All You Can Books

The Answer

H. Beam Piper

141 ratings
The Answer | H. Beam Piper

The Answer

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Two former enemies during the Cold War, both haunted by the nuclear exchange that destroyed the Northern Hemisphere, work together on a purely scientific experiment that finally gives them some peace after 15 years.
ed. "You saw it fall, didn't you?"

"That's right. From about thirty miles away. A little closer than we'll be to this shot, tonight. I was in charge of the investigation at Auburn, until we had New York and Washington and Detroit and Mobile and San Francisco to worry about. Then what had happened to Auburn wasn't important, any more. We were trying to get evidence to lay before the United Nations. We kept at it for about twelve hours after the United Nations had ceased to exist."

"I could never understand about that, Lee. I don't know what the truth is; I probably never shall. But I know that my government did not launch that missile. During the first days after yours began coming in, I talked to people who had been in the Kremlin at the time. One had been in the presence of Klyzenko himself when the news of your bombardment arrived. He said that Klyzenko was absolutely stunned. We always believed that your government decided upon a preventive surprise attack, and picked out a town, Auburn, New York, that had been hit by one of our first retaliation missiles, and claimed that it had been hit first."

He shook his head. "Auburn was hit an hour before the first American missile was launched. I know that to be a fact. We could never understand why you launched just that one, and no more until after ours began landing on you; why you threw away the advantage of surprise and priority of attack—"

"Because we didn't do it, Lee!" The Russian's voice trembled with earnestness. "You believe me when I tell you that?"

"Yes, I believe you. After all that happened, and all that you, and I, and the people you worked with, and the people I worked with, and your government, and mine, have been guilty of, it would be a waste of breath for either of us to try to lie to the other about what happened fifteen years[Pg 7] ago." He drew slowly on his

陈一 09/29/2023
The most obvious moralistic message of the tale is probably the dangers of assumptions and hasty decisions. But what stands out above all other details is the undeniable possibility of having an alien race out there, stronger and more developed than both Russians or Americans in the tale. And that a
Joseph 09/30/2020
A nicely written (for its day) late Golden Age post nuclear apocalypse who-done-it story. As with many books from that era, excellent editing (ah yes, back when there were professional editors trained as such rather than simply declaring themselves such), and as also with many books from that era, s
Jessica 11/20/2017
Was alright, well written.
Todd 07/14/2016
A good short science fiction story based around nuclear war and how presumptions can often be dangerous. Good sci fi ending.

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