The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Business, As Usual, by Jack Sharkey
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license
Title: The Business, As Usual
Author: Jack Sharkey
Release Date: March 13, 2016 [EBook #51435]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BUSINESS, AS USUAL ***
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
THE BUSINESS, AS USUAL
By JACK SHARKEY
Illustrated by TRATTNER
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Galaxy Magazine August 1960.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Giving Certain Powers the business for a change
would be a joy--but it must not backfire--and
here at last was the perfect recoilless diddle!
In 1962, the United States Air Force found itself possessed of a
formidable tool of battle, a radar resistant airplane. While this was
the occasion for much rejoicing among the Defense Department members
who were cleared for Top Secret, this national-defense solution merely
posed a greater problem: What should we do with it?
"There must," said the Secretary of Defense, "be some utilization of
this new device to demonstrate to 'Certain Powers' that the world can
be made safe for Freedom and Democracy!"
"'Certain Powers,' my foot," said the President. "Why don't we ever
come out and just say it?"
"Policy," the Secretary said. "We've always walked softly in our
Foreign Policy; especially softly in cases where we didn't have the
'big stick' to carry."
"Well," grumbled the President, "we've got the big stick now. What do
we do with it?"
"We just want to shake it a bit," said the Secretary. "No contusions
intended, of course. We just have to let them know we _have_ it, but
are too kind-hearted to use it. Unless provoked, naturally."
"I can see," said the President, "that this new plane is burning a hole
in your pocket. Suppose we do send it flying over Rus--"
"_Mister_ President!" said the Secretary of Defense.
The President sighed. "All right, all right. Flying over 'Certain
Areas,' then. Let's say we get it there. Fine. What do we do with it?
Drop leaflets?"
"No. That comes under the proselytizing clause in the Geneva Conference
of '59."
"I don't suppose a small--well, you know."
"Aggression," said the Secretary. "We'd lose face in the Middle East."
"So?" demanded the President, spreading his hands. "They don't like us
anyhow, do they? Or the competition--or each other, for that matter."
"That's not the point. We have to _feel_ as though our dollars are
buying friends, whether or not it's true."
"Well, then, what _can_ we do?" said the President. "No leaflets, no
aggression. We couldn't maybe seed their clouds and make it rain on
them?"
"And get sued by other countries for artificially creating low-pressure
conditions that, they could claim, robbed them of their rightful
rainfall? We've had it happen right here between our own states."
"Maybe we should just forget about it, then?"
"Never! It must be demonstrated to the world that--"
"We could take a full-page ad in the New York _Times_."
"It just isn't done that way," the Secretary protested.
"Why not? It'd save money, wouldn't it? A simple ad like, '_Hey, there,
Certain Powers! Lookie what we got!_' What'd be wrong with that?"
"They'd accuse us of Capitalistic Propaganda, that's what! And to get
the egg off our face, we'd have to demonstrate the plane and--"
"And be right back where we are now," the President realized aloud,
nodding gloomily. "Okay, so what do we do?"
The Secretary looked to left and right, although they were alone
together in a soundproofed, heavily guarded room, before replying.
"We drop an agent!" he whispered.
The President blinked twice before responding. "Have you gone mad?
What man in his right mind would volunteer for such a thing? 'Drop
an agent,' indeed! Ten minutes after landing, he'd be up against a
wall and shot. Wouldn't _that_ be lovely for Freedom and Democracy?
We'd have the R--the Certain Powers gloating over the air waves for
weeks about nipping a Capitalist Assassination Plot in the bud, not
to mention the Mothers of America beating down the White House door
because one of Our Boys was sacrificed. You know how our country
reacts: If an entire division is wiped out, we bite the bullet and
erect statues and make speeches and then forget it. But let a single
man get in dutch and the whole populace goes crazy until something is
'done' about it. No, it won't work."
"May I finish?" said the Secretary patiently.
The President shrugged. "Why not?"
"This agent would be something special, sir. One that would not only
demonstrate our new aircraft, but which would positively leave the
R--damn, you've got _me_ doing it!--Certain Powers tied in knots. In
point of fact, our military psychologists think that this agent might
be the wedge to split Communism apart in hopeless panic!"
"Really?" the President said, with more enthusiasm than he had shown
throughout the entire meeting. "I'd like to meet this agent."
The Secretary pressed a black button upon the conference table. An
instant later, the door opened and the Secretary's personal aide
stepped in. "Yes, sir?"
"Jenkins, have the corridor cleared and Secret Service men posted at
all entrances and exits. When it's safe, bring in Agent X-45." He
paused. "And Professor Blake, too."
"At once, sir." Jenkins hurried out.
"X-45?" said the President. "Has he no name?"
The Secretary smiled inscrutably. "Teddy, sir."
"Why that smirk?"
"You'll see, sir."
They sat in fidgety silence for another minute, and then a buzzer
sounded, twice.
"Ah, that's Jenkins," said the Secretary, and pressed the button once
more.
