"Now, Dr. Smith," he said, "if you're telling us the truth, you've got nothing to worry about...."
"General," Smith replied acidly, "do you know any better way of convincing you than to let Eddie find the X-15?"
"Well, I—"
"Goodbye, General. You think it over—and I'll call you later. Your word will be sufficient!"
The phone clicked, and General Sanders cursed bitterly. Later, he talked it over with Amos Busch, who nodded agreement to the General's proposal.
"Sure," he said. "It's worth a gamble—and we'll have Smith where we want him!"
When John O'Hara Smith phoned that afternoon, the General said promptly:
"Come on in, Dr. Smith—you've got a deal."
The available records on this phase of the case show that a Dr. J. O. Smith and three "assistants" were added to the payroll of a small Pasadena electronics firm on September 17, 1955. They were installed in one wing on the top floor of the building. The entrance to this wing was sealed off with the familiar sign: "Restricted—Permission to enter granted only on a need-to-know basis".
Apparently, few needed to know, for Smith and his assistants seldom had visitors. Deliveries of electronics components were received by one of the assistants. The four men arrived together, and left together. They brought their lunch.