trajectory. We were working on a new gyroscope principle -that might do the trick...."</p> - -<p>FBI Agent Cowles was always the personification of courtesy, but he -could assert himself when necessary. He did so now.</p> - -<p>"Excuse me, General," he interrupted, "but first there are some other -matters we must go into with Dr. Smith."</p> - -<p>The General nodded reluctantly. He took out an envelope and made some -notes of his own on the back of it.</p> - -<p>"Now, Dr. Smith," said Cowles, "let's get back to the explosion.... Why -do you feel someone wanted to destroy you and Eddie?"</p> - -<p>"I believe they had copied Eddie's circuit design and wanted to make -sure another one wasn't built—at least in the immediate future."</p> - -<p>"Why not?"</p> - -<p>Dr. John O'Hara Smith showed a neat flair for timing as he waited just -long enough to build suspense, before answering:</p> - -<p>"Because Eddie knew that our security system for safeguarding the -missile program is about as up to date as the horse and buggy!"</p> - -<p>His words couldn't have been better chosen to startle his audience. -Amos Busch took them as a personal affront.</p> - -<p>"Horse and buggy!" he snorted. "You'd better spell that out, Dr. Smith!"</p> - -<p>Smith's reply was prompt and precise:</p> - -<p>"Eddie has concluded that human methods and minds alone are not enough -to cope with security issues in an area where even the simplest -technical problems must be handled by intricate computing devices...."</p> - -<p>His owlish eyes moved from one man to another, trying to judge whether -they were following him.</p> - -<p>"You see, Gentlemen," he went on, "the technology we are dealing with -is so unbelievably complex that the possibilities for espionage are -multiplied infinitely beyond the capacity of a human intellect to grasp -and evaluate...."</p> - -<p>"For example," demanded General Sanders.</p> - -<p>"For example," Smith retorted with equal sharpness, "what good does it -do to surround ballistic missile plants with security regulations if -the missile itself can be stolen right out of the air?"</p> - -<p>"Fantastic!" said General Sanders.</p> - -<p>"Nuts," said Amos Busch.</p> - -<p>Agent Cowles said nothing.</p> - -<p>John O'Hara Smith sank back against his pillow, panting a little. His -high forehead glistened with sweat. When he gathered the strength to -speak again, he directed his words to General Sanders:</p> - -<p>"General, these ICBM missiles being fired into the Atlantic Ocean from -the coast of Florida.... Are you sure you know what's happened to all -of them?"</p> - -<p>"I think so," the General answered calmly.</p> - -<p>"And what about your own X-15 project, General?"</p> - -<p>The question was almost a taunt.</p> - -<p>General David William Sanders had jumped with his paratroopers into -France on a morning in June, 1944. He had risen in rank through the -test of battle and the more excruciating ordeal of the Pentagon. He was -a rock-jawed, six-foot, two-hundred pound man whom little could shock -and nothing could deter. But he had never faced a challenge like the -seconds of silence that followed Dr. Smith's mocking question.</p> - -<p>There was nothing he dared say, yet in saying nothing he was saying -everything. FBI Agent Frank Cowles looked at him, then looked -quickly away. Security Officer Busch studied his own hands as though -discovering them for the first time.</p> - -<p>The tableau remained frozen and silent until the door opened and a -doctor said,</p> - -<p>"That's all for today, gentlemen."</p> - -<p>The three men left without a word.</p> - -<p>Dr. John O'Hara Smith closed his eyes. On his pale lips was the -suggestion of a smile.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When they were alone in the General's staff car, Amos Busch exhaled and -said,</p> - -<p>"I'll be damned."</p> - -<p>"I gather," observed Cowles drily, "that something called an X-15 has -turned up missing."</p> - -<p>"A week ago," sighed General Sanders. "Somewhere in the Mojave Desert -near Lancaster.... It was a very elementary prototype—the actual X-15 -won't be ready for another three years...."</p> - -<p>"Any idea what happened to it?"</p> - -<p>"It was on a routine test flight and ran out of the tracking -screen—headed northwest.... We haven't found a splinter from it! But -there's a lot of rough country around there."</p> - -<p>"Who knows it was lost?"</p> - -<p>"Just the local base and our headquarters staff. The Pentagon, too, of -course."</p> - -<p>"And Dr. Smith," added Amos Busch, incredulously.</p> - -<p>The staff car detoured off the freeway to deliver Cowles to the Federal -Building.</p> - -<p>"What do you make of this, Frank?" the General asked him.</p> - -<p>"I'm just supposed to be gathering information."</p> - -<p>"Oh, hell! We've been talking and you've been thinking—what?"</p> - -<p>Cowles grinned.</p> - -<p>"I've been thinking how lucky it is I don't have to make a decision -about Smith!"</p> - -<p>"So?"</p> - -<p>"So we'll question him again tomorrow.... As long as he's willing to -talk, the more he says, the better."</p> - -<p>But, next morning, the medical staff again exercised its veto power. -John O'Hara Smith had developed an infection and fever during the -night. There could be no further questioning for the time being.</p> - -<p>On the second day, when his fever ebbed, Dr. Smith irascibly ordered a -pad of paper and began an interminable series of sketches. The nurse -managed to sneak out a few of them, and FBI experts sat up all night -vainly trying to figure out what they meant.</p> - -<p>The following evening, when the last visitor's bell had sounded and -the patients were bedded down for the night, Dr. Smith was staring -unblinkingly into the dark shadows of his room. He had been given a -sleeping pill at 9:30, but had held it under his tongue until the nurse -left, and then had put it on the night table behind his thick-rimmed -glasses. He seemed to be struggling with a problem. Once he turned on -the night light, put on his glasses and made several rapid sketches -that vaguely resembled a spider web.</p> - -<p>A half hour later, his eyes began to droop. He picked up the sleeping -pill, rolled it between his thumb and forefinger, then put it back on -the table. His breathing became deeper.</p> - -<p>A sound startled him awake. It was an odd sound, not a part of the -subdued hospital noises. It was a persistent, metallic, scraping sound, -and it came from outside his window.</p> - -<p>Dr. John O'Hara Smith grabbed his glasses and rolled out of bed. He -bunched up his pillow under the covers and crawled into the deeper -darkness of the corner to the left of the window, which was open -several inches. He crouched there, knees quivering from weakness.</p> - -<p>There followed an interval of almost inaudible prying at the screen, -broken by periods of silence as someone outside the second-story window -apparently paused to listen. Finally, the screen was released with a -faint pop. The lower half of the double-hung window eased upwards.</p> - -<p>Again there was silence, save for the distant clatter of the -self-service elevator.</p> - -<p>Abruptly, a pencil-thin beam of light shot through the room, toward -the bed. It focussed on the mound made by the pillow.</p> - -<p>Short tongues of flame leaped out three times, with soft, spitting -sounds. The pillow and the tangle of blankets twitched realistically.</p> - -<p>The beam of light winked out; the screen plopped back into place. There -were a few hasty, sliding noises of retreat, and that was all.</p> - -<p>John O'Hara Smith's breath came in short, strained gasps, as though he -were choked up with asthma. When he got control of himself, he eased -back the edge of the drape and looked out the window. It was nearly -twenty feet to the ground. A car turned off the boulevard, and came up -the side street. The glow of its headlights briefly silhouetted the -ladder angled against the side of the hospital.</p> - -<p>Dr. Smith sat on the edge of the bed to think things over. His left -thumb probed the holes in the blanket and pillow. This seemed to make -up his mind.</p> - -<p>He got his clothes from the closet and dressed as quickly as he could -force his hands to move and co-ordinate. His trousers hung so loosely -that the last hole in his belt made no difference. He pulled the belt -tight and knotted it.</p> - -<p>Next, he carefully folded his sketches and put them in the inside -pocket of his coat. As an after-thought, he also put the sleeping pill -in his pocket. Then he drank half a glass of water and painfully edged -himself out the window. His chest scraped the ledge, and it was all he -could do to strangle an out-cry of pain.</p> - -<p>At the foot of the ladder, he staggered and nearly fell. But after a -moment's rest, he squared his shoulders and walked across a corner of -the lawn, into the shadows and the night.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Los Angeles Mirror-News got further than any other paper with the -story of Dr. John O'Hara Smith's mysterious disappearance from General -Hospital, leaving behind a bed riddled with three bullets. In fact, the -Mirror-News story had cleared the copy desk and was on its way down to -the composing room before it was killed by the managing editor "for -security reasons".</p> - -<p>An all-points police bulletin was sent out, but no one was optimistic -about immediate results. When you can't admit a man is missing, when -you can't publish his photograph, you deprive yourself of the eyes and -ears of the public, which turn up seventy-five percent of the leads in -missing persons cases.</p> - -<p>Security considerations posed three alternatives:</p> - -<p>If Dr. Smith was telling the truth, then it was better to let whoever -had twice tried to kill him wonder whether the second attempt had been -successful.</p> - -<p>If Smith had broken with an espionage ring, and had been marked for -death by former associates, the various agencies concerned with -security wanted a chance to find him first.