Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction

by Alec Nevala-Lee

On September 17, 1984, Arthur C. Clarke told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the principles behind Star Wars were “technological obscenities.” Heinlein was furious. Events came to a head when both writers attended a meeting at Larry Niven’s house. Clarke had written a critical article on the subject for Analog, arguing that an orbiting laser station could be destroyed by “a bucket of nails,” and when the aerospace engineer Max Hunter brought it up at the gathering, he replied lightly, “But Max, I learned everything I know about celestial mechanics from you.” “I didn’t teach you enough, Arthur,” Hunter responded. Clarke found himself facing a hard line of questioning from the other attendees, and he conceded a few technical errors. The discussion remained cordial and focused on the science, however, and Clarke stuck to his political views. Heinlein was less willing to let it drop. After the formal session had broken for lunch, Heinlein—who had remained silent—told Clarke, in a tone that shocked the others, that he had no business giving advice to Americans. Clarke recalled, “He accused me of typically British arrogance, and he really was vicious. It really hurt me. I was very sad about it.” When Clarke responded that he had a moral objection to the program, Heinlein advised him to avoid getting involved in matters in which he didn’t have a stake. Clarke felt that the issues in question affected everyone on the planet, but he ended on a conciliatory note, telling...