第一小说网

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第3部分（第2页）

〃So　the　aliens　will　need　to　be　informed　by　an　advance　man　of　who　the　President　is；　and　the　protocol　in　talking　to　him。　You　cant　have　the　President　of　the　United　States　talking　to　people　from　another　galaxy　or　whatever　on　television　without　advance　preparation。　Do　you　think　the　aliensll　speak　English？〃

〃Doubtful；〃　Norman　said。

〃So　someone　may　need　to　learn　their　language；　is　that　it？〃

〃Its　hard　to　say。〃

〃Perhaps　the　aliens　would　be　more　fortable　meeting　with　an　advance　man　from　one　of　our　ethnic　minorities；〃　the　＇＇17＇＇　White　House　man　said。　〃Anyway；　its　a　possibility。　Think　about　it。〃

Norman　promised　he　would　think　about　it。

The　Pentagon　liaison；　a　Major　General；　took　him　to　lunch　and　over　coffee　casually　asked；　〃What　sorts　of　armaments　do　you　see　these　aliens　having？〃

〃Im　not　sure；〃　Norman　said。

〃Well；　thats　the　crux　of　it；　isnt　it？　And　what　about　their　vulnerabilities？　I　mean；　the　aliens　might　not　even　be　human　at　all。〃

〃No；　they　might　not。〃

〃They　might　be　like　giant　insects。　Your　insects　can　withstand　a　lot　of　radiation。〃

〃Yes；〃　Norman　said。

〃We　might　not　be　able　to　touch　these　aliens；〃　the　Pentagon　man　said　gloomily。　Then　he　brightened。　〃But　I　doubt　they　could　withstand　a　direct　hit　with　a　multimeg　nuclear　device；　do　you？〃

〃No；〃　Norman　said。　〃I　dont　think　they　could。〃　〃Itd　vaporize　em。〃

〃Sure。〃

〃Laws　of　physics。〃

〃Right。〃

〃Your　report　must　make　that　point　clearly。　About　the　nuclear　vulnerability　of　these　aliens。〃

〃Yes；〃　Norman　said。

〃We　dont　want　to　start　a　panic；〃　the　Pentagon　man　said。　〃No　sense　getting　everyone　upset；　is　there？　I　know　the　JCS　will　be　reassured　to　hear　the　aliens　are　vulnerable　to　our　nuclear　weapons。〃

〃Ill　keep　that　in　mind；〃　Norman　said。

Eventually；　the　meetings　ended；　and　he　was　left　to　write　his　report。　And　as　he　reviewed　the　published　speculations　on　extraterrestrial　life；　he　decided　that　the　Major　General　from　the　Pentagon　was　not　so　wrong；　after　all。　The　real　question　about　alien　contact…if　there　was　any　real　question　at　all…concerned　panic。　Psychological　panic。　The　only　important　human　experience　with　extraterrestrials　had　been　Orson　Welless　1938　radio　broadcast　of　〃The　War　＇＇18＇＇　of　the　Worlds。〃　And　the　human　response　was　unequivocal。　People　had　been　terrified。

Norman　submitted　his　report；　entitled　〃Contact　with　Possible　Extraterrestrial　Life。〃　It　was　returned　to　him　by　the　NSC　with　the　suggestion　that　the　title　be　revised　to　〃sound　more　technical〃　and　that　he　remove　〃any　suggestion　that　alien　contact　was　only　a　possibility；　as　alien　contact　is　considered　virtually　certain　in　some　quarters　of　the　Administration。〃

Revised；　Normans　paper　was　duly　classified　Top　Secret；　under　the　title　〃Remendations　for　the　Human　Contact　Team　to　Interact　with　Unknown　Life　Forms　（ULF）。〃　As　Norman　envisioned　it；　the　ULF　Contact　Team　demanded　particularly　stable　individuals。　In　his　report　he　had　said

〃I　wonder；〃　Barnes　said；　opening　a　folder；　〃if　you　recognize　this　quote：

Contact　teams　meeting　an　Unknown　Life　Form　（ULF）　must　be　prepared　for　severe　psychological　impact。　Extreme　anxiety　responses　will　almost　certainly　occur。　The　personality　traits　of　individuals　who　can　withstand　extreme　anxiety　must　be　determined；　and　such　individuals　selected　to　prise　the　team。

Anxiety　when　confronted　by　unknown　life　has　not　been　sufficiently　appreciated。　The　fears　unleashed　by　contact　with　a　new　life　form　are　not　understood　and　cannot　be　entirely　predicted　in　advance。　But　the　most　likely　consequence　of　contact　is　absolute　terror。〃

Barnes　snapped　the　folder　shut。　〃You　remember　who　said　that？〃

〃Yes；〃　Norman　said。　〃I　do。〃

And　he　remembered　why　he　had　said　it。

As　part　of　the　NSC　grant；　Norman　had　conducted　studies　of　group　dynamics　in　contexts　of　psychosocial　anxiety。　Following　the　procedures　of　Asch　and　Milgram；　he　constructed　several　environments　in　which　subjects　did　not　know　they　were　being　tested。　In　one　case；　a　group　of　subjects　were　told　to　take　an　elevator　to　another　floor　to　participate　in　a　test。　The　elevator　jammed　between　floors。　＇＇19＇＇　Subjects　were　then　observed　by　hidden　video　camera。

There　were　several　variations　to　this。　Sometimes　the　elevator　was　marked　〃Under　Repair〃；　sometimes　there　was　telephone　munication　with　the　〃repairman；〃　sometimes　not；　sometimes　the　ceiling　fell　in；　and　the　lights　went　out；　and　sometimes　the　floor　of　the　elevator　was　constructed　of　clear　lucite。

In　another　case；　subjects　were　loaded　into　a　van　and　driven　out　into　the　desert　by　an　〃experiment　leader〃　who　ran　out　of　gas；　and　then　suffered　a　〃heart　attack；〃　thus　stranding　the　subjects。

In　the　most　severe　version；　subjects　were　taken　up　in　a　private　plane；　and　the　pilot　suffered　a　〃heart　attack〃　in　mid…air。　Despite　the　traditional　plaints　about　such　tests…that　they　were　sadistic；　that　they　were　artificial；　that　subjects　somehow　sensed　the　situations　were　contrived…Johnson　gained　considerable　information　about　groups　under　anxiety　stress。

He　found　that　fear　responses　were　minimized　when　the　group　was　small　（five　or　less）；　when　group　members　knew　each　other　well；　when　group　members　could　see　each　other　and　were　not　isolated；　when　they　shared　defined　group　goals　and　fixed　time　limits；　when　groups　were　mixed　age　and　mixed　gender；　and　when　group　members　had　high　phobic…tolerant　personalities　as　measured　by　LAS　tests　for　anxiety；　which　in　turn　correlated　with　athletic　fitness。

Study　results　were　formulated　in　dense　statistical　tables；　although；　in　essence；　Norman　knew　he　had　merely　verified　mon　sense：　if　you　were　trapped　in　an　elevator；　it　was　better　to　be　with　a　few　relaxed；　athletic　people　you　knew；　to　keep　the　lights　on；　and　to　know　someone　was　working　to　get　you　free。

Yet　N