Jenkins came in, followed by a tall gray-haired man who carried a large
black suitcase. The President arose, and, as Jenkins left the room
again, shook hands with the man. "Agent X-45?" he asked.
"Professor Charles Blake," the man corrected him calmly. "Agent X-45 is
in here."
The President stared. "In the _suitcase_? What are we sending? A
_dwarf_?"
"Hardly," said the Secretary, snapping up the hasps on the suitcase
and opening it upon the table. "This," he said, lifting something from
under tissue-paper padding, "is Agent X-45."
The President's gaze was returned by two shiny black eyes, set on
either side of a little brown muzzle with a gentle, stitched-on smile.
Agent X-45 was clad in flight helmet, miniature jacket and tiny boots,
with a baggy pair of brown canvas trousers belted at the waist with
a bandolier holding a dozen small wooden bullets, and dangling a
patent-leather holster containing a plastic water pistol. And he wore a
small parachute and harness.
"But that's a teddy bear!" cried the President.
"Precisely," Professor Blake said.
"I think I'll sit down," said the President, and did so, visibly
looking like a man who believes he is surrounded by lunatics.
"And look here!" said the Secretary, slipping his hand within Teddy's
jacket and withdrawing a small oilskin pouch. "It's rather rudimentary,
but the Cyrillic lettering is genuine, and our ambassador assures us
the layout is correct."
The President took the pouch, unfolded it and drew out a small sheet
of paper, covered with the inscrutable letterings, and numerous
rectangles and curving red lines.
"I give up," he said. "What is it?"
"A map of the Kremlin," said the Secretary, his eyes dancing. "That big
red 'X' is the location of the Politburo Council Chamber."
"Perhaps," the President said weakly, "you could explain...?"
"Mister President," said Professor Blake, "I am the new Chief of
Propaganda for the government."
The President nodded, poured himself a glass of water from a pitcher
and drained it. "Yes, yes?" he said.
"Naturally, I have spent my career studying the psychology of a Certain
Power...."
The President groaned. "Please, gentlemen, let's name names! It need
never go outside this room. _My_ lips are sealed!"
The professor and the Secretary exchanged a look, a raising of
eyebrows, then a shrug of surrender.
"Very well," said Blake. "Russia--"
"There," said the President. "That's more like it."
Blake cleared his throat and went on.
"We know the weak spot in the Russian armor is the mentality of the
average Communist official," he explained, while the Secretary, who
had heard this all before, fiddled with the straps of Teddy's parachute
and hummed softly to himself. "They have a distrust complex. Everything
and everybody is under 24-hour-a-day suspicion."
"Yes, so I hear," said the President.
"What do you suppose would happen to an agent that was caught by the
Russians?" asked Blake.
"I'd rather not even think about that."
"Not the sadistic details, sir. I mean the general train of events,
from the time of capture onward."
The President pondered this. "After his capture," he said thoughtfully,
"he would be questioned. Through various methods--hopelessly at
variance with the regulations of the Geneva Convention--they would
discover his mission, and then he would be shot, I guess, or
imprisoned."
Blake nodded grimly. "And what if an agent landed there that could
_not_ divulge his mission?"
The Secretary stopped fiddling with the harness and watched the
President's face. On the worn features he read first puzzlement, then
incredulity, then a flash of sheer amazement.
"Good heavens!" said the President. "They'd--they'd have to admit a
defeat, I suppose...."
"But can they?" Blake leaned forward and slammed his fist upon the
tabletop. "Can the Communist mentality ever admit that it's been
bested?"
"I--I guess not. At least, they never do," said the President. "But
this--" he wagged a forefinger at the stuffed thing on the table--"this
certainly won't upset them. I mean, after all...." He looked from
one to the other for agreement and found none. "But, gentlemen, it's
nothing but a stuffed bear!"
"It won't upset them?" queried Blake slowly. "Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. They'll find the bear, wherever it lands, and
they'll--well, they'll _know_ it's a gag and just laugh at us."
"_How_ will they know?" Blake persisted.
"Well, they'll be _pretty_ well certain!" the President said
scathingly: "I mean a stuffed toy--"
"Would they give up on something of which they were 'pretty well'
certain?"
"They'd have to. Teddy, here, certainly couldn't tell them anything.
They'd say it was a joke and forget it...." His voice barely sounded
the last few words. He no longer believed them. A smile flickered upon
his face. "Gentlemen, you don't think they'd--"
"The Russians," said Blake, without emotion, "would go off their
rockers, sir. To be unable to explain a thing like this would devastate
their morale. The Communist is a man who must hold all the aces. He'll
shuffle and reshuffle until he gets them, too. Well, we're giving him a
cold deck, sir. There are no aces for him to find."
"Hmmm," said the President. "As long as there's any doubt in their
minds, they'll have to keep plugging at it, won't they! And since
there's no solution--" His smile grew calculating. "Yes, yes I begin
to see. It's a small thing, to be sure, but I find I must leap at the
opportunity to stick a few ants in _their_ pants for a change."
