For a moment Harlan regarded his guest calmly from around the bowl of his pipe. Finally he said, “What _should_ I think? It occurs to me that what _you_ think is vastly more important.” The Great Man had risen and was pacing the floor. “Harlan,” he said. “I’m beginning to think the military is right. I’m beginning to believe that these UFO’s are of alien origin. From the steadily increasing and consistent pattern of their appearances, I can only conclude that they are the prelude to some sort of invasion from space.” “Who’d want this little planet?” Harlan asked, with ironic bitterness. “It is already despoiled, overpopulated....” “Not knowing the nature of our visitors,” said the Great Man, “and not knowing their needs or desires, how can we answer such a question?” He paused, regarding his host steadily for an instant. Then he said: “You’ll be glad to know I refused to permit hostile action, a stand which you yourself strongly urged me to take.” “Thank you,” said Harlan, simply and sincerely. Something in his tone stopped the Great Man in his tracks. “Thank you,” he said. “Why thank me? Harlan. Why are you staring at me like that?” Harlan held his gaze, and nodded slowly. “It’s true,” he said. “_I’m one of them._ We have techniques--hypnotics and the like--to make the records misleading. Don’t look so horrified, my friend. Although I am not of Earth, I’m human enough.” The Great Man sank into a chair, still staring in stunned horror at his advisor. “But Harlan,” he said, “why have you done this to _me_? Where are you from? What do you and your people want?” He felt a sick dizziness at the base of his brain, such as he had not felt since the last election had hung precariously in the balance. “You have asked me three questions,” was the reply, “and none of them simple.” A faint smile tugged at his lips. “However, I’ll try to answer them to the best of my ability. Why have I done this _to_ you? I scarcely believe, if you’ll think back over the past few years, that I have done anything _to_ you. “The advice I gave you was sincerely given and it was in the best interests of your country, and your world. I may as well tell you I became your advisor because I was assigned to the task on my own world.” The Great Man could only keep staring at Harlan, wondering what his real name was, and whether he was seeing him as a human being only because Harlan had planned it that way. Harlan went on quickly: “As to where we are from, I can only say the inhabited Galaxy. You see, there are hundreds of far-flung planets suitable for human life scattered among the stars of what you call the Milky Way.” “And precisely what do you want? Why are you invading Earth at this time?” the Great Man asked in a faraway voice.