
General "Smiley" Webb is a larger‑than‑life commander whose ideas for moving troops behind enemy lines are as grand as his handshakes. When the Secretary of Defense arrives for a briefing, the pair exchange banter, cryptic promises, and a mystery briefcase that contains, among other things, a ham sandwich. Their journey to the secretive Project W is punctuated by a towering bull’s‑eye on a field, a ticking platinum watch, and a chorus of whispered security codes that hint at a daring, top‑secret operation.
The story balances dry military jargon with sharp humor, letting listeners feel the tension of a war‑time briefing while chuckling at Webb’s flamboyant bravado. As the convoy rolls toward the concealed testing ground, the air hums with the roar of engines and the promise of something unprecedented—an audacious plan that could change the course of the conflict, if only the right eyes and ears can stay silent long enough.
Language
en
Duration
~18 minutes (17K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
Feb 23, 2009
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1931–1992
A prolific American writer who moved easily between science fiction and the stage, he built a career on sharp ideas, comic energy, and an impressive range of pen names. His work spans magazine stories, plays, and adaptations, making him a memorable mid-century genre voice.
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