"I think I am right, I will prove it."(Kevin Hughes) “What the hell is this, Marvin?”

“It’s a letter I think you should read before you decide to do your experiment. In fact, I insist you read it.”

Dr. Michael Bella (and don’t start teasing him about that last name of his…not if you want to gain tenure.) stared at his Assistant Dean. For more than two decades the two of them had worked as a pretty good team. Building the most robust and interesting Department of Physics one could imagine. There is a reason that the Institute (As it is called, since it needs no other introduction. If you say: “The Institute” it can mean only one place.) Has lead the World in Quantum Field Theory for over two decades.

Dr. Bella thought Marvin wasted that marvelous brain of his worrying about insignificant collateral damage that might occur if Science acted without forethought. Marvin had the mind, but not the will, of a truly cutting edge Scientist. Marvin was afraid for long term consequences. Dr. Bella…was not. But, he had listened to Marvin in the past…and it allowed him to avoid some serious mistakes. So, with a grunt of acceptance he took the letter from Marvin’s hand.

“At least tell me what is …or who wrote it.”

Marvin smiled. He was at least still reaching the side of Dr. Bella that might listen …maybe.

“A famous Scientist wrote it to the then President of the United States. The Science was leading edge stuff. So far advanced for its day... that maybe a handful of people understood it at all. The President was no Scientist. In fact, he had barely finished High School, and his last job before becoming President was running a barely breaking even Haberdashery Store in Missouri.”

Dr. Bella interrupted his friend and colleague with a bit of piqued curiosity:

“A what?”

“Haberdashery… a place that sells hats. You know, Bowlers, Top Hats, Derby’s, Fedora’s…and the woman wore Bonnets, or Flower Pot styles hats. Until the 1960’s…men wore hats for both informal and Formal occasions.”

“Well, I am glad I missed that part of the Century.”

“Me, too.”

Both men shared a chuckle picturing how anyone wearing a Formal hat to work today would be viewed.

“So continue with why I should read this letter.”

“Well, this President wasn’t very smart…intellectually, but he was not stupid. He told the Scientist to skip the jargon, and all the math. He simply said:

“Tell me what the darn experiment will do…and tell me in language I could tell the Public with…if I could tell them. Explain it to me in plain language. Simple language. What will the darn thing do?!”

So the Scientist did exactly that. It is called: “The Truman Letter.” It is well known for both it brevity and clarity. So read it yourself.”

Dr. Bella did just that. When he finished reading, he lay the letter down on his desk, leaned back in his chair and said:

“Well, that was a bit blunt wasn’t it? I mean listing what MIGHT happen in very descriptive terms. I am surprised that Truman had the balls to accept the results. “

Marvin gave a wry smile.

“He didn’t really have a choice. Invading Japan would have cost more men their lives than the entire war in Europe did. The cost of invading and conquering Japan would be two high in the long run. Both for the time it would take, and the cost in lives and material. The Civilian Population would be devastated too. If we were somehow capable of wining a long term Gorilla Battle…we still would have had to occupy the country for decades. So he made the best choice with the information he had.”

Dr. Bella smiled a soft smile.

“Is this supposed to be a warning to me?”

Marvin nodded.

Dr. Bella stood up.

“Marvin, in this letter (jabbing a forefinger towards where the letter lay on his desk) the Scientist warned that he thought the experiment might set the atmosphere on fire, or perhaps cause a China Syndrome where the entire Earth basically becomes a Charcoal, or it might split the continent apart. There was no mention of the damage from “nuclear fall out” because they didn’t even think about that possibility …since no one had ever built, tested, or deployed an Atomic Bomb.

And you think my experiment with Quantum Gravity in order to fit it into the Quantum Field Theory Standard Model…poses the same level of risk to the world as the first Atomic Bomb?”

Marvin nodded slowly.

“Yes. I think the possible outcomes are as bleak as they were for the hat sales President. Except he had little choice. He had millions of lives at stake…and a time limit. You have millions of lives at stake…but no time limit. Why not postpone the experiment until you work out more of the details?”

Dr. Bella tapped his desk again…each tap gently accenting his words.

“This is a different time. This letter does not apply. Those Scientists and Technicians were working in the blind. They knew almost nothing about the thing they were building. I know a lot more. WE know a lot more. My experiment will not set the air on fire, use the earth as charcoal, or blow up a land mass. It will simple work…or not work. “

Marvin shrugged. He had doen his best. He pulled out his own letter…and laid it on Dr. Bella’s desk.

“Read this …then. I wrote it as an equal to an equal.”

Dr. Bella sat down and looked at the neat handwritten letter. He sat heavily and sighed.

“Only because I like you…”

The letter was short. It stated three possible outcomes: 1) The Earth and all of the Universe would cease to exist. 2) Time would no longer be bound to the Arrow of Time moving in only one direction. 3) Because the Arrow of Time would flow in any direction, all actions could become entangled with the Past, Present, and Future out of sequence. And finally: 4) A new Universe would start immediately…replacing the old one with sterile copies of itself.

Are you sure you want to go through with this? The best that could happen, is we would briefly be aware that the Universe had changed…but not how.”

That was the entire letter.

Dr. Bella read it again.

“I am sorry, Marvin. Sometimes Science has to be bold, and take a leap of Faith. I think we shall finally have a Theory of Everything. Gravity was our only stumbling block. If I am right…and I think I am…I will go down in History as famous as Newton, Einstein, or Planck. I think I am right, and I will prove it.”

The next day, Marvin took the day off to take his wife and kids to the Park. His wife knew something was amiss, because her husband was truly enjoying his day with her and the kids. Affection was pouring out of him along side what could only be called gratitude for even being alive. She cherished it and knew it would be a lifelong memory for her and the kids.

She saw Marvin look at his watch…and then again…then again. She asked him why he was so nervous.

“Michael is starting an Experiment in exactly two more minutes. I just wanted to check the time.”

“Why? What’s so important that it has you distracted.”

A shiver went down her spine, taking some of the joy out of their lovely afternoon when he answered.

“In another forty six seconds, I will either be able to tell you…or it won’t matter.”

He leaned over and gave his wife of twenty three years a deep loving kiss. He pulled their two young children close.

“I love you guys so much.”

They giggled.

Dr. Bella hit the button.

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