The Leader Read online

most amiable man. I was only hisnurse, but I assure you--(Et cetera.)

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  Letter from Dr. Karl Thurn, University of Laibach, to Professor AlbrechtAigen, University of Brunn.

  My dear friend:

  I could have predicted your failure to secure co-operation from eminentfigures in The Leader's regime. So long as they keep silent, together,they can pretend to be respectable. And nobody longs so passionately tobe respectable as a man who has prospered by being a swine, while heawaits an opportunity to prosper again by more swinishness. I wouldadvise you to expect your best information from little people whosuffered most and most helplessly looked on or helped while enormitieswere committed. Such little people will either yearn over the past likeyour janitor, or want most passionately to understand so that nothing ofthe sort can ever happen again.

  Winston as a parallel to The Leader? Or as a contrast? Which? I can nameone marked contrast. I doubt that anybody really and passionately wishesthat Winston had never been born.

  You mention my researches. You should see some of our results! I havefound a rat with undeniable psychokinetic power. I have seen him move agram-weight of cheese nearly three centimeters to where he could reachit through the cage bars. I begin to suspect a certain female dog ofabilities I would prefer not to name just yet. If you can find anyexcuse to come to Laibach, I promise you amazing demonstrations of psiphenomena. (Et cetera.)

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  Quotations from, "_Recollections of the Earl of Humber, formerly PrimeMinister Winston_," by the Hon. Charles Wilberforce.

  Page 231; "... This incredible event took place even while it seemedmost impossible. The Prime Minister took it with his usual aplomb. Iasked him what he thought of the matter a week later, at a house partyin Hertfordshire. He said, 'I consider it most unfortunate. This Leaderof theirs is an inherently nasty individual. Therefore he'll makenastiness the avenue to distinction so long as he's in power. Theresults will be tragic, because when you bottle up decency men seem togo mad. What a pity one can't bottle up nastiness! The world mightbecome a fit place to live in!'"

  Page 247; "The Prime Minister disagreed. 'There was Napoleon,' heobserved. 'You might despise him, but after he talked to you you servedhim. He seemed to throw a spell over people. Alexander probably had thesame sort of magic personality. When his personality ceased to operate,as a result of too much wine too continuously, his empire fellimmediately to pieces. I've known others personally; an Afghan whom I'vealways thought did us a favor by getting killed by a sniper. He couldhave caused a great deal of trouble. I'd guess at the Khalifa. Most ofthe people who have this incredible persuasiveness, however, seem to setup as successful swindlers. What a pity The Leader had no taste forsimple crime, and had to go in for crimes of such elaboration!'"

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  Letter from Professor Albrecht Aigen, University of Brunn, to Dr. KarlThurn, University of Laibach.

  My dear Karl:

  You make me curious with your talk of a rat which levitates crumbs ofcheese and a she-dog who displays other psi abilities. I assume that youhave found the experimental conditions which let psi powers operatewithout hindrance. I shall hope some day to see and conceivably tounderstand.

  My own affairs are in hopeless confusion. At the moment I am overwhelmedwith material about The Leader, the value of which I cannot estimate.Strange! I ask people who should know what I am commissioned todiscover, and they refuse to answer. But it becomes known that I ask,and thousands of little people write me to volunteer impassioned detailsof their experiences while The Leader ruled. Some are bitter becausethey did what they did and felt as they felt. These seem to believe inmagic or demoniac possession as the reason they behaved with suchconspicuous insanity. Others gloat over their deeds, which they recountwith gusto--and then express pious regret with no great convincingness.Some of these accounts nauseate me. But something utterly abnormal wasin operation, somehow, to cause The Leader's ascendancy!

  I wish I could select the important data with certainty. Almostanything, followed up, might reveal the key. But I do not know what tofollow! I plan to go to Bozen, where the new monstrous computer has beenset up, and see if there is any way in which it could categorize my dataand detect a pattern of more than bewildered and resentful frenzy.

  On the way back to Brunn I shall stop by to talk to you. There is somuch to say! I anticipate much of value from your detached and analyticmind. I confess, also, that I am curious about your research. Thisshe-dog with psi powers, of which you give no account ... I amintrigued.

  As always, I am, (Et cetera.)

  * * * * *

  Letter from Professor Albrecht Aigen, written from The MathematicalInstitute at Bozen, to Dr. Karl Thurn, University of Laibach.

  My dear Karl:

  This is in haste. There is much agitation among the computer staff atthe Institute. An assistant technician has been discovered to be able topredict the answer the computer will give to problems set up at random.He is one Hans Schweeringen and it is unbelievable.

  Various numerals are impressed on the feed-in tape of the computer.Sections of the tape are chosen at random by someone who is blindfolded.They are fed unread into the computer, together with instructions tomultiply, subtract, extract roots, et cetera, which are similarly chosenat random and not known to anyone. Once in twenty times or so,Schweeringen predicts the result of this meaningless computation beforethe computer has made it. This is incredible! The odds are trillions toone against it! Since nobody knows the sums or instructions given to thecomputer, it cannot be mind-reading in any form. It must be pureprecognition. Do you wish to talk to him?

  He is uneasy at the attention he attracts, perhaps because his fatherwas one of The Leader's secretaries and was executed, it is presumed,for knowing too much. Telegraph me if you wish me to try to bring him toyou.

  Your friend--

  * * * * *

  Telegram from Dr. Karl Thurn, Professor of Psychology at LaibachUniversity, to Professor Albrecht Aigen, in care of The MathematicalInstitute at Bozen:

  Take tapes which produced answers Schweeringen predicted. Run themthrough computer when he knows nothing of it. Wire result.

  Thurn.

  * * * * *

  Telegram. Professor Albrecht Aigen, at The Mathematical Institute inBozen, to Dr. Karl Thurn, University of Laibach.

  How did you know? The tapes do not give the same answers when runthrough the computer without Schweeringen's knowledge. The only possibleanswer is that the computer sometimes errs to match his predictions. Butthis is more impossible than precognition. This is beyond theconceivable. It cannot be! What now?

  Aigen.

  * * * * *

  Telegram from Dr. Karl Thurn, University of Laibach, to ProfessorAlbrecht Aigen, care Mathematical Institute, Bozen.

  Naturally I suspect psi. He belongs with my rat and she-dog. Try toarrange it.

  Thurn.

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  Telegram from Professor Albrecht Aigen, Mathematical Institute, Bozen,to Dr. Karl Thurn, University of Laibach.

  Schweeringen refuses further tests. Fears proof he causes malfunctioningof computer will cause unemployment here and may destroy all hope ofhoped-for career in mathematics.

  Aigen.

  * * * * *

  Telegram from Professor Albrecht Aigen, at Mathematical Institute, toDr. Karl Thurn, University of Laibach.

  Terrible news. Riding bus to Institute this
morning, Schweeringen waskilled when bus was involved in accident.

  Aigen.

  * * * * *

  Telegram from Dr. Karl Thurn, University of Laibach, to ProfessorAlbrecht Aigen, care Mathematical Institute, Bozen.

  Deeply regret death Schweeringen. When you come here please try to bringall known family history. Psi ability sometimes inherited. Could betie-in his father's execution and use of psi ability.

  Thurn.

  * * * * *

  Letter from Professor Albrecht Aigen, at Brunn University, to Dr. KarlThurn, University of Laibach.

  My dear Karl:

  I have first to thank you for your warm welcome and to express mygratitude for your attention while I was your guest. Since my return Ihave written many inquiries about Schweeringen's father. There are sofar no replies, but I have some hope that people who will not tell oftheir own experiences may tell about