</p> - -<p>If Smith was playing some devious game of his own, let him make the -next move.</p> - -<p>As days went by, telephone circuits from Washington to Los Angeles -carried messages that grew increasingly uncomplimentary. FBI -headquarters hinted that certain field representatives might be -transferred from Southern California to southern Kansas if results in -the Smith case were not forthcoming promptly. The Air Force suggested -that if both Dr. Smith and the X-15 prototype continued to be among -the missing, it would not be wise to present the pending promotion of -General Sanders to the White House.</p> - -<p>The General was moodily digesting this thought, while half-listening to -a discussion at a morning staff conference, when an aide whispered:</p> - -<p>"A call from the North American Lancaster plant, Sir. It's urgent—and -personal...."</p> - -<p>General Sanders excused himself and hurried into his adjoining private -office.</p> - -<p>"Sanders," he barked.</p> - -<p>The high, imperious voice that replied was instantly recognizable:</p> - -<p>"General Sanders, I suggest you don't try to have this call traced, or -we might not be able to finish our conversation!"</p> - -<p>The General pressed his intercom button and held the connection open, -waiting for a chance to use it.</p> - -<p>"Go ahead, Smith," he said.</p> - -<p>"I'll come directly to the point," said Smith. "I want two things: A -place to work in safety and the funds to build another Eddie!"</p> - -<p>"And what makes you think you can get them from me?"</p> - -<p>"Because Eddie can help you find the X-15."</p> - -<p>The General hunched closer to the intercom, raising his voice.</p> - -<p>"Smith," he stalled, "why don't you come in and talk things over?"</p> - -<p>"I do not intend to sit around waiting to be killed while your security -bunglers try to decide whether I'm telling the truth!"</p> - -<p>A Staff Sergeant looked in the door.</p> - -<p>"Is anything wrong, Sir?"</p> - -<p>The General motioned for silence, then scrawled on a note pad:</p> - -<p>"Trace this call!"</p> - -<p>"Now, Dr. Smith," he said, "if you're telling us the truth, you've got -nothing to worry about...."</p> - -<p>"General," Smith replied acidly, "do you know any better way of -convincing you than to let Eddie find the X-15?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I—"</p> - -<p>"Goodbye, General. You think it over—and I'll call you later. Your -word will be sufficient!"</p> - -<p>The phone clicked, and General Sanders cursed bitterly. Later, he -talked it over with Amos Busch, who nodded agreement to the General's -proposal.</p> - -<p>"Sure," he said. "It's worth a gamble—and we'll have Smith where we -want him!"</p> - -<p>When John O'Hara Smith phoned that afternoon, the General said promptly:</p> - -<p>"Come on in, Dr. Smith—you've got a deal."</p> - -<p>The available records on this phase of the case show that a Dr. J. O. -Smith and three "assistants" were added to the payroll of a small -Pasadena electronics firm on September 17, 1955. They were installed in -one wing on the top floor of the building. The entrance to this wing -was sealed off with the familiar sign: "Restricted—Permission to enter -granted only on a need-to-know basis".</p> - -<p>Apparently, few needed to know, for Smith and his assistants seldom had -visitors. Deliveries of electronics components were received by one of -the assistants. The four men arrived together, and left together. They -brought their lunch.</p> - -<p>Dr. Smith, of course, had been interrogated briefly when he had turned -himself in at USAF Western Division Headquarters. But only the General -and Amos Busch had questioned him this time.</p> - -<p>"Look, Smith," said Amos, "if we're supposed to protect you, I want to -know from what—and why it's necessary...."</p> - -<p>John O'Hara Smith looked almost embarrassed.</p> - -<p>"I suppose I made the same error that is so often made in declassifying -information...."</p> - -<p>"How's that?"</p> - -<p>"When information is declassified, it's done without mathematically -computing the infinite number of possible ways such information may be -useful to a hostile government.... Of course, you need an Eddie to make -such a computation!"</p> - -<p>"What's this got to do with trying to knock you off?" Busch demanded.</p> - -<p>"It's quite evident that someone read my article in the Research -Engineers' journal more carefully than you did! As a matter of fact, -Eddie actually warned me that anyone hostile to the United States could -not possibly allow my work to continue!"</p> - -<p>Amos Busch and General Sanders exchanged wary glances.</p> - -<p>"All right," said General Sanders, "We'll let that go for the -moment—but what made you ask about the X-15 in the first place?"</p> - -<p>"Eddie suggested that if the ICBM missiles could theoretically be -stolen over the mid-Atlantic, it would be vastly less difficult to -steal an X-15 over the Mojave Desert!"</p> - -<p>As the two Air Force men digested this statement, along with the -indisputable fact that an X-15 <i>had</i> disappeared, John O'Hara Smith -blandly informed them:</p> - -<p>"Incidentally, gentlemen, you'll have to get Eddie's duplicate tapes -for me."</p> - -<p>Busch reddened, and could not resist asking:</p> - -<p>"Including those short-wave broadcasts from Moscow Radio?"</p> - -<p>"Naturally!" Dr. Smith snapped. "I'm sure Eddie extracts a great deal -of useful information from them!"</p> - -<p>This second interrogation, like the previous one in the hospital, ended -on a triumphant note for the exasperating Dr. Smith. When they were -alone, General Sanders turned to Busch and sighed:</p> - -<p>"We've got a double security problem, Amos! If word of this deal -with Smith gets back to Washington, I'll be laughed right out of the -service!"</p> - -<p>But the General didn't begin to grasp the full implications of his -predicament until the afternoon of Oct. 7, when Dr. Smith phoned to say -Eddie was completed.</p> - -<p>"Good," grunted the General. "Get going, then!"</p> - -<p>"We'll need more information first."</p> - -<p>"What kind of information?" General Sanders demanded suspiciously.</p> - -<p>His suspicions were reinforced by Smith's terse dictum:</p> - -<p>"Eddie must have all the facts on the X-15."</p> - -<p>"Impossible!"</p> - -<p>Dr. Smith's sniff indicated he nurtured utter disbelief in the concept -of the impossible.</p> - -<p>"Eddie operates on facts," he reminded the General.</p> - -<p>General Sanders didn't sleep much that night. Neither did Amos Busch. -They talked and argued until three in the morning, when the General -poured one last drink and raised his glass.</p> - -<p>"O.K.," he said grimly. "I've gone this far and I've got to go the rest -of the way!"</p> - -<p>They drank, and he continued:</p> - -<p>"At least, now I won't have to worry about being laughed out of the -service—I'll get court-martialed out!"</p> - -<p>He jabbed viciously at an ice-cube with his forefinger.</p> - -<p>"But there's one thing I'll do first," he promised.</p> - -<p>"What's that, Sir?"</p> - -<p>"Strangle Smith with my bare hands!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>General Sanders sat on a metal folding chair in front of Eddie, the -educatable computer, and stared belligerently at the roughly-finished -aluminum facade.</p> - -<p>Eddie didn't look like much—certainly nothing like $13,456.12 worth of -components paid for out of the General's contingency fund. Speed had -been the primary consideration in rebuilding Eddie. The exterior case -was unpainted, and rather inexpertly held together with metal screws. -There were no knobs on the front panel controls. The vocader grill was -open; the input microphone simply rested on the workbench beside the -case. The entire assembly measured about three feet long, two feet deep -and eighteen inches high.</p> - -<p>"O.K., what do I do now?" rasped the General.</p> - -<p>"Just start talking—into the mike."</p> - -<p>General Sanders took a sheaf of papers from his briefcase. He glared at -Smith:</p> - -<p>"You get the hell out of here! This is classified information!"</p> - -<p>Dr. Smith smiled mockingly. On his way out of the room, he paused.</p> - -<p>"The circuits will stay open—take as long as you wish."</p> - -<p>Feeling like a combination of fool and Benedict Arnold, General Sanders -cleared his throat and began to read:</p> - -<p>"The North American X-15 is one of several projects now nearing the -hardware stage that will take living men as well as instruments into -the fourth environment of military activity, that of space.</p> - -<p>"As soon as the satellite project completes preliminary exploration -of the massive high energy spectrometer, the X-15's system should be -ready to fly within two years. X-15s A, B, and C will explore 3000 mph, -50 mi. up; 4500 mph, 100 mi. up; and 6000 mph and over, 150 mi. up and -out...."</p> - -<p>General Sanders jerked open his tie. His tanned bald head was damp with -sweat. He glanced around the empty workroom, set his jaw stubbornly and -continued:</p> - -<p>"Meanwhile, tests are in progress with a pilot model of X-15 to work -out an entirely new vehicle system slow enough to maintain laminar flow -in the boundary layer and fast enough to maintain control effectiveness -at near sea-level environment. Unlike the ICBM which need only remain -lethal for a few seconds, both the X-15 and its personnel must return -to fly again...."</p> - -<p>For three hours, General Sanders read steadily from his file material. -During the last half hour, his voice grew husky, his throat dry and raw.</p> - -<p>When he finished, he went to the door and shouted:</p> - -<p>"All right, Smith.... Come in here and put this damn thing to work!"</p> - -<p>Smith came in and informed him imperturbably:</p> - -<p>"Not so fast, General! Eddie will still require a great deal more -information."</p> - -<p>"More? Dammit, I covered everything!"