"Your response is most heartening," the President resumed, "and just what I expected. However I want to make one point clear now. I, and Mr. Macpherson agrees with me, do not believe that the H-bomb or any other ordinary form of war is the answer to this for two reasons. "Firstly, we have only a small fertile population left on which to rebuild our nations. The radiation effects of nuclear warfare might well turn those children of the future into misshapen monsters. We would have revenge at the cost of self destruction. Secondly, this is still an undeclared war. The Reds are probably counting on victory and do not know that we are aware of their villainy. They will not expect a counter-attack as long as we pretend ignorance. It is up to us to deliver one that will catch them too by surprise. If we succeed we turn what appears to be inevitable defeat into victory. At the same time we must direct our efforts into other channels and find ways in which to maintain our strength in manpower as well as in machines. "For our first task--that is, the winning of the war, I believe we must remember the old saying, fight fire with fire. Our best hope is in utilizing our own scientists to produce biological or chemical weapons which will do to the Communists what they have done to us. For the second task I believe we will need new laws and new concepts of human behavior. We will have an opportunity, unequalled in history, to determine the future quality of our citizens. Let us go to this task full of confidence in our ability and thankful the Creator has allowed us another chance." "After the President spoke," Hallam continued, "there was an explosion of applause, cheering, hand-clapping, shouting, whistling. It was long minutes before Mr. Macpherson could get their attention. He pledged Canada's full cooperation. In turn, the Commonwealth observers promised to get the help of their governments. Finally, committees were formed and the details of the President's broad concepts hashed out. Not every problem was settled right then, of course; that will take months, but the preliminary decisions were made." "That's about the size of it," Hallam drained his glass, "except for what we are to do. Since we have been working on the S-Flu, we are to keep on, but with a different goal. We now have to build up a virus of our own with either a sterility factor or lethal properties and a very short incubation period." "That's what the President meant by turning their weapons against them," Pat said. "That is part of it," Hallam agreed. "It is axiomatic that this new virus must be far enough from the old one that there is little or no cross immunity, so that the vaccine the Reds took will not protect them." "A tall order," I said glumly, "and while we try to do it, we hope the Commies will sit still, convinced that we are not suspicious of them."