"And he proved to you, beyond any doubt, that he had this power?" the small man asked.
Frank shifted his big body uneasily in his chair. "He certainly did, Mr. Secretary."
The President nodded. "I know it might not sound too impressive when heard second-hand, but Paul Wendell could tell me more of what was going on in the world than our Central Intelligence agents have been able to dig up in twenty years. And he claimed he could teach the trick to anyone.
"I told him I'd think it over. Naturally, my first step was to make sure that he was followed twenty-four hours a day. A man with information like that simply could not be allowed to fall into enemy hands." The President scowled, as though angry with himself. "I'm sorry to say that I didn't realize the full potentialities of what he had said for several days--not until I got Frank's first report."
"You could hardly be expected to, Mr. President," Frank said. "After all, something like that is pretty heady stuff."
"I think I follow you," said the Secretary. "You found he was already teaching this trick to others."
The President glanced at the FBI man. Frank said: "That's right; he was holding meetings--classes, I suppose you'd call them--twice a week. There were eight men who came regularly."
"That's when I gave the order to have them all picked up. Can you imagine what would happen if _everybody_ could be taught to use this ability? Or even a small minority?"
"They'd rule the world," said the Secretary softly.
The President shrugged that off. "That's a small item, really. The point is that _nothing_ would be hidden from _anyone_.
"The way we play the Game of Life today is similar to playing poker. We keep a straight face and play the cards tight to our chest. But what would happen if everyone could see everyone else's cards? It would cease to be a game of strategy, and become a game of pure chance.
"We'd have to start playing Life another way. It would be like chess, where you can see the opponent's every move. But in all human history there has never been a social analogue for chess. That's why Paul Wendell and his group had to be stopped--for a while at least."
"But what could you have done with them?" asked the Secretary. "Imprison them summarily? Have them shot? What _would_ you have done?"