Dimension X - "First Contact" (1951)

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Two exploratory spacecraft meet in deep space, and their crews
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discover that communication brings a problem neither side can safely ignore.
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On September 8, 1951, NBC brought Dimension X, Episode 47,
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First Contact, adapted for radio by Howard Rodman from Murray
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Leinster's 1945 science fiction novelette. Bill Quinn, Cameron Prudhomme, John McGovern,
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Wendell Holmes, and Bob Hastings head the cast under Fred
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Wise's direction. As the Earth vessel and its alien counterpart
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weigh what to share and what to withhold, the route
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home becomes a matter of mutual concern. And now, the
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original broadcast. Follow old-time sci-fi radio for more classic science
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fiction broadcasts.
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Adventures in time and space. Transcribed in future tense.
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Dimension X.
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The National Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with Street and Smith,
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publishers of astounding science fiction, bring you Dimension X. Dimension X.
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Tonight's story, First Contact, by Murray Limester. They had been
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in space six months now, moving with the incredibly faster-than-light
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speed of the overdrive. In six months, they had gone
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from Earth outward and outward to the crab-like nebula with
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the twin stars... A routine flight of exploration and scientific research.
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Solid object about 90,000 miles away, sir.
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Located, Dort. Exactly. Identify it.
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A small object, sir.
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Captain, I've never seen anything like this before. Whatever it
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is out there is coming toward us at an incredible
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speed and retreating to zero.
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Just as rapidly. What's the mass of the object, Dort?
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Well, it varies with the distance from us, sir.
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Step up the scanners.
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Nothing, sir.
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Absolutely nothing shows out there. And yet there must be something.
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Those alarms are foolproof.
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Action stations, man all weapons. Condition of extreme alert in
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all departments immediately.
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Captain, what is it?
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Dort, I ran into the same thing once before on
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the Earth-Mars run. We were being located by another ship
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and their locator beam was the same frequency as ours.
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Every time it hit, it registered as something solid and monstrous.
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But, Captain, we're the only Earth ship in 18 light
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years around.
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How?
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I didn't say it was another Earth ship out there, Dork.
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Another race?
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That's right. There's a spaceship out there, all right. But
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it's not manned by human beings.
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It had been contemplated and speculated upon. Mathematically, it was
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almost a certainty that such a race existed. But in 18,000
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Earth years, no human spaceship had ever encountered them. Now
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the situation was precipitated. And somewhere outside the Earth vessel,
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there was an alien race.
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Of what shape?
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Of what quality? Of what psychology?
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It's moving, sir. Heading right for us.
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At that speed, we'll be in touch in 10 minutes.
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Heading right for us, huh? Just what we'd do if
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a strange ship appeared in our hunting grounds. Friendly? Well, maybe.
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We'll try to contact them. We have to do that.
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But friendly? Thank the Lord for the blasters.
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They may not be hostile, sir.
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They may be. That's what I'm paid for, put on
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this job for, to worry about the troubles that may
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never happen. To all hands, now hear this. A ship
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is approaching, manned by an alien race. I'll give the
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signal for attack or defense if it be necessary. There'll
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be no move made unless I give the order. I
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do not wish to provoke trouble. Stand by.
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Their ship is slowing down, sir.
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It's stopped.
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Weapons department, report. Weapons department, report.
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Alien ship remarked. Target fixed. Weapons alert.
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Communications department, report. Communications department, report.
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We're receiving a modulated shortwave, sir. Frequency modulated. Apparently a signal.
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Not enough power to do us any harm.
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We'll try to make some sense out of it. Report
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any progress to me immediately.
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One thing in their favor, sir. They didn't attack immediately
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without question. They're trying to establish contact. That seems to
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indicate they're reasonable.
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We'll see, we'll see. What are they doing now? Can
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you make out the locator screen? Bring that power up.
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They're doing something now, sir. There's a section of the
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hull opening. Probably an airlock, sir.
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If they breathe, they're... They're letting something out. It's round.
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A bomb, sir? Unknown object released from alien ship.
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Observed by weapons department and targeted.
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Stand by.
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See what they're doing, sir?
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They've left the object out there right where they were.
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And now they're withdrawing the ship.
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There's no reason why that object couldn't be a bomb, Mr.
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Dorton.
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Intended to let us think precisely as you're thinking right now.
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I just have a hunch, sir. I think they're friendly.
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I think whatever it is out there is a means
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of communication.
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You're probably right, but I won't gamble the ship on
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the probability.
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Sir, I'd like to volunteer to go out there and
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look that thing over.
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You understand whoever does examine it is expendable.
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Yes, sir.
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Requisition a lifeboat?
