Some remarks

From TAFTA, SUPREME LORD of SHIKASTA, to SUPREME SUPERVISORY LORD ZARLEM on SHAMMAT, Greetings.

Submission, O Great One!

Your instructions have been carried out!

The Four National Areas have been tested.


Head of Government One: Receiving our directive to tell the truth exactly, accurately, without concealment, to his subjects, he informed his council of ministers that this was his intention, because "it had come into his mind." He was at once incarcerated in a prison for the mentally deranged, and it has been given out to the subjects that he has resigned on grounds of ill health.
Head of Government Two: This man, having just been "elected into power," took the first opportunity (a television appearance) of informing his subjects that conditions were much worse than he had imagined before actually taking office and becoming possessed of certain information that is available only to heads of government. He considered it his duty to inform them of this material, which ought not to be secret. In order to survive at all it would be necessary for them to face certain facts: these were the facts... When the television appearance was over, he was informed by the faction that had "put him into power" that he had lost their support. He has had to resign.
Head of Government Three: This man, determined to tell the inhabitants of his geographical area (because of our promptings) certain facts that had been withheld from them, was assassinated by the military before he could do so: because of their total espionage cover, they knew of his determination at once.
Head of Government Four: In the midst of a worse than usual crisis, he made hitherto inaccessible facts public and found no one believed him: there was such a gap between what they had been told and what he was telling them now. Becoming emotionally unstable with the effect of impressing the truth on them and finding over and over again this had no effect, he had a heart attack and died.

These tests have proved that the planet is immune to truth.

There is therefore nothing left to bar our progress.

Excelsior! Glory to us! We have overcome!

Submission, O Great One!

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