“The undersigned believe it to be to the best interest of the nation that the suggestion be acted upon to investigate the claims and discoveries of one Dr. Martin Nagle, but not for the purpose of suppressing Dr. Nagle, and penalizing him, as has been suggested elsewhere. We ask that such an investigation allow Dr. Nagle to receive an impartial judgment concerning his claims and decisions.”
Below the name of Jennings were the names of sixty-five other leading physicists throughout the country.
Mart’s hand was shaking just a little when he put the paper down. “Quite a lot of names there of people I didn’t think would go along with us. Sort of gives you an idea of who your friends are, anyway.”
V.
With a speed that astonished Mart, this effort produced results. In less than two weeks a formal notification to appear came from a Congressional Committee for Investigation of the Intellectual Resources of the United States.
At Keyes’ invitation they stopped in at ONR upon their arrival in Washington. It was a dull, rainy day, and the first that Mart had spent in the city since his last visit to Keyes.
The director’s greeting was warmer than his last parting had been, but his face still held a frustrated expression, as if he would like to believe in them, but could not because of a lifetime of believing otherwise.
“They’re calling me to testify,” he said. “I wish you could tell me more of what you are trying to do. I want to be fair but it goes against the grain of all we’ve been taught since the beginnings of our scientific careers.”
They spent the remainder of the afternoon in Keyes' office. While the rain dripped steadily outside the window, Mart tried to make the older man understand their divergent point of view. He was not sure whether he had made it or not. Keyes remained noncommittal, but the uncertainty seemed to have been replaced by deep reflection. Mart hoped he would understand, because his testimony would mean a great deal to their case, one way or the other.
The first session of the hearing was scheduled for the following morning. It was called to order in a committee room filled with an impressive gathering which included more than fifty top-drawer scientists and research engineers. Mart recognized many as signers of the Jennings telegram.