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If it's all right with you, sir, I'd prefer just
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a suit with the drive in it. It's smaller and
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the arms and legs won't make me look like a bomb.
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And I'll carry a scanner, sir.
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You may leave when you're ready.
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Thank you, sir.
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I'm all ready. Clear the lock and let me out.
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Come on.
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Weapons department reporting to the captain. Mr. Dort located.
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Mr.
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Dort is targeted.
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Stand by. If that object out there is a device
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to capture one of our people for observation and questioning,
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it'll be blown out of existence, including Mr. Dort. Stand by. Mr.
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Dort.
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Mr.
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Dort. Report.
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Report.
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Object, as you can see on the scanner, sir, is
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covered with many small horns, like the detonating horns of
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the obsolete mines formerly.
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Used in naval warfare.
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Is that their purpose, do you assume, Mr.
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Dort?
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I'm going to find out, sir.
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I'm going to grab one.
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Mr. Dort?
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I'm here, sir. I don't think this is a mine.
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Circle it so we can see it completely through your scanner.
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Deadlock, sir.
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Nothing to report that the scanner hasn't shown you. Oh,
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wait a minute, sir. A section of the outer hull
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seems to be opening. Do you see it?
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Very good, Dort. Hold that.
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I'm sure it's a communications device, sir.
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It looks like it. Fix your scanner so it'll focus
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on that communications device. Return to the ship.
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Communications department.
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Communications department.
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Progress report, please.
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We've established communication, sir.
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Is there a.
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Psychologist on the team down there with you? Yes, sir.
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Mr.
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Burns is working with us.
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Will both of you please report to the bridge at.
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Once?
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Well, you look tired, Dort.
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We've established fairly satisfactory communication, sir. They seem to have
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highly developed thought patterns... We got a satisfactory translation from
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the machine on the fourth attempt.
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We can say almost anything we want to say to
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each other now. Of course, how much of what they
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tell us is the truth, we have no way of knowing.
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Mr.
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Burns, you're the psychologist. What do you think?
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Well, I don't know, sir. They seem to be completely direct.
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They haven't let slip even a hint of the tenseness
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we know exists.
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They act as if they were setting up a means
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of communication for friendly conversation, but, well, there's an overtone that... Well, Mr. Burns,
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I have a decision to make. On the one hand,
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opening contact with the friendly people of a vastly different
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culture could only be beneficial to us of Earth. On
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the other hand, if they're hostile, I ought to blast
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them out of existence without any other preliminaries.
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But, sir, you can't... I'm not talking to you, Dorn.
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It's not warranted yet, sir.
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Yes. Now, hear this, all departments. Hear this, all departments.
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This ship is on an extended alert... Provisions will be
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made so that personnel can have maximum rest and nourishment.
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Communication continued by means of the artificial language set up
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arbitrarily between the Earthmen and the aliens, decoded by the
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mechanical decoders.
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Dort disobeyed orders.
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He lived on powerful stimulants so that he could stay
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with the communications machine. Talking, talking, talking to the aliens.
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Other people, other people. Are we being received?
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We are receiving your message.
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The chief of this ship wishes to speak with the
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chief of your ship.
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The message is heard by the chief of this ship.
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The chief of this ship communicates that he will hear
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the message of the chief of that ship.
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Go ahead, sir.
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People of the other ship, I'd like to say the
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appropriate things about this first contact of two disciples. civilized
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races and of my hopes that a friendly intercourse between
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the two peoples will result.
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People of that ship, what you say is all very well,
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but is there any way for us to let each
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other go home alive?
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That's all, sir. They've stopped sending.
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Very direct people. Very direct.
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But, sir, I don't follow. I didn't know what that meant.
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You know, is there any way for us to let each.
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Other go home alive?
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It means what it says, Dort.
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Sir, what's to stop us from just cutting communication and leaving?
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And they can do likewise.
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What's to stop us? Simply that whichever ship leaves first
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will be followed by the other. If they find Earth
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and get back to their own planet and we don't
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know where that planet is, Earth will be completely at
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their mercy. If they leave first, we'll follow them. We'll
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attempt to find their home planet. Dart, could you swear
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to any decision that the policymakers on Earth will come to?
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Sir, even if they do follow us, the closer we
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get to home, the more of our ships and weapons
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they'll face.
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They'd never get away.
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Well, how do you know that they can't communicate with
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their home planet without returning?
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We can't, sir.
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How do you know they can't?
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I don't, sir.
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So that's the situation. We'll sit out here facing each other,
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trying to outguess each other. Until time wears us out
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and we'll have to face the fact either they destroy
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us or we destroy them. Navigation officer, attention. Navigation officer, attention.
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Every star map on this ship is to be prepared
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for instant destruction.
