Many of them are neither
in the army nor in war work.
Many have found this a golden
opportunity to make money
during a war boom—by writing,
by commercial photography,
through the movies, or by other
worthless activities—worthless
when compared with what
your brother Alden was doing.
These bastards let your brother die, Forry,
and did not lift a hand to help him.
I mean that literally. The war
in Europe would have been over
if all the slackers in this country
had been trying to help out—
would have been over before
the date your brother died.
The slackers are collectively
and personally responsible
for the death of Alden.
And a large percent of fans
are among those slackers.
Alden’s blood is on their hands.
A letter from sci-fi writer Robert Heinlein to a fan, 28 January 1945.
Verbatim Poetry 