.."

"Why?" grunted the Asian chieftain.

John Smith XVI hesitated. The gutteral monosyllable had been toneless
and disinterested. The Red was going to draw him out, apparently. Very
well, he would be frank--for a time.

"The answer should be evident, Peoplesfriend. I presume that your
government spends a respectable sum for armaments. My government does
likewise. The eventual aim should be economy...."

"Is this a disarmament proposal?"

The fellow was blunt. Smith cleared his throat. "Not at the present
time, Peoplesfriend. I hoped that eventually we might be able to
establish a mutual trust so that to some extent we could lessen the
burden...."

"Stop talking Achesonian, President. What do you want?"

The President went rigid. "Very well," he said sarcastically, "I propose
that we reduce military expenses by blowing the planet in half. The
halves can circle each other as satellite twins, and we'll have achieved
perfect isolation. It would seem more economical than the present
course."

He apparently had sized-up the Peoplesfriend correctly. The man threw
back his masked head and laughed uproariously.

"The Solomon solution!... ha ha!... Slice the baby in half!" the
Stalin-mask chuckled. Then he paused to grow sober. "Too bad we can't do
it, isn't it?"

* * * * *

John Smith sat stiffly waiting. Diplomacy was dead, and he had made a
mistake in trying to be polite. Diplomats were dead, and the art
forgotten. Poker-game protocol had to apply here, and it was really the
only sensible way: for two opponents to try to cheat each other honestly
and jovially. He was glad the Soviet Worker's Vicar had not responded to
his first politeness.

"Anything else, Smith?"

"We can discuss agenda later. What about the continued conferences?"

"Suits me. I have nothing to lose. I am in a position to destroy you
anyway, a position I have occupied for several years. I have not cared
to do so, since you made no overt moves against us."

A brief silence. Bluff? Smith wondered. Certainly bluff. On the other
hand, it would be interesting to see how far Ivan would brag.

"I gather your atomic research has made rapid strides, for you to make
such a boast," Smith ventured.

"Not at all. In fact, my predecessor had it curtailed and limited to
industrial applications. Our weapons program has become uni-directional,
and extremely inexpensive. I'll tell you about it sometime."

Smith's flesh cr