there been recorded of
universal peace? How many years?"

Some men can sit poker-stiff, yet give the impression of teetering
slowly on their heels, slowly counting the horses' teeth. Suggs was a
horse trader from away back.

He said, "Mr. Morgan, I say I can appreciate your viewpoint. I can
even appreciate the fact that you mean exactly what you say. But--!"

Sharks must have teeth like that; broken and yellow, and razor-keen.
The smile of the Senator fascinated me.

"But--! Mr. Undersecretary, who's been doing all the fighting, and
who's been starting all these wars? The United States? No, sir! We
just get in them too late to do anything but pay all the bills!" He
leaned forward and fixed the tabletop with a piscine stare.

"Look at it this way, the only way. When this whatshisname dies, all
these countries look at the map and start mobilizing the Guards. How
do we know how long he's going to live, or how long he's going to keep
this magic head of his?"

My magic head itched, and I rubbed it.

"Now, here's what I've said before, and here's what I say now--we
can't let the world get away with murder--'murder' is what I said, Mr.
Undersecretary, and 'murder' is what I mean. Didn't you say--now, tell
us the truth, now--haven't you always said that it would be just a
question of time until just about anyone has the secret of the atomic
bomb? Didn't you say that?"

Morgan nodded. "Quite often I've said that, Senator. Too often for
some."

Suggs was triumphant. "All right, now. You've hung yourself on your
own rope and you don't know it. Answer me this; now, what's to prevent
anyone who has the bomb from coming over here and using it on us?
What's to prevent them?"

* * * * *

They had been all through that before, and Morgan knew it was no use
to answer.

Suggs was his own echo. "Nothing's to prevent them, not a thing in the
world. How many times have I come right out and said in public that
the only way to keep the world where we want it is to just make sure
that no one else is going to get it? How many times?"

Morgan rubbed his cigarette in the ashtray and spoke to the table.
"You've said that many times, Senator. That's true, too true. I, on
the other hand, have asked you many times if you've thought that the
only way to make sure no other nation gets the bomb would be to go
right in and make _sure_. You agreed with me that _that_ would mean
force. Force, meaning war. Rig