The Great Gray Plague
remember an elevator man who becamequite a first rate scientist."
Wily glared, waiting for explanation, then snorted. "Oh, _him_--"
"Yes, _him_," said Baker.
"That doesn't explain your wasting of Government funds on such aninstitution as Clearwater. It doesn't explain your grants to--"
"Let me show you what does explain my grants," said Baker. "I have whatI call the Index--with a capital I, you know--"
"I don't care anything about your explanations or your Index!" Wilyexclaimed. "I'm here to serve notice that I represent the nation'sinterest as well as that of Great Eastern. And I am not going to standby silently while you mismanage these sacred funds the way you havechosen to do in recent months. I don't know what's happened to you,Baker. You were never guilty of such mistakes before. But unless you canassure me that the full normal grant can be restored to Great Eastern,I'm going to see that your office is turned inside out by the SenateCommittee on Scientific Development, and that you, personally, arethrown out."
Wily glared and breathed heavily after his speech. He sat waiting forBaker's answer.
Baker gave it when Wily had stopped panting and turned to drumming hisfingers on the desk. "Unless your record of achievement is better thisyear than it has been in recent years, Great Eastern may not get anyallotment at all next year," he said quietly.
Wily shaded toward deep red, verging on purple, as he rose. "You'llregret this, Baker! This office belongs to American Science. I refuse tosee it desecrated by your gross mismanagement! Good day!"
Baker smiled grimly as Wily stormed out. Then he picked up the phone andasked Doris to get Fenwick at Clearwater. When Fenwick finally came on,Baker said, "Wily was just here. I expected he would be the one. This isgoing to be it. Send me everything you've got for release. We're goingto find out how right Sam Atkins was!"
He called the other maverick schools he'd given grants, and the pennyante commercial organizations he'd set on their feet. He gave them thesame message.
It wasn't going to be easy or pleasant, he reflected. The biggest gunsof Scientific Authority would be trained on him before this was over.
* * * * *
Drew Pearson had the word even before it reached Baker. Baker read it atbreakfast a week after Wily's visit. The columnist said, "The next bigspending agency to come under the fire of Congressional Investigation isnone other than the high-echelon National Bureau of ScientificDevelopment. Dr. William Baker, head of the Agency, has been accused ofindiscriminate spending policies wholly unrelated to the nationalinterest. The accusers are a group of elite universities and topmanufacturing organizations that have benefited greatly from Baker'shandouts in years past. This year, Baker is accused of giving upwards offive million dollars to crackpot groups and individuals who have nostanding in the scientific community whatever.
"If these charges are true, it is difficult to see what Dr. Baker is upto. For many years he has had an enviable record as a tight-fisted,hard-headed administrator of these important funds. Congress intends tofind out what's going on. The watchdog committee of Senator Landrus isexpected to call an investigation early next week."
Baker was notified that same afternoon.
* * * * *
Senator Landrus was a big, florid man, who moved about a committeehearing chamber with the ponderous smoothness of a luxury liner. He wasnever visited by a single doubt about the rightness of his chosencourse--no matter how erratic it might appear to an onlooker. His faithin his established legislative procedures and in the established tenetsof Science was complete. Since he wore the shield of both camps, hisconfidence in the path of Senator Robert Landrus was also unmarred byquestions.
Baker had faced him many times, but always as an ally. Now, recognizinghim as the enemy, Baker felt some small qualms, not because he fearedLandrus, but because so much was at stake in this hearing. So muchdepended on his ability to guide the whims and uncertainties of thismammoth vessel of Authority.
There was an unusual amount of press interest in what might have seemeda routine and unspectacular hearing. No one could recall a previousoccasion when the recipients had challenged a Government handout agencyregarding the size of the handouts. While Landrus made his openingstatement several of the reporters fiddled with the idea of a headlinethat said something about biting the hand that feeds. It wouldn't quitecome off.
Wily was invited to make his statement next, which he did with icyreserve, never once looking in Baker's direction. He was followed by twoother university presidents and a string of laboratory directors. Theessence of their remarks was that Russia was going to beat the pants offAmerican researchers, and it was all Baker's fault.
This recital took up all of the morning and half the afternoon of thefirst day. A dozen or so corporation executives were next on the docketwith complaints that their vast facilities were being hamstrung byBaker's sudden switch of R & D funds to less qualified agents. Bakerobserved that the ones complaining were some of those who had neverspent a nickel on genuine research until the Government began buying it.He knew that Landrus had not observed this fact. It would have to becalled to the senator's attention.
By the end of the day, Landrus looked grave. It was obvious that hecould see nothing but villainy in Baker's recent performance. It hadbeen explained to him in careful detail by some of the most powerful menin the nation. Baker was certainly guilty of criminal negligence, if notmore, in derailing these funds which Congress had intended should go tothe support of the nation's scientific leaders. Landrus felt a wearydepression. He hadn't really believed it would turn out this bad forBaker, for whom he had had a considerable regard in times past.
"You have heard the testimony of these witnesses," Landrus said toBaker. "Do you wish to reply or make a statement of your own, Dr.Baker?"
"I most certainly do!" said Baker.
Landrus didn't see what was left for Baker to say. "Testimony willresume tomorrow at nine a.m.," he said. "Dr. Baker will present hisstatement at that time."
* * * * *
The press thought it looked bad for Baker, too. Some papers accused himopenly of attempting to sabotage the nation's research program. Wily andhis fellows, and Landrus, were commended for catching this defectionbefore it progressed any further.
Baker was well aware he was in a tight spot, and one which he haddeliberately created. But as far as he could see, it was the only chanceof utilizing the gift that Sam Atkins had left him. He felt confident hehad a fighting chance.
His battery of supporters had not even been noticed in the glare ofWily's brilliant assembly, but Fenwick was there, and Ellerbee.Fenwick's fair-haired boy, George, and a half dozen of his new recruitswere there. Also present were the heads of the other maverick schoolslike Clearwater, and the presidents--some of whom doubled asjanitors--of the minor corporations Baker had sponsored.
Baker took the stand the following morning, armed with his charts anddisplays. He looked completely confident as he addressed Landrus and theassembly.
"Gentlemen--and ladies--" he said. "The corner grocery store was one ofAmerica's most familiar and best loved institutions a generation or twoago. In spite of this, it went out of business because we refused tosupport it. May I ask why we refused to continue to support the cornergrocery?
"The answer is obvious. We began to find better bargains elsewhere, inthe supermarket. As much as we regret the passing of the oldtime grocerI'm sure that none of us would seriously suggest we bring him back.
"For the same reason I suggest that the time may have come to reconsiderthe bargains we have been getting in scientific developments andinventions. Americans have always taken pride in driving a good, hard,fair bargain. I see no reason why we should not do the same when we gointo the open market to buy ideas.
"Some months ago I began giving fresh consideration to the product wewere buying with the millions of dollars in grants made by NBSD. It wasobvious that we were buying an
impressive collection of shiny, glass andmetal laboratories. We were buying giant pieces of laboratory equipmentand monstrous machines of other kinds. We were getting endlessquantities of fat reports--they fill thousands of miles of microfilm.
"Then I discovered an old picture of what I am sure all unbiasedscientists will recognize as the world's greatest laboratory--greatestin terms of measurable output. I brought this picture with me."
Baker unrolled the first of his exhibits, a large photographic blowup.The single, whitehaired figure seated at a desk was instantlyrecognized. Wily and his group glanced at the picture and glared atBaker.
"You recognize Dr. Einstein, of course," said Baker. "This is aphotograph of him at work in his laboratory at the