</p> - -<p>"Everything you know about the X-15," Dr. Smith agreed, "but Eddie -is now venturing into a new field and must have more than technical -electronics and avionics data. He needs complete reports on the -progress of the search to date, as well as the weather, topography, -economy, history and current happenings in the entire peripheral -area. I have built a supplemental circuit to accommodate this sort of -material...."</p> - -<p>General Sanders groaned.</p> - -<p>"How the hell do I get into these things?"</p> - -<p>During the next ten days, Eddie scanned microfilm on all the newspapers -published since X-15's disappearance. Also marshalled before the -scanner was every pertinent reference work available at public, private -and university libraries in California.</p> - -<p>At length, even John O'Hara Smith seemed satisfied. He shut off the -scanner, turned on the selector mechanism and the vocader switch.</p> - -<p>For two hours, Eddie did nothing, except hum contentedly, like a -miniature washing machine. Occasionally, a weird, flickering pattern of -multi-colored lights would trace across the scanning screen.</p> - -<p>At 11:06 A.M., October 19, 1955, a flat, toneless voice came from the -vocader grill:</p> - -<p>"Laminar flow equilibrium temperature at mach 8.0, altitude 150,000 -ft., of a point 10 ft. back from the leading edge is 1000 degrees -Fahrenheit, assuming skin has 0.85 emissivity."</p> - -<p>There was a small, whirring noise, and the vocader circuit clicked off.</p> - -<p>"What the devil does that mean?" demanded the General.</p> - -<p>"Your aerophysicists might like to know!" came back the tart reply.</p> - -<p>At 1:34, Eddie clicked into action again:</p> - -<p>"In flight between two planets, the theory of minimum energy orbit -should be discarded in favor of acceleration at reduced speed for -calculated periods of time."</p> - -<p>"By the time we're flying between planets," General Sanders commented -bitterly, "the record of my court-martial will be ancient history!"</p> - -<p>Twenty minutes later, Eddie added:</p> - -<p>"In the operation of small exploration vehicles, the fuel cell of the -4-H Clubs in Hanford and Bitteroot Creek will compete with the chemical -energy of recombination for the prize sweet potato trophy."</p> - -<p>Even John O'Hara Smith looked startled. But he recovered his aplomb -instantly.</p> - -<p>"Must be a circuit crossover," he explained. "No trouble to adjust -it...."</p> - -<p>While he probed into the interior of Eddie with a glass-handled -screwdriver, General Sanders took out a fresh cigarette and shredded it -between his fingers.</p> - -<p>At 2:51, Eddie had this to report:</p> - -<p>"Just as the basic physical precept of invariancy to reflection is -not necessarily true, Newton's laws of motion may not always apply -under certain circumstances. This would make it possible to penetrate -and misdirect a navigational system based on the concept of inertial -guidance."</p> - -<p>General Sanders had been tilted back in his chair, half dozing. He -bounced forward with a jar.</p> - -<p>"What was that?"</p> - -<p>Dr. Smith replayed this portion of the output tape.</p> - -<p>"We talked about that at the hospital," he sternly recalled to the -General. "And if the long-range missiles fired from Florida can be -taken over in flight, what's to prevent their being guided to a -submarine at sea?"</p> - -<p>The General frowned in deep concentration, then relaxed and shook his -head.</p> - -<p>"Even if something like that would be possible, we've got nothing -to worry about. Every missile carries a device which can be used to -destroy it if the missile goes off course."</p> - -<p>John O'Hara Smith shook his head like a teacher confronted with a pupil -who was not too bright.</p> - -<p>"Now, General, if an inertial guidance system can be penetrated, a -destructor can be blocked."</p> - -<p>"That's a mighty big if," the General shot back.</p> - -<p>Dr. Smith smiled sardonically.</p> - -<p>"It may not be so big when Eddie tells us what happened to the X-15!"</p> - -<p>"When!" the General groaned. Then he came back to the problem of -intercepted ICBM missiles. Half seriously, half sarcastically, he asked:</p> - -<p>"What does Eddie think we should do about those missiles?"</p> - -<p>"Undoubtedly there are other guidance systems that can't be broken so -easily ... meanwhile, Eddie suggests booby-trapping the missiles so -they'll explode when tampered with."</p> - -<p>General Sanders closed his eyes again, and tilted back his chair. The -frown between his eyes deepened.</p> - -<p>It was six o'clock, and the early dusk was closing in on the workroom, -before another statement came from Eddie. In its characteristic -monotone, the educatable computer said:</p> - -<p>"The existing developmental missile program will not be affected by the -rising divorce rate in Bakersfield and Kern County."</p> - -<p>Dr. John O'Hara Smith pursed his lips in disapproval.</p> - -<p>"Eddie's not behaving at all well! I'm afraid that new circuit relay -will take some working over...."</p> - -<p>General Sanders climbed slowly to his feet. He picked up his hat.</p> - -<p>"O.K., Smith," he said, "You sold me a bill of goods, and I bought -it! Now I'm turning you and this whole damn mess back to the FBI! Let -Cowles go crazy for awhile!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As Frank Cowles sat in the General's office and heard what had been -going on, he said mildly:</p> - -<p>"Well, I guess you had to take the gamble."</p> - -<p>"Thanks," said General Sanders. "I hope the Pentagon will look at it -the same way—but I doubt it!"</p> - -<p>"We've got a problem, too, General," Cowles pointed out. "When -everything's said and done, there's absolutely no charge we can file -against Smith."</p> - -<p>"But he just can't walk away—not with all he—or that miserable -Eddie—knows about the X-15!"</p> - -<p>Cowles smiled faintly.</p> - -<p>"I would imagine that Eddie now belongs to the Air Force."</p> - -<p>"We'll break the damn thing up for scrap!"</p> - -<p>The General's intercom buzzed. An aide's voice said apologetically:</p> - -<p>"That Dr. Smith is calling you again, Sir."</p> - -<p>"Tell him to go to hell!"</p> - -<p>A few seconds later, the intercom buzzed again.</p> - -<p>"Dr. Smith on the line, Sir—He says it's something about the X-15 -missile."</p> - -<p>General Sanders looked as though he wanted to sweep the intercom off -his desk.</p> - -<p>"Why not talk to him," Cowles suggested. "I'd like to hear this."</p> - -<p>The General picked up his phone, and said with deceptive calm:</p> - -<p>"All right, Smith ... make it short."</p> - -<p>"It was the logging truck," Dr. Smith replied, in his most superior -manner.</p> - -<p>"Huh?"</p> - -<p>"Eddie's circuit is coordinated now. He says that the same afternoon -the X-15 disappeared, a passenger car ran into the back of a logging -truck northbound on Highway 395, about fifty miles from the Lancaster -base. Two people were killed...."</p> - -<p>"Smith, what kind of pipedream are you peddling now?"</p> - -<p>"General, the truck was loaded with redwood logs and heading north!"</p> - -<p>"I don't give a damn where it was going!"</p> - -<p>"Wait, General!" Dr. Smith's tone was almost a command. "Eddie wants to -know why a logging truck was traveling <i>toward</i> the redwood country -with a load of logs. He also points out that the X-15 is about the size -of a redwood log, and could be concealed perfectly in the middle of a -load!"</p> - -<p>The General seemed to be swallowing something angular and unpleasant.</p> - -<p>"We'll check that truck," he said, at last. "But remember, Smith, -you've had it—you'll never hook me again!"</p> - -<p>He put down the phone, and said to Cowles:</p> - -<p>"You get on the merry-go-round this time!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The California Highway Patrol in Mojave had the report on the accident. -Clearly, it had been the fault of the passenger car. The truck -driver was identified in the report as Art Backus, an independent -hauler, working out of Eureka, located on the far northern tip of the -California coast, about eight hundred miles from the scene of the -accident.</p> - -<p>A routine check by the FBI disclosed that Backus had done time in San -Quentin on a morals charge involving a minor girl. He had driven trucks -for a dozen lumber companies in northwest California until the past -summer, when he had bought a new truck and trailer, for cash, and gone -into business for himself.</p> - -<p>Two FBI agents stepped up to him in a roadside cafe on Highway 1, -between Eureka and Trinidad Bay. A gaunt, stooped man, he nearly -collapsed when the agents showed him their identifications. He was -broken, and ready to talk, even before mention was made of the fact -that the penalty for peace-time espionage is death.</p> - -<p>Backus guided the FBI to an abandoned sawmill, some two miles inland, -where the X-15 had been taken apart, minutely photographed, and then -sunk in the old log pond.</p> - -<p>The men who had hired Backus and dismantled the X-15 had left the area -several weeks earlier. They were remembered with friendliness by the -residents of Trinidad Bay, who described them as "real nice guys and -good fishermen, too." They had told Backus they would be back in the -late autumn for the steelhead run, and perhaps would have some more -hauling business for him at that time.</p> - -<p>The FBI offered Backus one chance for life. He accepted it, with abject -eagerness.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Beyond this point, there are no more available records on the case of -Dr. John O'Hara Smith, and Eddie, the educatable computer. But several -items, not apparently related in any way, make interesting speculation.</p> - -<p>On January 3, 1956, the Air Force reported that a Thor -intermediate-range ballistic missile, launched from Patrick Air Force -Base, Florida, had been destroyed when it appeared to be wandering off -course.</p> - -<p>About the same date, a Panamanian freighter, riding the gulf-stream -toward the West Indies, radioed a report of sighting a massive oil -slick and a scattering of debris, some of it bearing Russian insignia. -No survivors were found.