philip_k_dick_-_the_man_in_the_high_castle

'No,' she said. 'A story about war.' As they walked down the hail to the elevator she said, 'He says
the same thing. As my mother and dad.'
'Who? That Abbotson?'
'That's his theory. If Joe Zangara had missed him, he would have pulled America out of the
Depression and armed it so that — ' She broke off. They had arrived at the elevator, and other
people were waiting.
Later, as they drove through the nocturnal traffic in Wyndam-Matson's Mercedes-Benz, she
resumed.
'Abendsen's theory is that Roosevelt would have been a terribly strong President. As strong as
Lincoln. He showed it in the year he was President, all those measures he introduced. The book is
fiction. I mean, it's in novel form. Roosevelt isn't assassinated in Miami; he goes on and is reelected
in 1936, so he's President until 1940, until during the war. Don't you see? He's still President when
Germany attacks England and France and Poland. And he sees all that. He makes America strong.
Garner was a really awful President. A lot of what happened was his fault. And then in 1940,
instead of Bricker, a Democrat would have been elected — '
'According to this Abelson,' Wyndam-Matson broke in. He glanced at the girl beside him. God,
they read a book, he thought, and they spout on forever. -
'His theory is that instead of an Isolationist like Bricker, in 1940 after Roosevelt, Rexford
Tugweii would have been President.' Her smooth face, reflecting the traffic lights, glowed with
animation; her eyes had become large and she gestured as she talked. 'And he would have been
very active in continuing the Roosevelt anti-Nazi policies. So Germany would have been afraid to
come to Japan's help in 1941. They would not have honored their treaty. Do you see?' Turning
toward him on the seat, grabbing his shoulder with intensity, she said, 'And so Germany and Japan
would have lost the war!'
He laughed.
Staring at him, seeking something in his face — he could not tell what, and anyhow he had to
watch the other cars — she said, 'It's not funny. It really would have been like that. The U.S. would
have been able to lick the Japanese. And — '
'How?' he broke in.
'He has it all laid out.' For a moment she was silent. 'It's in fiction form,' she said. 'Naturally, it's
got a lot of fictional parts; I mean, it's got to be entertaining or people wouldn't read it. It has a
human-interest theme; there's these two young people, the boy is in the American Army. The girl
— well, anyhow, President Tugwell is really smart. He understands what the Japs are going to do.'
Anxiously, she said, 'It's all right to talk about this; the Japs have let it be circulated in the Pacific. I
read that a lot of them are reading it. It's popular in the Home Islands. It's stirred up a lot of talk.'
Wyndam-Matson said, 'Listen. What does he say about Pearl Harbor?'
'President Tugwell is so smart that he has all the ships out to sea. So the U.S. fleet isn't
destroyed.' -
'I see.'
'So, there really isn't any Pearl Harbor. They attack, but all they get is some little boats.'
'It's called 'The Grasshopper something?' '
'The Grasshopper Lies Heavy. That's a quote from the Bible.'
'And Japan is defeated because there's no Pearl Harbor. Listen. Japan would have won anyhow.
Even if there had been no Pearl Harbor.'
'The U.S. fleet — in his book — keeps them from taking the Philippines and Australia.'