iliar face in the crowd
crossing the street. It was the tall heavy man, the F.B.I. agent who
had tracked me down and tried to capture me in the theatre the night
of the big battle. I could sense the mass of metal carried under his
left arm.

He was hurrying along with another man. When I saw who it was my blood
froze in my veins. It was my neighbor, Nat Brown. He also had a mass
of metal under his left arm.

It was clear to me then that, in spite of my precautions, the F.B.I.
had spotted me weeks ago. How, I do not know. Nat Brown was their
surveillance agent.

I drove home immediately to finish this letter and get it off to you.
I may not be alive tomorrow. The launching apparatus is concealed in a
tool shed about a half a mile behind the house. I am going to put down
my recommendations and get this off immediately--before it's too late.

* * * * *

As I see it, Excellency, there are only four courses available to us:

(1) A chemical or other isolation of the female principle,
followed by an attempt to synthesize it at home to see what
its effect would be on our women. This might save us.
Unfortunately I have yet been unable to isolate what causes
the female principle here; so this is not a possibility yet.

(2) Kidnap some of their women. This would be delightful fun
for Your Excellency and a few others; but it would not solve
the main problem. Transportation difficulties would make it
impossible to get enough of them. Also, if the basic element
which creates the "female principle" is lacking because of
some soil or other deficiency at home, their women would
soon become like ours. All of our trouble would go for
nothing, and our doom would continue to approach.

(3) Conquer them, kill the men, take their women, and live
with the women here. This, in my opinion, should not be
attempted for the following reasons. Americans are
extraordinarily efficient in warfare. They have atomic and
hydrogen weapons, and they know how to use them. They are
very warlike, although they constantly deny it. Some of
their other weapons are fully equal to ours, in some
respects, superior. Our communications would be far too long
to enable us to prevail. This should be attempted only if
the fourth alternative fails; and even then only after long
expensive preparation. Also, there i