</p> - -<p>The U.S. State Department solicitously inquired of the Soviet Union if -any of its vessels had been lost in the winter storms of the Caribbean. -The Soviet Union testily replied that no Soviet vessels could have -been lost, since Soviet vessels, as a matter of sound international -principle, confined their operations to their own territorial waters.</p> - -<p>During Easter Week of 1956, the FBI announced the arrests of four men -on charges of espionage: A druggist in Tucson, Arizona; an importer -in San Francisco; a retired real-estate operator in Los Angeles; an -obscure trucker in northern California. All pleaded guilty in order to -escape the gas chamber. The details of the charges against them were -not disclosed, except to members of a Federal Grand Jury.</p> - -<p>Two other published items are worth noting:</p> - -<p>The May, 1956, issue of the journal published by the Institute of -Research Engineers reported that one of its members, Dr. J. O. Smith, -had recovered from injuries suffered in the explosion of a butane stove -and had accepted a government research position in Washington, D.C.</p> - -<p>The other item was a paragraph in Aviation Weekly, congratulating Major -General David William Sanders on his promotion to Brigadier General.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Eddie, by Frank Riley - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EDDIE *** - -***** This file should be named 60443-h.htm or 60443-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/4/4/60443/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll -have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using -this ebook. - - - -Title: Eddie - -Author: Frank Riley - -Release Date: October 7, 2019 [EBook #60443] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EDDIE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - EDDIE - - BY FRANK RILEY - - _It's no surprise that the top brass was - in a complete swivet; Eddie knew answers to - questions that weren't even asked. What's - more_, nothing _was a secret with him around!_ - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Worlds of If Science Fiction, December 1957. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -_Philip Duncan, the St. Louis attorney and former FBI agent, who wrote -the definitive "History of Espionage", observes that in all the records -dealing with spies and counterspies there is no more significant case -than that of Dr. John O'Hara Smith, an electronics research engineer. -Duncan maintains that Dr. Smith, whose rather quixotic name is real -and not assumed, contributed more to the advancement of espionage and -counter-espionage methods than any one person in history._ - -_For a period of more than a year, the case of Dr. John O'Hara Smith -was known to only a few security and defense officials. The first -public reference to it came on November 22, 1956, when an assistant -to Secretary of Defense Wilson obliquely commented on it in testimony -before the House Military Affairs Committee. Subsequently, more details -were leaked to several Washington correspondents, and then vigorously -denied. A brief account of the matter appeared on an inside page of the -New York Times, but aroused no general interest._ - -_As a matter of fact, so little is known about the entire case that -several of the people who were in on its early phases are still not -sure whether Dr. John O'Hara Smith is alive or dead, or whether he was -a spy or counterspy._ - -_However, on the basis of information now declassified, plus two highly -technical papers presented to the Institute of Research Engineers, -anyone sufficiently interested can reconstruct most of the case._ - - * * * * * - -It began at approximately 7:15 P.M., August 11, 1955, when Dr. John -O'Hara Smith returned with a bag of groceries to his house trailer in -the Mira Mar Trailer Park, overlooking a long blue reach of the Pacific -Ocean, some twelve miles south of Los Angeles. He put the groceries on -the drainboard beside his spotless two-burner butane stove, carefully -flicked away a speck of dust and then stepped eagerly toward the rear -of his trailer, where an intricate assembly of tubes and wires occupied -what normally would have been the dining area. - -Dr. Smith flipped on a switch, and then received what he later called, -in his precise, pedantic way, a split-second premonition of danger. - -The Go-NoGo panel light flashed and went out; the transistor looked -grey instead of red; the wires to the binary-coded digitizer were -crossed; the extra module in the basic assembly had not been there that -morning.... - -Dr. Smith methodically catalogued these details, and he stepped -backward, just a breath of a moment before the low hum sharpened to a -whine. He tripped, and in falling his left shoulder knocked open the -door to the small toilet closet. Instinctively, he writhed the upper -part of his body through the narrow doorway. His thick-lensed glasses -fell underneath him, leaving him practically blind. - -His elbows and knees were still making frenzied, primordial crawling -movements when the detonation brought a wave of oblivion that almost, -but not quite, preceded the pain. - - * * * * * - -A squad car from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department turned in -the first report: - -_John O'Hara Smith, male, white, about 45; critically injured by -explosion in house trailer; removed by ambulance to General Hospital; -explosion occurred at...._ - -Two days later, the Sheriffs Department apparently closed the case with -a one-line addition to its original report: - -_Explosion believed to have been caused by leaking butane connection._ - -But, in the interval, other agencies had entered the case. - -The first was the Industrial Security Office attached to the Western -Division of the Air Force's Research and Development Command in the -once suburban community of Inglewood, California. - -When Chief Security Officer Amos Busch received a call at 11:32 the -morning after the explosion, he automatically noted the time on his -desk pad. The call was from Pacific Electronics, Inc., a subcontracting -firm in nearby El Segundo. - -The president and owner of Pacific Electronics was on the phone. In a -tone that betrayed considerable agitation, he identified himself as -Wesley Browne. - -"One of my research engineers--my best engineer, dammit--was nearly -killed last night in an explosion ... maybe he's dead now," reported -Browne, his words breathlessly treading on each other. "There's -something damn funny about this...." - -Amos Busch wrote: Research engineer ... explosion ... nearly killed. -Then he asked judicially: - -"What do you mean by 'damn funny', Mr. Browne?" - -"This engineer was working on our vernier actuating cylinder for the -Atlas guided missile.... Just two days ago, he--he said he wanted me to -know where his files were ... in case anything happened to him...." - -Amos Busch was a jowly, greying man who gave the appearance of being -slow moving. But before the president of Pacific Electronics, Inc., -hung up, Busch had already used another phone and the intercom to put -in motion a chain reaction that would deliver to his desk the security -report on Dr. John O'Hara Smith. - -There was nothing out of order in the report. There couldn't have been, -or Dr. Smith wouldn't have been cleared for the ballistic missile -program. According to the report, he had lived aloofly for all of his -adult years. Even as a boy, his sole interest had been to tinker with -mechanical projects. His grades and IQ were high above the norm, and -his attitude towards his classmates varied between impatience and -out-right sarcasm. "I always thought John was a lonely boy," a former -teacher had recalled to an FBI officer during the security check. "He -never had anything in common with other youngsters." After obtaining -his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin, -he had worked for Allis-Chalmers Research Division in Milwaukee and -lived with his mother until her death in 1951, when he bought a house -trailer and moved to the coast. He had no close friends, no record of -even a remote connection with any communist or communist-front group. - -Security Officer Busch decided to visit the trailer, or what remained -of it. He was not an electronics man, or even a normally incompetent -do-it-yourself mechanic, but when he saw the shattered tangle of wires -and tubes, along with the obvious remnant of a short-wave receiver, -Amos Busch promptly called Major General David Sanders, commander of -the USAF's Western Development Division. - -General Sanders scratched his tanned bald head, and said, - -"We'd better get the FBI in on this, Amos." - -The FBI went to work with a thoroughness that made John O'Hara Smith's -previous security investigation look like the processing of an -application to join the Kiwanis. While agents sifted every detail of -his life since the day of his birth, he was moved to a private room at -General Hospital and three nurses cleared for security were assigned to -care for him. - -For eight days, Smith was in a coma. On the morning of the ninth day, -he groaned, turned to one side and rolled back again. The nurse on duty -put down her magazine and moved quickly to his bedside. She moistened a -cloth and wiped the perspiration from his high forehead, brushing back -the thinning tangle of fine, brown hair. - -His eyes blinked open, stared at her. He whispered: - -"Eddie ... what happened ... to Eddie?" - -Remembering her instructions from the FBI, the nurse turned to make -certain the door was closed. - -"Was Eddie in the trailer with you?" she asked, bending closer to catch -his reply. - -He gave her a look of utter disgust, and tried to moisten his cracked -lips with the tip of his tongue. But he drifted off again without -replying. - -This incident was duly recorded in the FBI's growing dossier, along -with another conversation that took place in the office of Wesley -Browne