the arrival of the giant rocket and the dawn of the Space Age had turned men’s minds to other worlds. Realization that the human race would soon be able to leave the planet of its birth prompted the inevitable questions: Where’s everyone, and when may we expect visitors? There was also the hope, though it was seldom spelled out in as many words, that benevolent creatures from the stars might help mankind heal its numerous self-inflicted wounds and save it from future disasters.
