Ben Bova: The Next Logical Step: Ordinarily the military does not want to have the enemy know the final details of their war plans. But, logically, there would be times—

Things are not good. The tension between the USA and t he USSR have continued to grow until each side is glowering at the other behind thousands of nuclear missiles on submarines, silos, railroads and planes. Each nation is on a hair trigger. The entire world is armed now and ready to blow at the slightest provocation. 'If you try anything, I will retaliate with 20 times the destruction, I will take you so far down you won't see daylight for 500 years!' The US has built a massive computer to run battle simulations; a computer so innovative and big that it can show what will happen in excruciating detail and as a visual reality. Unfortunately the generals that have used it so far have either quit the military or committed suicide so a CIA agent is called into give advice.