at Pacific Electronics, Inc. After carefully reviewing John -O'Hara Smith's work record, FBI agent Frank Cowles inquired: - -"Is there anything--anything at all, Mr. Browne--that you would -consider out of the ordinary about Smith's recent actions?" - -There was a trace of uneasiness in Browne's manner, but he tried to -cover it by looking annoyed. - -"I don't know why in the devil you fellows are spending so much time on -Smith!... He sure as hell didn't blow himself up!" - -"Of course not," Cowles said, placatingly. "But we never know where a -lead will come from...." - -He repeated the question. - -Browne hesitated. - -"I suppose," he began, shifting his big bulk uncomfortably, "this will -sound kind of odd ... but you know we've got the subcontract to produce -this actuating cylinder for the Atlas...." - -The agent nodded. - -"Well, six months before we were asked to submit specs and bids on such -a cylinder, Smith came to me and said he had an idea for something the -Air Force might soon be needing...." - -Agent Cowles maintained his air of polite attention, but his cool grey -eyes narrowed. Browne shifted again, and continued: - -"I told him to go ahead--you never can tell what these research guys -will come up with...." - -"And what did he come up with, Mr. Browne?" - -"You won't believe this, maybe--but he came up with the design for the -complete vernier hydraulic actuating cylinder--including the drive -sector gear--at least three months before we had the faintest idea such -an item would even be needed!" - -The FBI man's ball-point pen moved swiftly. - -"Anything else?" - -Browne instinctively lowered his voice: - -"Smith even suggested that the cylinder would help to offset the roll -and yaw in an intercontinental ballistic missile!" - -A brittle edge came into the agent's courteous tone: - -"Did you report this to security?" - -In spite of the air-conditioning unit in the window, the president and -owner of Pacific Electronics, Inc., seemed to feel that the room was -getting very warm. He ran a fat forefinger under his white collar. - -"No," he admitted. "We got the contract, of course--it was a -cinch!--and I just wrote it off as a lucky break.... You can see how -I'd feel, can't you?" - -"Yes," said Cowles, "I can." - -Bit by bit, a new picture of the meticulous, professorial Dr. Smith -began to emerge from the FBI dossier. - -During the working week, his habit had been to keep his trailer in -a small park just off Sepulveda Blvd., a half-mile from the Pacific -Electronics plant. After work on Fridays, he invariably left for the -weekend, usually for any one of a dozen scenic trailer parks along the -coast between San Diego and Santa Barbara. He always went alone. No -one had ever seen or met "Eddie". Outside of working hours, Smith's -only association with his professional colleagues was through the -Institute of Research Engineers. He attended monthly meetings, and -occasionally wrote dry, abstract articles on theoretical research for -the Institute's quarterly journal. - -Under microscopic study and chemical analysis, investigators determined -that nitro-glycerine had caused the explosion. The fused mass of -electronics wreckage in Smith's trailer were identified as parts of a -computer assembly. Thousands of dollars had been spent on components -over the past three years. Purchases, usually for cash, were traced to -various electronic supply companies in the greater Los Angeles area. - -Dr. Smith's bank account showed a balance of only $263.15. But the big -find came from a safety deposit box in the same branch bank. There, -along with a birth certificate, his mother's marriage license, an -insurance policy, his doctor's degree from the University of Wisconsin -and an unused passport, was a duplicate set of computer memory tapes. - - * * * * * - -It took the FBI forty-eight hours to play a few selected segments from -these tapes, which obviously had been recorded over a period of several -years. - -Two notations made by Agent Cowles indicate the type of material -contained on the tapes: - -"If a deliberate attempt were made to run a thermonuclear test -explosion within the frontiers of Russia, in such a way as to avoid -detection, it would almost certainly be successful...." - -"The Soviet Union may soon develop a new ratio of fusion to fission -energy in high yield weapons and will require additional data...." - -FBI agents listening to these playbacks were convinced, almost to a -man, that they had stumbled across the hottest espionage trail since -the arrest of Klaus Fuchs and the case of the Rosenbergs. - -A round-the-clock security guard was placed outside the hospital room -of John O'Hara Smith, while Federal authorities waited impatiently -to see whether he would live or die. Smith would answer, or leave -unanswered, a lot of vital questions. - - * * * * * - -Security notwithstanding, it was the day after Labor Day before the -medical staff of General Hospital would permit the first direct -questioning of Dr. Smith. And then the interrogators were instructed: - -"Only a few minutes." - -Three men filed quietly into Smith's room as soon as the nurse removed -his luncheon tray. They stood in a semi-circle around the foot of his -bed. - -Agent Frank Cowles opened a black leather folder the size of a small -billfold and presented his credentials. He introduced General Sanders -and Security Officer Busch. It was the first time any of the men had -seen John O'Hara Smith. The reports had called him pudgy, but now he -had lost twenty pounds and his cheek bones were gaunt under his pallid -skin. He wore unusually thick, dark-rimmed glasses that magnified his -eyes and gave him an owlish appearance. He returned their scrutiny with -a mixture of assurance and impatience, like a professor waiting for his -class to come to order. - -"Good morning, gentlemen," he said tartly. "It's about time someone -came to see me about this...." - -Cowles cleared his throat and suggested cautiously: - -"Then you're willing to give us a statement, Dr. Smith?" - -"Don't talk drivel, man! How are you going to know anything about it if -I don't make a statement!" - -Though still weak, Dr. Smith's voice had a high, imperious quality. -Clearly, he did not wish to waste time or strength on mere -conversation. - -The three men exchanged glances. Cowles and Amos Busch took out -notebooks. - -"Now, Dr. Smith," Cowles began, "what is your view as to the nature of -the explosion in your trailer and the reason for it?" - -"I'm an electronics research engineer, not an expert in explosives," -Smith retorted with some asperity. "But as to the reason, I'm sure they -wanted to destroy Eddie and me!" - -He glared, as if daring anybody to challenge this statement. - -"Eddie?" ventured Cowles. - -"I try to speak plainly, Mr. Cowles.... I said 'Eddie and me'!" - -General David Sanders rested two large hands on the foot of the white -iron bedstead and squeezed until his knuckles bulged ominously. A -volatile man, he had trouble with his own temper even without being -provoked. But his voice was deceptively calm: - -"Dr. Smith, do I gather that someone else was in the trailer with you -at the time of the explosion?" - -Smith grimaced expressively, and answered as if speaking to an -eight-year-old: - -"No, General Sanders.... I was quite alone." - -After thirty years in the Air Force, Amos Busch was not used to hearing -a Major General spoken to in this way. It violated his sense of -propriety. - -"Dr. Smith," he exploded, "just who or what in the hell is or was -Eddie?" - -With what was remarkably close to an air of incredulity, Smith looked -slowly from one to the other. - -"I gather you gentlemen haven't read my latest article." - -"Not thoroughly," Cowles admitted. - -"Then you don't know of my research work with an educatable computer," -Smith said accusingly. Seeing that they didn't, he added: "I have named -it 'Eddie'!" - -"What ... what is an educatable computer?" ventured Cowles. - -It was clear that Dr. Smith welcomed this question. His eyes glowed -behind their thick lenses, and his high voice dropped its edge of -sharpness. - -"Eddie is a computer with a capacity to learn," he replied proudly. "It -learns from assimilation of information and deductive reasoning--at a -rate at least 10,000 times that of the human mind! That's why Eddie -comes up with so many answers!... The only problem is, we seldom know -what questions the answers answer." - -His three interrogators had the look of men leaning into a heavy wind. -General Sanders recovered first, and demanded: - -"What the devil was it made for then?" - -"Eddie was not designed for any specific task--that's why Eddie is so -valuable ... and dangerous!" - -Dr. Smith rolled out this last word as if he relished it. - -"Do you realize," he went on, with careful emphasis, "that Eddie has -solved problems we won't even know exist for another thousand years!" - -This pronouncement was greeted by a moment of strained silence. General -Sanders finally said, - -"H-m-m-m." - -He looked at Busch, who looked at Cowles, who asked: - -"Does Eddie solve any problems closer to our own time, Dr. Smith?" - -"Of course...." - -"Did Eddie come up with the idea for that Atlas stabilizing cylinder?" - -"Certainly." - -General Sanders moved a step closer to the bed. - -"Any other ideas like that?" he inquired eagerly. - -Dr. Smith's smile was neither wholly supercilious nor merely -self-assured. It was a little of both, plus a lot of pure satisfaction -at being stage center with his favorite subject. He cocked his head -back and stared down his stump of a nose. - -"You're working on a missile defense system for bombers, aren't you?" -he challenged General Sanders. - -"What about it?" hedged the General. - -"Have you learned how to design a finned missile which can be launched -across the bomber's airstream without being thrown off course?" - -General Sanders ignored a warning glance from Amos Busch. - -"Do you ... does this Eddie know how to do it?" - -"Eddie says it doesn't matter!" - -"What?" - -"Eddie