"It won't wipe them out," began the Secretary.
"But it'll wear them down a little," Blake finished.
"Done!" said the President. "How soon can we get Operation Frustration
under way?"
"The plane is ready to leave right now," said the Secretary, with a
small blush. "I--I rather thought you'd see this thing our way."
The President frowned at this, then shrugged. "Good enough. Let's get
this bear into the air."
"You sure this plane will work?" asked the President, averting his face
from the spray of leaves caught up in the shrieking jet stream of the
waiting plane.
"It's too simple not to," said Blake, clutching the suitcase--on whose
side a large red "Top Secret" had been stenciled--to his chest, and
shouting over the scream of the plane. "The radar-resistant device is
nothing more than a radio-receiver that blankets the structure, making
the entire plane a receiver. If it receives the radar impulses, they
can't bounce back and make a blip on the enemy radar screens."
The President sighed. "You make it sound almost too easy. Very well."
He shook the man's hand. "Good luck."
"Thank you, sir," said Blake, patting the suitcase. "I'll take good
care of Teddy."
The President nodded and moved away. Blake boarded the jet, and,
minutes later, the President was watching a last fading streamer of the
twin exhausts dwindling upon the eastern horizon.
"I shan't sleep till he's back," said the Secretary.
"Nor I," said the President. "I have the weirdest damned
apprehension...."
"About what, sir?" asked the Secretary, as they made their way from the
field.
"About the--" the President looked around, then lowered his voice to a
whisper--"the Russians. There's something in their makeup we may have
overlooked."
"Impossible, sir," said the Secretary of Defense. "Blake is our top
psychologist."
"I hope you're right. If this fails, I'd hate for it to be traced to
us."
"It can't be. The jacket was made in Japan, the boots in Mexico, the
parachute in--"
"I know, I know," said the President. "But if they _should_ trace it to
us, we'll be a laughing-stock."
"They won't," the Secretary assured him.
Two days later, Blake was back, his manner jovial when he met in secret
session once more with the two executives.
"Couldn't have gone more perfectly, gentlemen," he said, rubbing his
hands together and bouncing on his toes. "We passed directly over
Moscow, at a height of ten miles, on the stroke of midnight. The night
was overcast and starless. Teddy was dropped through the bomb bay. I
saw his parachute open myself. He's down there now, and we're sure to
see signs any day now of the little cracks in the Iron Curtain."
"You had no trouble with the enemy?" the President asked, though the
answer--since Blake was back alive--was obvious.
"None," Blake said. "The radar shield performed exactly as specified,
sir. Not a blink of a searchlight nor a single ground-to-air rocket did
we see. Perhaps, on hearing us pass by, they sent up an investigating
plane or two, but we were long gone by then. That's the advantage of
moving faster than the sound you make," he added pontifically.
"I still feel we've overlooked something," said the President. "In the
back of my mind, a small voice keeps trying to remind me of something
about the Russians, something that should have made me veto this whole
scheme at the start."
Blake looked puzzled. "What about them, sir? If it's in regard to their
psychology, I can assure you--"
"I don't mean their psychology at _all_," said the President. "No,
wait--yes, I do, in a minor way. They must pursue this thing, no matter
what, but--"
A light glimmered, then burned brightly in the President's eyes, and he
stood up and smacked his fist into his open palm. "Of course!" he said.
"Their methods!"
"Methods?" asked Blake, a little nervously.
The President's reply was interrupted by a knock at the door. The
three men exchanged a look; then the Secretary jabbed the button, and
Jenkins came in.
"This just came for you, sir," he said, handing the Secretary a small
envelope, and making his exit silently.
The President waited impatiently as the envelope was torn open and its
contents read. Then the Secretary's hands opened limply and the message
fell upon the table.
"Diplomatic note--Russian--Teddy," he whispered.
"What!" yelped the President. He snatched the paper from the table and
read it, then sank into his chair once more, his face grim and eyes
suspiciously moist. "The dirty, lowdown, rotten...."
Blake, hovering at tableside, hesitated a moment, then asked, "What
about Teddy? What's happened?"
"What we might have expected," said the Secretary dolefully.
"You don't mean--" Blake mumbled, horrified. He couldn't continue, just
waited for the worst.
The President nodded miserably.
"He's confessed."
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Business, As Usual, by Jack Sharkey
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BUSINESS, AS USUAL ***
***** This file should be named 51435.txt or 51435.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/4/3/51435/
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.
Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
redistribution.
*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
http://gutenberg.org/license).
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg-tm License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
that
- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License. You must require such a user to return or
destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
Project Gutenberg-tm works.
- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
of receipt of the work.
- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
[email protected]. Email contact links and up to date contact
information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
page at http://pglaf.org
For additional contact information:
Dr. Gregory B. Newby
Chief Executive and Director
[email protected]
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
particular state visit http://pglaf.org
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works.
Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
http://www.gutenberg.org
This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
