Robert Heinlein wrote, "These bastards let your brother die"

POSTED BY: two
UPDATED: Monday, May 31, 2010 19:37
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TWO

Monday, May 31, 2010 12:29 PM

Heinlein is a dwarf star orbiting Red Sun in the 'Verse. It was named after science fiction novelist Robert Heinlein, who wrote during World War II a blistering attack on science fiction fandom. He cautioned, "This letter is for your eyes only; the ideas in it you are free to use but the letter is for you only." The two page letter, with notes, was posted Friday, 28 May 2010, at www.lettersofnote.com/2010/05/these-bastards-let-your-brother-die.html To learn who Heinlein's "traitorous little bastard Jocquel" really was, go to the comments at Letters of Note.

Transcript

311 S. Hicks St.
Philadelphia 2, Pa.
28 Jan 1945

Dear Forry,

Our hearts are sore at your loss and there is nothing we can say to relieve your personal anguish. Your brother died a noble and heroic death. It is my belief that he did in fact die to make a better world; it is for us who live on to see to it that a better world is accomplished. I am heartened that you regard it as your duty to follow through on his unfinished work.

I will not be able to supply an article for the fan publication you propose to publish in his memory. I dislike to have to tell you that I will not be writing for you, under the circumstances, and I feel that you are entitled to a full explanation. Forry, every day I am writing things which are, literally, dedicated to Alden, and to the many, many others who have died and are dying. My daily writings are dedicated to getting the war won quicker with the fewest number of deaths of our own. My writings are laboratory instructions, engineering reports, letters to manufacturers, and other things having to do with the tedious work of scientific research for war. It takes up all of my energy and all of my imagination and I have none left over for other matters. If I had any energy left over, I would know that I was not doing all that I could do and I would then, in truth, be disloyal to your brother's memory.

(I have, not a belief, not a conviction, but a knowledge of personal survival. You said on your post card that you wanted to discuss the matter with us someday. We will be honored to do so.)

Forry, you have sought my advice on matters which worried you in the past. You have not sought my advice in this matter, but I am going to presume on our old friendship to offer you some. I know that you are solemn in your intention to see to it that Alden's sacrifice does not become meaningless. I am unable to believe that fan activity and fan publications can have anything to do with such intent. I have read the fan publications you have sent me and, with rare exceptions, I find myself utterly disgusted with the way the active fans have met the trial of this war. By the fan mags I learn that many of these persons, who are readily self-congratulatory on their superiority to ordinary people---so many, many of these "fans" have done nothing whatsoever to help out. Many of them are neither in the army nor in war work. Many have found this a golden opportunity to make money during a war boom---by writing, by commercial photography, through the movies, or by other worthless activities---worthless when compared with what your brother Alden was doing. These bastards let your brother die, Forry, and did not lift a hand to help him. I mean that literally. The war in Europe would have been over if all the slackers in this country had been trying to help out---would have been over before the date on which your brother died. The slackers are collectively and individually personally responsible for the death of Alden. And a large percent of fans are among those slackers. Alden's blood is on their hands.

As for persons who are guilty not merely by sins of omission but who actively threw their weight against us, like that traitorous little bastard Jocquel, I have no words to describe them. It is a bitter thing that he should be alive while your brother is dead. It would be well for him to stay out of my sight when this is over. As for any of them, unless they have fought this war in every way they

BYTEMITE

Monday, May 31, 2010 5:33 PM

How easy it is to be self righteous when you're a PROFESSIONAL fan writer. He may have a point, in that distractions prevent us from doing good in the real world, that apathy allows people to do horrible things to other people, allows the world to be a miserable place.

But if people want to escape, for a short while, from the misery that we've created for themselves, how can I begrudge them? How can I resent that they ENJOY something in their short lives? Oh god, how HORRIBLE that people should find something that makes them happy, instead of being miserable little self-punishing peon zealots!

Those same "fans" that he sneers about gave him PLENTY of money to sit on his ass and create engineering designs and creative literature, while they slaved away in factories, often under dangerous conditions, in a time when manufacturing was taken over by the war effort.

So to Heinlein, may you rest in peace, don't pawn off elitist bullshit on me. For someone so supposedly anti-authority, he sure is interested in telling people what to do, isn't he?

KATESFRIEND

Monday, May 31, 2010 6:26 PM

Though his words may seem harsh, thankfully hardly any of us can understand the angst people endured during WWII unless you lived through it - and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Nearly 70 million people dead worldwide is more than most people's brains can understand. Don't judge the man too harshly - we are all a product of the times we live in. He went on to write many wonderful peaceful world views and a map on how to get there.

The second job is, now and after the war, to see to it that it shall not happen again. There are many ways to do that and each must select his own---political activity of every sort, writing intended to stir people up, the willingness to combat race hatred, discrimination, limitations of civil liberty, generalized hates of every sort, whenever and wherever they show up.

Any man who can write those words has my respect and my tolerance for having a bad day.

PIRATENEWS

Monday, May 31, 2010 7:08 PM

RH isn't that smart if he didn't know Hitler, Stalin, Churchill, FDR, Truman and Ike were jews working for the kosher NWO banksters.

WW2 was a white slave psyop for the stoopid goy. (evil laff)

Can't defeat an enemy when you have no idea who your enemy is.

BYTEMITE

Monday, May 31, 2010 7:37 PM

Maybe it was a bad day, but he's blaming non-combatants for someone near and dear to him dying. That's really similar to a mentality that perpetuates a lot of the violence in the middle east.

It's also a jerk thing to say. Those who abuse and berate their fans don't deserve them, says I. Heinlein just comes across as self-absorbed here, and, as I said, self-righteous.