says what difference does it make if the missile is thrown -off course by the airstream--as long as you can reorient it into a -compensated trajectory. We were working on a new gyroscope principle -that might do the trick...." - -FBI Agent Cowles was always the personification of courtesy, but he -could assert himself when necessary. He did so now. - -"Excuse me, General," he interrupted, "but first there are some other -matters we must go into with Dr. Smith." - -The General nodded reluctantly. He took out an envelope and made some -notes of his own on the back of it. - -"Now, Dr. Smith," said Cowles, "let's get back to the explosion.... Why -do you feel someone wanted to destroy you and Eddie?" - -"I believe they had copied Eddie's circuit design and wanted to make -sure another one wasn't built--at least in the immediate future." - -"Why not?" - -Dr. John O'Hara Smith showed a neat flair for timing as he waited just -long enough to build suspense, before answering: - -"Because Eddie knew that our security system for safeguarding the -missile program is about as up to date as the horse and buggy!" - -His words couldn't have been better chosen to startle his audience. -Amos Busch took them as a personal affront. - -"Horse and buggy!" he snorted. "You'd better spell that out, Dr. Smith!" - -Smith's reply was prompt and precise: - -"Eddie has concluded that human methods and minds alone are not enough -to cope with security issues in an area where even the simplest -technical problems must be handled by intricate computing devices...." - -His owlish eyes moved from one man to another, trying to judge whether -they were following him. - -"You see, Gentlemen," he went on, "the technology we are dealing with -is so unbelievably complex that the possibilities for espionage are -multiplied infinitely beyond the capacity of a human intellect to grasp -and evaluate...." - -"For example," demanded General Sanders. - -"For example," Smith retorted with equal sharpness, "what good does it -do to surround ballistic missile plants with security regulations if -the missile itself can be stolen right out of the air?" - -"Fantastic!" said General Sanders. - -"Nuts," said Amos Busch. - -Agent Cowles said nothing. - -John O'Hara Smith sank back against his pillow, panting a little. His -high forehead glistened with sweat. When he gathered the strength to -speak again, he directed his words to General Sanders: - -"General, these ICBM missiles being fired into the Atlantic Ocean from -the coast of Florida.... Are you sure you know what's happened to all -of them?" - -"I think so," the General answered calmly. - -"And what about your own X-15 project, General?" - -The question was almost a taunt. - -General David William Sanders had jumped with his paratroopers into -France on a morning in June, 1944. He had risen in rank through the -test of battle and the more excruciating ordeal of the Pentagon. He was -a rock-jawed, six-foot, two-hundred pound man whom little could shock -and nothing could deter. But he had never faced a challenge like the -seconds of silence that followed Dr. Smith's mocking question. - -There was nothing he dared say, yet in saying nothing he was saying -everything. FBI Agent Frank Cowles looked at him, then looked -quickly away. Security Officer Busch studied his own hands as though -discovering them for the first time. - -The tableau remained frozen and silent until the door opened and a -doctor said, - -"That's all for today, gentlemen." - -The three men left without a word. - -Dr. John O'Hara Smith closed his eyes. On his pale lips was the -suggestion of a smile. - - * * * * * - -When they were alone in the General's staff car, Amos Busch exhaled and -said, - -"I'll be damned." - -"I gather," observed Cowles drily, "that something called an X-15 has -turned up missing." - -"A week ago," sighed General Sanders. "Somewhere in the Mojave Desert -near Lancaster.... It was a very elementary prototype--the actual X-15 -won't be ready for another three years...." - -"Any idea what happened to it?" - -"It was on a routine test flight and ran out of the tracking -screen--headed northwest.... We haven't found a splinter from it! But -there's a lot of rough country around there." - -"Who knows it was lost?" - -"Just the local base and our headquarters staff. The Pentagon, too, of -course." - -"And Dr. Smith," added Amos Busch, incredulously. - -The staff car detoured off the freeway to deliver Cowles to the Federal -Building. - -"What do you make of this, Frank?" the General asked him. - -"I'm just supposed to be gathering information." - -"Oh, hell! We've been talking and you've been thinking--what?" - -Cowles grinned. - -"I've been thinking how lucky it is I don't have to make a decision -about Smith!" - -"So?" - -"So we'll question him again tomorrow.... As long as he's willing to -talk, the more he says, the better." - -But, next morning, the medical staff again exercised its veto power. -John O'Hara Smith had developed an infection and fever during the -night. There could be no further questioning for the time being. - -On the second day, when his fever ebbed, Dr. Smith irascibly ordered a -pad of paper and began an interminable series of sketches. The nurse -managed to sneak out a few of them, and FBI experts sat up all night -vainly trying to figure out what they meant. - -The following evening, when the last visitor's bell had sounded and -the patients were bedded down for the night, Dr. Smith was staring -unblinkingly into the dark shadows of his room. He had been given a -sleeping pill at 9:30, but had held it under his tongue until the nurse -left, and then had put it on the night table behind his thick-rimmed -glasses. He seemed to be struggling with a problem. Once he turned on -the night light, put on his glasses and made several rapid sketches -that vaguely resembled a spider web. - -A half hour later, his eyes began to droop. He picked up the sleeping -pill, rolled it between his thumb and forefinger, then put it back on -the table. His breathing became deeper. - -A sound startled him awake. It was an odd sound, not a part of the -subdued hospital noises. It was a persistent, metallic, scraping sound, -and it came from outside his window. - -Dr. John O'Hara Smith grabbed his glasses and rolled out of bed. He -bunched up his pillow under the covers and crawled into the deeper -darkness of the corner to the left of the window, which was open -several inches. He crouched there, knees quivering from weakness. - -There followed an interval of almost inaudible prying at the screen, -broken by periods of silence as someone outside the second-story window -apparently paused to listen. Finally, the screen was released with a -faint pop. The lower half of the double-hung window eased upwards. - -Again there was silence, save for the distant clatter of the -self-service elevator. - -Abruptly, a pencil-thin beam of light shot through the room, toward -the bed. It focussed on the mound made by the pillow. - -Short tongues of flame leaped out three times, with soft, spitting -sounds. The pillow and the tangle of blankets twitched realistically. - -The beam of light winked out; the screen plopped back into place. There -were a few hasty, sliding noises of retreat, and that was all. - -John O'Hara Smith's breath came in short, strained gasps, as though he -were choked up with asthma. When he got control of himself, he eased -back the edge of the drape and looked out the window. It was nearly -twenty feet to the ground. A car turned off the boulevard, and came up -the side street. The glow of its headlights briefly silhouetted the -ladder angled against the side of the hospital. - -Dr. Smith sat on the edge of the bed to think things over. His left -thumb probed the holes in the blanket and pillow. This seemed to make -up his mind. - -He got his clothes from the closet and dressed as quickly as he could -force his hands to move and co-ordinate. His trousers hung so loosely -that the last hole in his belt made no difference. He pulled the belt -tight and knotted it. - -Next, he carefully folded his sketches and put them in the inside -pocket of his coat. As an after-thought, he also put the sleeping pill -in his pocket. Then he drank half a glass of water and painfully edged -himself out the window. His chest scraped the ledge, and it was all he -could do to strangle an out-cry of pain. - -At the foot of the ladder, he staggered and nearly fell. But after a -moment's rest, he squared his shoulders and walked across a corner of -the lawn, into the shadows and the night. - - * * * * * - -The Los Angeles Mirror-News got further than any other paper with the -story of Dr. John O'Hara Smith's mysterious disappearance from General -Hospital, leaving behind a bed riddled with three bullets. In fact, the -Mirror-News story had cleared the copy desk and was on its way down to -the composing room before it was killed by the managing editor "for -security reasons". - -An all-points police bulletin was sent out, but no one was optimistic -about immediate results. When you can't admit a man is missing, when -you can't publish his photograph, you deprive yourself of the eyes and -ears of the public, which turn up seventy-five percent of the leads in -missing persons cases. - -Security considerations posed three alternatives: - -If Dr. Smith was telling the truth, then it was better to let whoever -had twice tried to kill him wonder whether the second attempt had been -successful. - -If Smith had broken with an espionage ring, and had been marked for -death by former associates, the various agencies concerned with -security wanted a chance to find him first. - -If Smith was playing some devious game of his own, let him make the -next move. - -As days went by, telephone circuits from Washington to Los Angeles -carried messages that grew increasingly uncomplimentary. FBI -headquarters hinted that certain field representatives might be -transferred from Southern California to southern Kansas if results in -the Smith case were not forthcoming