"Solution Unsatisfactory" herein is a consciously Weilsian story. No, no, I'm not claiming that it is of H. G. Wells' quality - its quality is for you to judge, not me. But it was written by the method which Wells spelled out for the speculative story: Take one, just one, basic new assumption, then examine all its consequences - but express those consequences in terms of human beings. The assumption I chose was the "Absolute Weapon"; the speculation concerns what changes this forces on mankind. But the "history" the story describes simply did not happen.

However the problems discussed in this story are as fresh today, the issues just as poignant, for the grim reason that we have not reached even an "unsatisfactory" solution to the problem of the Absolute Weapon; we have reached no so1ution.

In the years that have passed since I wrote that story (in 1940) the world situation has grown much worse. Instead of one Absolute Weapon there arc now at least free distinct types - - - an ''Absolute Weapon being defined as one against which there is no effective defense and which kills indiscriminately over a very wide area. The earliest of the five types, the A - bomb, is now known to be possessed by at least five nations; at least twenty - five other nations have the potential to build them in the next few years.

But there is a possible sixth type. Earlier this year (l965 - R.A.H.) I attended a seminar at one of the nation's new think - factories. One of the questions discussed was whether or not a "Doomsday Bomb" could be built - a single weapon which would destroy all life of all sorts on this planet; one weapon, not an all - out nuclear holocaust involving hundreds of thousands of ICBMs. No, this was to be a world - wrecker of the sort Dr. E. E. Smith used to use in his interstellar sagas back in the days when SF magazines had bug - eyed monsters on the cover and were considered lowbrow, childish, fantastic.

The conclusions reached were: Could the Doomsday Machine be built? - yes, no question about it. What would it cost? - quite cheap.

A seventh type hardly seems necessary.

And that makes the grimness of "Solution Unsatisfactory" seem more like an Oz book in which the most harrowing adventures always turn out happily.

"Searchlight" is almost pure extrapolation, almost no speculation. The gadgets in it are either hardware on the shelf, or hardware which will soon be on the shelf because nothing is involved but straightforward engineering development. "Life - Line" (my first story) is its opposite, a story which is sheer speculation and either impossible or very highly improbable, as the What - If postulate will never be solved - I think. I hope. But the two stories are much alike in that neither depends on when it was written nor when it is read. Both are independent of any particular shape to history; they are timeless.

Free Men' is another timeless story. As told, it looks like another "after the blowup" story - but it is not. Although the place is nominally the United States and the time (as shown by the gadgetry) is set in the not - distant future, simply by changing names of persons and places and by inserting other weapons and other gadgets this story could be any country and any time in the past or future - or could even be on another planet and concern a non - human race. But the story does also apply here - and - now, so I told it that way.

"Pandora's Box" was the original title of an article researched and written in 1949 for publication in 1950, the end of the half - century. Inscrutable are the ways of editors: it appeared with the title "Where To?" and purported to be a nonfiction prophecy concerning the year 2000 A.D. as seen from 1950. (I agree that a science fiction writer should avoid marijuana, prophecy, and time payments - but I was tempted by a soft rustle.)

Our present editor (1965) decided to use this article, but suggested that it should be updated. Authors who wish to stay in the business listen most carefully to editors' suggestions, even when they think an editor has been out in the sun without a hat; I agreed.

And reread "Where To?" and discovered that our editor was undeniably correct; it needed updating. At least.

But at last I decided not to try to conceal my bloopers. Below is reproduced, unchanged, my predictions of fifteen years back. But here and there through the article I have inserted signs for footnotes - like this: (z) - and these will be found at the end of the 1950 article ... calling attention to bloopers and then forthrightly excusing myself by rationalizing how anyone, even Nostradamus, would have made the same mistake... hedging my bets in other cases, or chucking in brand - new predictions and carefully laying them farther in the future than I am likely to live

and, in some cases, crowing loudly about successful predictions. (Addendum 1979: I have interpolated the later comments, and marked each item 1950, or 1965, or 1980.) So -

WHERE TO?

A bloomin', foolish sparrow Built his nest in a spout, And along -

- came a building inspector, looked over the site, and the plans, and okayed them, after requiring the sparrow to buy eleven different licenses totaling 18% of the sparrow's building budget, plus something called special service, and along -

- the bleedin' rains came, And washed the sparrow out.

Again the foolish sparrow, Built his nest in the spout, And again -

- came that building inspector, bawled out the sparrow for failing to get special licenses and permits covering typhoons, sun spots, and ice ages, required him to buy seventeen permits and/or licenses and appear before boards controlling zoning, economic impact, ecological protection, energy conservation, and community esthetics, plus something called "very special service" - and a second mortgage, and along -

- the bleedin' rains came,

And washed the sparrow out. (Around again.., and again.., and - )

1950 Where To?

Most science fiction consists of big - muscled stories about adventures in space, atomic wars, invasions by extra - terrestrials, and such. All very well - but now we will take time out for a look at ordinary home life half a century hence.

Except for tea leaves and other magical means, the only way to guess at the future is by examining the present in the light of the past. Let's go back half a century and visit your grandmother before we attempt to visit your grandchildren.

1900: Mr. McKinley is President and the airplane has not yet been invented. Let's knock on the door of that house with the gingerbread, the stained glass, and the cupola.

The lady of the house answers. You recognize her - your own grandmother, Mrs. Middleclass. She is almost as plump as you remember her, for she "put on some good, healthy flesh" after she married.

She welcomes you and offers coffee cake, fresh from her modern kitchen (running water from a hand pump; the best coal range Pittsburgh ever produced). Everything about her house is modern - hand - painted china, souvenirs from the Columbian Exposition, beaded portiиres, shining baseburner stoves, gas lights, a telephone on the wall.

There is no bathroom, but she and Mr. Middleclass are thinking of putting one in. Mr. Middleclass's mother calls this nonsense, but your grandmother keeps up with the times. She is an advocate of clothing reform, wears only one petticoat, bathes twice a week, and her corsets are guaranteed rust proof. She has been known to defend female suffrage - but not in the presence of Mr. Middleclass.

Nevertheless, you find difficulty in talking with her. Let's jump back to the present and try again.

The automatic elevator takes us to the ninth floor, and we pick out a door by its number, that being the only way to distinguish it.