bernetic
detection; believe me, I cannot place enough emphasis here; I refer, of
course, to Mr. Beardsley's process of manipulation of ECAIAC, and this
strange business of "Ellery Sherlock." (_Pause._) Mr. Jeff Arnold, if
you please. I believe you were to be ready with some observations today?

ARNOLD: Yes, sir. But more than observation, I am glad to report. We
have _solved_ the "Ellery Sherlock" equate.

COUNSELOR: This is wonderful! Will you proceed, sir?

ARNOLD: A strange thing ... and yet so simple! We began by resurrecting
a huge number of "Summaries"; we dredged into Dead File for at least
three years back, re-ran them under a synapse intensifier. It's all
there, you know, every minute particle of every case that has gone
through ECAIAC; almost subliminal, some of it, but--

COUNSELOR: One moment, sir. This reference to "synapse." Could
you--ah--clarify?

ARNOLD: Why, a synapse is the primary adjunct to memory! The human brain
has billions of them, neuronically linked--sort of pathways that get
grooved deeper and deeper with constant repetition of thought, until
after a while they become completely permanent, retentive and
self-functioning. ECAIAC is similarly equipped--not to the degree of the
human brain, as yet, but amazingly.

COUNSELOR (_dazed_): Ah--yes. Please continue, sir.

ARNOLD: As I said, we revived a number of the old cases. And what we
discovered, was that Beardsley--for years past, mind you--had been
utilizing his capacity as Chief of Cooerdinates to introduce extraneous
material to ECAIAC _via_ the tapes! In each and every case that came
before him! Oh, you can believe me, he was clever, he went about it by
slow and subtle degrees! And the substance of this material,
sir--(_Pauses, gulps and shakes his head, unable to go on._)

COUNSELOR: Please control yourself, sir! The substance of this
extraneous material?

ARNOLD (_again gulps_): De-detective fiction!

COUNSELOR (_leans forward sharply_): Do I understand you correctly, Mr.
Arnold? You did say _detective fiction_?

ARNOLD: Of two types. Ellery Queen and Sherlock Holmes--I presume it was
Beardsley's random choice. But there was nothing random about his
purpose! Don't you see, don't you see, it all fits! It explains the
trouble we were having in recent months in getting total synaptic
clearance! (_His voice borders on the frantic._) I remember, now, I even
mentioned this to Beardsley--and oh, the smug way he took it. He knew,
dam