promptly. The Air Force suggested -that if both Dr. Smith and the X-15 prototype continued to be among -the missing, it would not be wise to present the pending promotion of -General Sanders to the White House. - -The General was moodily digesting this thought, while half-listening to -a discussion at a morning staff conference, when an aide whispered: - -"A call from the North American Lancaster plant, Sir. It's urgent--and -personal...." - -General Sanders excused himself and hurried into his adjoining private -office. - -"Sanders," he barked. - -The high, imperious voice that replied was instantly recognizable: - -"General Sanders, I suggest you don't try to have this call traced, or -we might not be able to finish our conversation!" - -The General pressed his intercom button and held the connection open, -waiting for a chance to use it. - -"Go ahead, Smith," he said. - -"I'll come directly to the point," said Smith. "I want two things: A -place to work in safety and the funds to build another Eddie!" - -"And what makes you think you can get them from me?" - -"Because Eddie can help you find the X-15." - -The General hunched closer to the intercom, raising his voice. - -"Smith," he stalled, "why don't you come in and talk things over?" - -"I do not intend to sit around waiting to be killed while your security -bunglers try to decide whether I'm telling the truth!" - -A Staff Sergeant looked in the door. - -"Is anything wrong, Sir?" - -The General motioned for silence, then scrawled on a note pad: - -"Trace this call!" - -"Now, Dr. Smith," he said, "if you're telling us the truth, you've got -nothing to worry about...." - -"General," Smith replied acidly, "do you know any better way of -convincing you than to let Eddie find the X-15?" - -"Well, I--" - -"Goodbye, General. You think it over--and I'll call you later. Your -word will be sufficient!" - -The phone clicked, and General Sanders cursed bitterly. Later, he -talked it over with Amos Busch, who nodded agreement to the General's -proposal. - -"Sure," he said. "It's worth a gamble--and we'll have Smith where we -want him!" - -When John O'Hara Smith phoned that afternoon, the General said promptly: - -"Come on in, Dr. Smith--you've got a deal." - -The available records on this phase of the case show that a Dr. J. O. -Smith and three "assistants" were added to the payroll of a small -Pasadena electronics firm on September 17, 1955. They were installed in -one wing on the top floor of the building. The entrance to this wing -was sealed off with the familiar sign: "Restricted--Permission to enter -granted only on a need-to-know basis". - -Apparently, few needed to know, for Smith and his assistants seldom had -visitors. Deliveries of electronics components were received by one of -the assistants. The four men arrived together, and left together. They -brought their lunch. - -Dr. Smith, of course, had been interrogated briefly when he had turned -himself in at USAF Western Division Headquarters. But only the General -and Amos Busch had questioned him this time. - -"Look, Smith," said Amos, "if we're supposed to protect you, I want to -know from what--and why it's necessary...." - -John O'Hara Smith looked almost embarrassed. - -"I suppose I made the same error that is so often made in declassifying -information...." - -"How's that?" - -"When information is declassified, it's done without mathematically -computing the infinite number of possible ways such information may be -useful to a hostile government.... Of course, you need an Eddie to make -such a computation!" - -"What's this got to do with trying to knock you off?" Busch demanded. - -"It's quite evident that someone read my article in the Research -Engineers' journal more carefully than you did! As a matter of fact, -Eddie actually warned me that anyone hostile to the United States could -not possibly allow my work to continue!" - -Amos Busch and General Sanders exchanged wary glances. - -"All right," said General Sanders, "We'll let that go for the -moment--but what made you ask about the X-15 in the first place?" - -"Eddie suggested that if the ICBM missiles could theoretically be -stolen over the mid-Atlantic, it would be vastly less difficult to -steal an X-15 over the Mojave Desert!" - -As the two Air Force men digested this statement, along with the -indisputable fact that an X-15 _had_ disappeared, John O'Hara Smith -blandly informed them: - -"Incidentally, gentlemen, you'll have to get Eddie's duplicate tapes -for me." - -Busch reddened, and could not resist asking: - -"Including those short-wave broadcasts from Moscow Radio?" - -"Naturally!" Dr. Smith snapped. "I'm sure Eddie extracts a great deal -of useful information from them!" - -This second interrogation, like the previous one in the hospital, ended -on a triumphant note for the exasperating Dr. Smith. When they were -alone, General Sanders turned to Busch and sighed: - -"We've got a double security problem, Amos! If word of this deal -with Smith gets back to Washington, I'll be laughed right out of the -service!" - -But the General didn't begin to grasp the full implications of his -predicament until the afternoon of Oct. 7, when Dr. Smith phoned to say -Eddie was completed. - -"Good," grunted the General. "Get going, then!" - -"We'll need more information first." - -"What kind of information?" General Sanders demanded suspiciously. - -His suspicions were reinforced by Smith's terse dictum: - -"Eddie must have all the facts on the X-15." - -"Impossible!" - -Dr. Smith's sniff indicated he nurtured utter disbelief in the concept -of the impossible. - -"Eddie operates on facts," he reminded the General. - -General Sanders didn't sleep much that night. Neither did Amos Busch. -They talked and argued until three in the morning, when the General -poured one last drink and raised his glass. - -"O.K.," he said grimly. "I've gone this far and I've got to go the rest -of the way!" - -They drank, and he continued: - -"At least, now I won't have to worry about being laughed out of the -service--I'll get court-martialed out!" - -He jabbed viciously at an ice-cube with his forefinger. - -"But there's one thing I'll do first," he promised. - -"What's that, Sir?" - -"Strangle Smith with my bare hands!" - - * * * * * - -General Sanders sat on a metal folding chair in front of Eddie, the -educatable computer, and stared belligerently at the roughly-finished -aluminum facade. - -Eddie didn't look like much--certainly nothing like $13,456.12 worth of -components paid for out of the General's contingency fund. Speed had -been the primary consideration in rebuilding Eddie. The exterior case -was unpainted, and rather inexpertly held together with metal screws. -There were no knobs on the front panel controls. The vocader grill was -open; the input microphone simply rested on the workbench beside the -case. The entire assembly measured about three feet long, two feet deep -and eighteen inches high. - -"O.K., what do I do now?" rasped the General. - -"Just start talking--into the mike." - -General Sanders took a sheaf of papers from his briefcase. He glared at -Smith: - -"You get the hell out of here! This is classified information!" - -Dr. Smith smiled mockingly. On his way out of the room, he paused. - -"The circuits will stay open--take as long as you wish." - -Feeling like a combination of fool and Benedict Arnold, General Sanders -cleared his throat and began to read: - -"The North American X-15 is one of several projects now nearing the -hardware stage that will take living men as well as instruments into -the fourth environment of military activity, that of space. - -"As soon as the satellite project completes preliminary exploration -of the massive high energy spectrometer, the X-15's system should be -ready to fly within two years. X-15s A, B, and C will explore 3000 mph, -50 mi. up; 4500 mph, 100 mi. up; and 6000 mph and over, 150 mi. up and -out...." - -General Sanders jerked open his tie. His tanned bald head was damp with -sweat. He glanced around the empty workroom, set his jaw stubbornly and -continued: - -"Meanwhile, tests are in progress with a pilot model of X-15 to work -out an entirely new vehicle system slow enough to maintain laminar flow -in the boundary layer and fast enough to maintain control effectiveness -at near sea-level environment. Unlike the ICBM which need only remain -lethal for a few seconds, both the X-15 and its personnel must return -to fly again...." - -For three hours, General Sanders read steadily from his file material. -During the last half hour, his voice grew husky, his throat dry and raw. - -When he finished, he went to the door and shouted: - -"All right, Smith.... Come in here and put this damn thing to work!" - -Smith came in and informed him imperturbably: - -"Not so fast, General! Eddie will still require a great deal more -information." - -"More? Dammit, I covered everything!" - -"Everything you know about the X-15," Dr. Smith agreed, "but Eddie -is now venturing into a new field and must have more than technical -electronics and avionics data. He needs complete reports on the -progress of the search to date, as well as the weather, topography, -economy, history and current happenings in the entire peripheral -area. I have built a supplemental circuit to accommodate this sort of -material...." - -General Sanders groaned. - -"How the hell do I get into these things?" - -During the next ten days, Eddie scanned microfilm on all the newspapers -published since X-15's disappearance. Also marshalled before the -scanner was every pertinent reference work available at public, private -and university libraries in California. - -At length, even John O'Hara Smith seemed satisfied. He shut off the -scanner, turned on the selector mechanism and the vocader switch. - -For two hours, Eddie did nothing, except hum contentedly, like a -miniature washing machine. Occasionally, a weird, flickering pattern of -multi-colored lights would trace across the scanning screen. - -At 11:06 A.M., October 19, 1955, a flat, toneless voice