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The chief of this ship wishes to know whether the
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chief of that ship can suggest an answer to the
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problem concerning us both.
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Do you want me to answer that, sir?
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I'll answer it myself. Tell me when to talk.
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Now, sir.
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I am giving that matter personal attention. Every effort will
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be bent to the solution of this problem. Will you
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consider a temporary truce in the meantime?
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What would a truce gain? Could we trust you? Would
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you trust us?
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I suggest that we continue as we have up to
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this particle of time.
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I agree.
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Sign off, George.
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Weeks went by.
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And during the weeks, the exchange of information continued without
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let up.
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What particle of time are the people on that ship at?
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The resting time. All rest except myself and others on
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alert duty.
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Same on this ship.
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You people of that ship are very similar in many ways.
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Do you have.
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A family.
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I have a mate.
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I have a mate and three offspring. It is too
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bad for them, as well as us, to have to
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kill each other.
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This ship can't see any way out of it. Can
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that ship?
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If we could believe each ship, yes.
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Our chief would like it.
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But we can't believe you, and you are afraid that
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we do not tell truth, although we do. This ship
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would trail you home if this ship were able to.
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That ship would do the same. But this ship feels
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sorry about me.
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I believe you're a friend.
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I share your belief and like you.
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But there is a possibility that you were put to
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make a trap for me.
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I will stop now and think it over. Just sit down, Dort.
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Control yourself. We're all under tension. Doesn't do any good
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to pace like some caged animal. Yes, sir. All right, now,
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I've read the complete transcription of your conversations with this
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one alien. What does it prove, Dort?
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Sir, these people are so much like us, and they're thinking... Well, sir,
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they're likable.
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They're likable, and they breathe oxygen. Their air is 28%
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oxygen instead of 20. They could do very well on Earth.
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It'll be a highly desirable conquest for them. Dort, I'm
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as set against violence as you are. I don't see
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any way out of this. And I think we've got
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to break this status quo. So if in 70 hours
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we don't see any other way, then I have no
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further choice. I'll blow them to bits.
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Will that ship receive communications? Will that ship receive communications?
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This ship is listening.
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It seems to me better to communicate.
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than to sit by the machine silently.
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I would have called you, but you signed off before.
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The problem goes around and around. I find no answer.
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Perhaps we could turn our thoughts to other things.
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The psychologist of this ship tells us that you people
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on that ship.
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have a threshold of tolerance to tension.
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He tells us that you will be forced to take
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one action or another in a period of less than
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a hundred time particles.
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I have no communication on this matter.
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Well, this ship is not trying to extract unwilling information
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from that ship. A truth is mentioned in passing.
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A report of this conversation will be carried to the
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chief of this ship.
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It would be so. We are prepared.
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If only the people of this ship could meet in
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direct contact with the people of that ship, it might
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be better.
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We could not communicate then.
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The communications machine is too large to carry from place
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to place. In direct contact, the peoples of the two
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00:16:00.899 --> 00:16:02.480
ships would be further apart than now.
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That's true.
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I am sad. Much that is pleasant has passed between us.
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I am sad too.
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We are not yet ready for each other.
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We are not yet ready for each other.
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It's hard, isn't it, Dort?
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Well, Captain, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here, sir.
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I've been here for quite a while. Eavesdropping, I'm afraid.
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It's all right, sir. Nothing can be personal in a
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situation like this.
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That's right. How long is a hundred time particles, Dort? Pardon, sir?
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That reference he made to us not being able to
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stand tension is interesting. Their psychologists seem to make more
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out of us than we do out of them, don't they? Yes, sir.
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They hit the nail right on the head. Yes, they did.
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I think, Dort, we'll just have to push our timetable
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up a bit. No further communication with the aliens under
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any circumstances. That's clear, isn't it?
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Yes, sir.
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Sir, if they know so much about our psychology, isn't
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it possible that remark was intended to make us act
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more quickly?
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Probable, Dort.
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Probable.
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00:17:18.589 --> 00:17:19.690
Why would they do that, sir?
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Why?
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You tell me why, Norton.
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All of a sudden I have an idea, sir.
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That's crazy.
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It doesn't matter how crazy. I'll listen to it.
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00:17:31.089 --> 00:17:33.259
Sir, I think these people are playing some kind of
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a joke on us.
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Joke?
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A joke, Norton?
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Yes, sir.
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Over and over again I've noticed what I think is
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a sense of humor. A highly developed sense of humor.
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Do you recall when we went to all the trouble
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to set up a fictitious star map and then they
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00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:49.619
just sent us back a mirror image of the same one?
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00:17:49.640 --> 00:17:52.980
I think somehow they're playing a joke on us.
