"All right," said Garrison. "We'll sit on it. We'll keep it quiet. So far the story is ours exclusively. We'll see it stays that way. Be careful. Don't take any chances. We want you here in one piece."
"I'll be seeing you," said Kathy.
Garrison cradled the phone and looked at Jay.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"I think we've just bought the first iron hatchet to replace our stone tomahawk."
Garrison mumbled something under his breath, then said, "Yes, I remember you talking about that. We should have run the story when you brought it up."
"I can still write it."
"No," said Garrison. "Hell, no, everyone will be writing that story now. Now there is another story to write. What happens to the auto industry if the visitors keep on making their cars and giving them away in payment for the trees—enough of them for everyone in the country? What happens to all the people who lose their jobs in the Detroit factories and in other plants? What happens to the oil industry when no one needs to buy gasoline for their cars? What happens to the auto service and maintenance people, all the service stations and the people pumping gas? What happens when we don't need to build roads any more? What happens to the finance companies that live on car payment plans? And what happens when the visitors, once they have made enough cars to give everyone a car, turn to making refrigerators and stoves and furnaces and air conditioners? How will the states register the new cars, the free cars? How will they regulate them? How do they go about taxing them? And the hell of it is that the visitors are not doing this out of animosity. They have no animosity toward us. All they have is gratitude. If they had only worked with the government, gone through governmental channels.
"More than likely," said Jay, "they don't even realize there are governments. They may not know what a government is. They probably have no political concept. They have looked us over and found out how best they can pay us for the trees. And they looked at people and not at governments. They probably are unaware of what they are doing to us, not knowing anything about the complex economic structure we have built. The only economic system they may know is simple barter. You give me something; I'll give you something in return. And the hell of it is that the people will buy it. Once the people know about the free ears, once they start getting their hands on them, no one, in government or out, will dare to lift a finger, say a word, against the visitors."
"And that's why they're hiding out," said Garrison. "So they can make cars without interference. Hiding themselves so hordes of people can't come charging in to pick out a car. Thousands of them out there making cars. How long do you think it will take
them to make enough of them?"
"I wouldn't know," said Jay. "I'm not even sure you're right, but the guess is good. I hope to God it's only ears. We probably can weather the situation if ears is all they make."
46. Washington D.C
"Dave," asked the President, "can we be absolutely certain the
news reports are right? It all sounds so fanciful. Almost beyond belief. What I mean… a few facts blown out of context."
"I had the same reservation," said Porter, "when the first report came on the wires. So I went to the source. Called the Tribune in Minneapolis and talked to the city editor. Man by the name of Garrison. I felt a little foolish doing that, almost as if I were questioning the integrity of the paper. But I felt I had to do it. Garrison was quite decent.
"And the reports are correct?"
"Basically, yes. Garrison told me he couldn't believe it himself to start with. Not until the two ears landed. Said that after his reporter's phone call, he sat there in a daze, saying over and over to himself there was something wrong, that he had misunderstood what the reporter had said, that there had to be some foul-up."
"But now he knows. Now he's sure?"
"Now he knows. He has the cars. He has pictures of them."
"Have you seen the pictures?"
"It was less than half an hour ago the Tribune went to press. The story caught everyone, the news services included, by surprise. It would take a while to get the photos from the Tribune, a while longer to transmit them. They should be coming in soon."
"But cars," said the President. "Why, for Christ's sake, cars?
Why not something really fanciful? Why not diamond necklaces?
cases of champagne? fur coats?"
"The visitors are good observers, sir. They have been watching
us for days.
"And they saw a lot of cars. Almost everyone has one. Those who don't have one want one. Those who have an old car want a new one. Old cars. Beaten-up cars. Wearing out ears. Accidents on the road. People killed and cars demolished. The visitors saw all this. So they gave us cars that never would wear out, that need no gasoline, that need no roads, that can never crash because they veer off when there is the danger of a crash, no maintenance, no repairs, no paint job.
"We can't be sure of that, sir. That's a speculation."
"A ear for everyone?"
"We can't be sure of that, either. That's what Garrison thinks. That's what his reporter thinks. As I understand, however, the Tribune story is very careful not to say that, although the implication's there."
"It can wreck us, Dave. Whether there is a car for everyone or not, it can blow the economy to hell. Because the implication, as you say, is there. I'm thinking of calling a moratorium, a financial holiday. Shutting down the stock market, the banks, all financial institutions, no financial transactions of any kind at all. What do you think?"
"It would give us time. That might be all it would give us. And a few days only. You couldn't make it stick for more than just a few days."
"If the market opens tomorrow morning.
"You're right. Something has to be done. You'd better talk to the Attorney General, the Federal Reserve. Probably some other people."
"Time might be all that it would give us," said the President. "I agree with that. But we need some time. We need some elbow room. Give people a chance to think things over. A chance for us to talk with people. I told you the other day I felt there was no reason for panic. Goddammit, Dave, I'm close to panic now.
"You don't look it."
"Panic is something we can't afford. Not visible panic. Polities give you a long training in the control of personal panic. Right now my gut is jumping, but I can't let it show. They'll be coming out of the woodwork to crucify us. Congress, the press, business interests, labor leaders, everyone. All of them claiming we should have foreseen this situation, should have been doing something to head it off."
"The country will live through it, sir."
"The country, but not me. It does beat hell how things turn out. Up until now, I figured I had it made for another term."
"You still may have."
"It would call for a miracle."
"All right. We'll carpenter up a miracle."
"I don't think so, Dave. Not that we won't try. We'll have to see what happens. Allen and Whiteside will be joining us. Grace is trying to locate Hammond. I want his input. A sound man, Hammond. He can handle the mechanics of the financial holiday. We'll have to have Marcus over later. There'll be others coming in. God knows, I need all the advice that I can get. I want you to hang in close."
"After a while, I'll have to have a briefing. The boys are already pounding on the door."
"Hold up for a while," said the President. "Maybe in a couple of hours, we'll have something to give them. Go out now, empty, and they'll maul you to death."
"They'll maul me, anyhow. But it's a good idea to wait a while. I'm not looking forward to it."