came from the -vocader grill: - -"Laminar flow equilibrium temperature at mach 8.0, altitude 150,000 -ft., of a point 10 ft. back from the leading edge is 1000 degrees -Fahrenheit, assuming skin has 0.85 emissivity." - -There was a small, whirring noise, and the vocader circuit clicked off. - -"What the devil does that mean?" demanded the General. - -"Your aerophysicists might like to know!" came back the tart reply. - -At 1:34, Eddie clicked into action again: - -"In flight between two planets, the theory of minimum energy orbit -should be discarded in favor of acceleration at reduced speed for -calculated periods of time." - -"By the time we're flying between planets," General Sanders commented -bitterly, "the record of my court-martial will be ancient history!" - -Twenty minutes later, Eddie added: - -"In the operation of small exploration vehicles, the fuel cell of the -4-H Clubs in Hanford and Bitteroot Creek will compete with the chemical -energy of recombination for the prize sweet potato trophy." - -Even John O'Hara Smith looked startled. But he recovered his aplomb -instantly. - -"Must be a circuit crossover," he explained. "No trouble to adjust -it...." - -While he probed into the interior of Eddie with a glass-handled -screwdriver, General Sanders took out a fresh cigarette and shredded it -between his fingers. - -At 2:51, Eddie had this to report: - -"Just as the basic physical precept of invariancy to reflection is -not necessarily true, Newton's laws of motion may not always apply -under certain circumstances. This would make it possible to penetrate -and misdirect a navigational system based on the concept of inertial -guidance." - -General Sanders had been tilted back in his chair, half dozing. He -bounced forward with a jar. - -"What was that?" - -Dr. Smith replayed this portion of the output tape. - -"We talked about that at the hospital," he sternly recalled to the -General. "And if the long-range missiles fired from Florida can be -taken over in flight, what's to prevent their being guided to a -submarine at sea?" - -The General frowned in deep concentration, then relaxed and shook his -head. - -"Even if something like that would be possible, we've got nothing -to worry about. Every missile carries a device which can be used to -destroy it if the missile goes off course." - -John O'Hara Smith shook his head like a teacher confronted with a pupil -who was not too bright. - -"Now, General, if an inertial guidance system can be penetrated, a -destructor can be blocked." - -"That's a mighty big if," the General shot back. - -Dr. Smith smiled sardonically. - -"It may not be so big when Eddie tells us what happened to the X-15!" - -"When!" the General groaned. Then he came back to the problem of -intercepted ICBM missiles. Half seriously, half sarcastically, he asked: - -"What does Eddie think we should do about those missiles?" - -"Undoubtedly there are other guidance systems that can't be broken so -easily ... meanwhile, Eddie suggests booby-trapping the missiles so -they'll explode when tampered with." - -General Sanders closed his eyes again, and tilted back his chair. The -frown between his eyes deepened. - -It was six o'clock, and the early dusk was closing in on the workroom, -before another statement came from Eddie. In its characteristic -monotone, the educatable computer said: - -"The existing developmental missile program will not be affected by the -rising divorce rate in Bakersfield and Kern County." - -Dr. John O'Hara Smith pursed his lips in disapproval. - -"Eddie's not behaving at all well! I'm afraid that new circuit relay -will take some working over...." - -General Sanders climbed slowly to his feet. He picked up his hat. - -"O.K., Smith," he said, "You sold me a bill of goods, and I bought -it! Now I'm turning you and this whole damn mess back to the FBI! Let -Cowles go crazy for awhile!" - - * * * * * - -As Frank Cowles sat in the General's office and heard what had been -going on, he said mildly: - -"Well, I guess you had to take the gamble." - -"Thanks," said General Sanders. "I hope the Pentagon will look at it -the same way--but I doubt it!" - -"We've got a problem, too, General," Cowles pointed out. "When -everything's said and done, there's absolutely no charge we can file -against Smith." - -"But he just can't walk away--not with all he--or that miserable -Eddie--knows about the X-15!" - -Cowles smiled faintly. - -"I would imagine that Eddie now belongs to the Air Force." - -"We'll break the damn thing up for scrap!" - -The General's intercom buzzed. An aide's voice said apologetically: - -"That Dr. Smith is calling you again, Sir." - -"Tell him to go to hell!" - -A few seconds later, the intercom buzzed again. - -"Dr. Smith on the line, Sir--He says it's something about the X-15 -missile." - -General Sanders looked as though he wanted to sweep the intercom off -his desk. - -"Why not talk to him," Cowles suggested. "I'd like to hear this." - -The General picked up his phone, and said with deceptive calm: - -"All right, Smith ... make it short." - -"It was the logging truck," Dr. Smith replied, in his most superior -manner. - -"Huh?" - -"Eddie's circuit is coordinated now. He says that the same afternoon -the X-15 disappeared, a passenger car ran into the back of a logging -truck northbound on Highway 395, about fifty miles from the Lancaster -base. Two people were killed...." - -"Smith, what kind of pipedream are you peddling now?" - -"General, the truck was loaded with redwood logs and heading north!" - -"I don't give a damn where it was going!" - -"Wait, General!" Dr. Smith's tone was almost a command. "Eddie wants to -know why a logging truck was traveling _toward_ the redwood country -with a load of logs. He also points out that the X-15 is about the size -of a redwood log, and could be concealed perfectly in the middle of a -load!" - -The General seemed to be swallowing something angular and unpleasant. - -"We'll check that truck," he said, at last. "But remember, Smith, -you've had it--you'll never hook me again!" - -He put down the phone, and said to Cowles: - -"You get on the merry-go-round this time!" - - * * * * * - -The California Highway Patrol in Mojave had the report on the accident. -Clearly, it had been the fault of the passenger car. The truck -driver was identified in the report as Art Backus, an independent -hauler, working out of Eureka, located on the far northern tip of the -California coast, about eight hundred miles from the scene of the -accident. - -A routine check by the FBI disclosed that Backus had done time in San -Quentin on a morals charge involving a minor girl. He had driven trucks -for a dozen lumber companies in northwest California until the past -summer, when he had bought a new truck and trailer, for cash, and gone -into business for himself. - -Two FBI agents stepped up to him in a roadside cafe on Highway 1, -between Eureka and Trinidad Bay. A gaunt, stooped man, he nearly -collapsed when the agents showed him their identifications. He was -broken, and ready to talk, even before mention was made of the fact -that the penalty for peace-time espionage is death. - -Backus guided the FBI to an abandoned sawmill, some two miles inland, -where the X-15 had been taken apart, minutely photographed, and then -sunk in the old log pond. - -The men who had hired Backus and dismantled the X-15 had left the area -several weeks earlier. They were remembered with friendliness by the -residents of Trinidad Bay, who described them as "real nice guys and -good fishermen, too." They had told Backus they would be back in the -late autumn for the steelhead run, and perhaps would have some more -hauling business for him at that time. - -The FBI offered Backus one chance for life. He accepted it, with abject -eagerness. - - * * * * * - -Beyond this point, there are no more available records on the case of -Dr. John O'Hara Smith, and Eddie, the educatable computer. But several -items, not apparently related in any way, make interesting speculation. - -On January 3, 1956, the Air Force reported that a Thor -intermediate-range ballistic missile, launched from Patrick Air Force -Base, Florida, had been destroyed when it appeared to be wandering off -course. - -About the same date, a Panamanian freighter, riding the gulf-stream -toward the West Indies, radioed a report of sighting a massive oil -slick and a scattering of debris, some of it bearing Russian insignia. -No survivors were found. - -The U.S. State Department solicitously inquired of the Soviet Union if -any of its vessels had been lost in the winter storms of the Caribbean. -The Soviet Union testily replied that no Soviet vessels could have -been lost, since Soviet vessels, as a matter of sound international -principle, confined their operations to their own territorial waters. - -During Easter Week of 1956, the FBI announced the arrests of four men -on charges of espionage: A druggist in Tucson, Arizona; an importer -in San Francisco; a retired real-estate operator in Los Angeles; an -obscure trucker in northern California. All pleaded guilty in order to -escape the gas chamber. The details of the charges against them were -not disclosed, except to members of a Federal Grand Jury. - -Two other published items are worth noting: - -The May, 1956, issue of the journal published by the Institute of -Research Engineers reported that one of its members, Dr. J. O. Smith, -had recovered from injuries suffered in the explosion of a butane stove -and had accepted a government research position in Washington, D.C. - -The other item was a paragraph in Aviation Weekly, congratulating Major -General David William Sanders on his promotion to Brigadier General. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Eddie, by Frank Riley - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EDDIE *** - -***** This file should be named 60443.txt or 60443.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/4/4/60443/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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