The Glass Bees by Ernst Jünger

Author:Ernst Jünger [Jünger, Ernst]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, pdf
Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction, Classics, General, lit_guide
ISBN: 9780940322554
Google: kYWE898huZIC
Amazon: 0940322552
Publisher: NYRB Classics
Published: 1960-07-15T22:25:49+00:00

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At the very beginning, Zapparoni had been struck by a passage dealing with the start of the era of world wars. Fillmor mentioned the initial great losses, which he attributed partly to the inexperience of the troops and partly to the fact that the enemy had first shown white flags and then, when the soldiers had abandoned precautions and approached without cover, they had opened fire. Zapparoni wanted me to tell him whether I had witnessed similar occurrences and if this was a customary stratagem in war.

His question suited me; I had weighed it in my mind before. Evidently Zapparoni intended, after the unfortunate first words of welcome, to turn the conversation toward a field in which he knew I was on solid ground. This was not a bad start.

White flags? Well, they can be counted among the rumors which always turn up soon after the opening of hostilities. In part, they are inventions of journalists whose task consists in painting the opposite side black, but there is a grain of truth to them.

In a garrison under attack, the will to resist is not so uniformly distributed as it appears to the attacker. When the situation becomes threatening, cells begin to form—some groups will want to defend their position at any cost, others will regard the cause as lost. Therefore situations can arise in which the attacking troops are alternately lulled into security by signs of surrender and then are fired upon. They suffer the effect, without recognizing the diversity of the impulse, and they confuse juxtaposed with consecutive action. They necessarily conclude that they have been lured into a trap. It’s an inevitable optical illusion. Objectively seen, they have engaged in a dangerous affair, without using sufficient caution. It’s much the same when we cut ourselves on a double-edged knife and then hurl it in anger against the wall. The person who acts is responsible for the acted-upon—not the other way round. The fault lies with the attacker. The commander who allowed his men to advance imprudently hadn’t mastered his business. He had maneuvers in his head.

With an occasional kindly nod, Zapparoni listened to my comments.

“Not bad, even though all too human—and it’s good that you find a remedy at once. Heaven protect us against such intrigues. The Field Marshal does not indulge in such circumstantial considerations.”

He laughed contentedly and then went on.

“If I have understood you, the situation is somewhat as follows: Let’s suppose I am negotiating with a business rival —a firm. I drive these people into a corner—and they make me a favorable offer. I make my arrangements, provide liquid assets, and make reserves available. At the very moment when the agreement is due to be signed, I am notified that I have negotiated with a subsidiary company and that the principal firm has no obligation whatsoever. Meanwhile the market has recovered and they have hawked my offer around. Now the whole deal has to begin all over again.”

After a short pause he continued: “This sort of maneuver happens not infrequently.

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