"I think I follow you," said the Secretary. "You found he was already teaching this trick to others."
The President glanced at the FBI man. Frank said: "That's right; he was holding meetings—classes, I suppose you'd call them—twice a week. There were eight men who came regularly."
"That's when I gave the order to have them all picked up. Can you imagine what would happen if everybody could be taught to use this ability? Or even a small minority?"
"They'd rule the world," said the Secretary softly.
The President shrugged that off. "That's a small item, really. The point is that nothing would be hidden from anyone.
"The way we play the Game of Life today is similar to playing poker. We keep a straight face and play the cards tight to our chest. But what would happen if everyone could see everyone else's cards? It would cease to be a game of strategy, and become a game of pure chance.
"WE'D HAVE to start playing Life another way. It would be like chess, where you can see the opponent's every move. But in all human history there has never been a social analogue for chess. That's why Paul Wendell and his group had to be stopped—for a while at least."
"But what could you have done with them?" asked the Secretary. "Imprison them summarily? Have them shot? What would you have done?"
The President's face became graver than ever. "I had not yet made that decision. Thank Heaven, it has been taken out of my hands."