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00:17:54.619 --> 00:17:59.450
Maybe you're right. In which case, you've seen practical jokers, Dort.
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Their jokes aren't always funny. Sometimes they hurt people. All departments, man,
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instant alert. All departments, man, instant alert. Report instantly. Report instantly.
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Weapons department alerted. Target the enemy ship.
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On target, sir.
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Stand by. Fire! They're gone, sir.
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Not a trace of them left. Not a tiny trace.
357
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Now we can go home.
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00:18:59.970 --> 00:19:04.029
Communications to captain report sir i'm picking up new signals
359
00:19:04.049 --> 00:19:07.039
same frequency as the original alien signal that's impossible that
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00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:10.440
ship was destroyed i'm receiving signals sir set the machine
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00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:12.119
up we'll be down there in a minute mr dort
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come with me please.
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00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:22.799
It's good to be on the way home. Yes, it
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00:19:22.900 --> 00:19:23.359
is good.
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Do you suppose we'll ever figure out what happened to
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the other ship?
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Never. A blinding flash and they were gone. I suppose
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00:19:33.170 --> 00:19:36.329
they couldn't figure a way out of the situation. An
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00:19:36.390 --> 00:19:37.730
unstable people.
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They had no sense of humor to cope with the situation.
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00:19:42.059 --> 00:19:45.660
They exploded themselves out of existence. It seems reasonable.
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00:19:46.180 --> 00:19:49.890
They must have had powerful weapons to destroy themselves so completely.
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Yes what a shame in a way.
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00:19:55.460 --> 00:19:58.109
I grew to like them this isn't meant for us
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00:19:58.130 --> 00:20:00.309
sir i don't know what's happening but i think we're
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00:20:00.369 --> 00:20:02.750
overhearing a private conversation understand or be quiet will you
377
00:20:03.349 --> 00:20:04.430
Many things.
378
00:20:04.150 --> 00:20:06.869
Might have come out of a relationship with that people.
379
00:20:07.269 --> 00:20:11.799
They were describing a disease they call cancer. I think
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00:20:11.819 --> 00:20:15.019
it is similar to the Fogren syndrome. We might have
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00:20:15.059 --> 00:20:17.599
helped them. They might have helped us, too.
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00:20:18.660 --> 00:20:22.750
Well, too bad. We'll never find them again, I think.
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00:20:23.670 --> 00:20:26.150
The odds of such a chance meeting in the vast
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space of.
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00:20:26.829 --> 00:20:31.049
The whole universe... There are no figures for such odds,
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00:20:31.109 --> 00:20:31.910
are there, Peter?
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00:20:32.630 --> 00:20:34.250
Turn it up, Dort. Turn it up louder.
388
00:20:36.210 --> 00:20:39.490
That's all there is, sir. The signal stopped there.
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00:20:41.190 --> 00:20:43.369
Sir, I don't know how, but somehow when we fired
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00:20:43.410 --> 00:20:45.289
at them, we didn't destroy them, but we did set
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00:20:45.329 --> 00:20:47.880
up a condition whereby they've become invisible to us and
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00:20:47.930 --> 00:20:49.259
we've become invisible to them.
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00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:54.000
Captain to engineering department. Halt, forward motion. Captain, why are
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00:20:54.019 --> 00:20:56.079
we stopping? Listen, Dort, you say they're invisible. All right,
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00:20:56.119 --> 00:20:58.299
they are, but they're not destroyed because we just heard them.
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00:20:58.700 --> 00:20:59.599
They're out there somewhere.
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00:21:00.549 --> 00:21:03.710
Well, you heard them, sir. They're heading for home. We're
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00:21:03.750 --> 00:21:04.910
invisible to them, too, sir.
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00:21:04.970 --> 00:21:06.089
How do you know, Dort? How do you know this
400
00:21:06.109 --> 00:21:06.950
whole thing isn't a setup?
401
00:21:07.369 --> 00:21:09.869
Well, suppose that's true, Captain. You heard their conversation.
402
00:21:09.890 --> 00:21:12.730
They weren't talking like any monstrous people. They seemed decent
403
00:21:12.750 --> 00:21:14.470
and warm, just as decent and warm as we are.
404
00:21:14.490 --> 00:21:16.480
How do you know this conversation wasn't planned and deliberately
405
00:21:16.500 --> 00:21:18.119
set up for us to hear? How do you know that, Dort?
406
00:21:20.900 --> 00:21:21.640
Yes, sir, you're right.
407
00:21:23.220 --> 00:21:25.839
They may be out there and they may not. They
408
00:21:25.880 --> 00:21:27.680
may be telling the truth or they may be trying
409
00:21:27.700 --> 00:21:31.609
to trick us. They may be friends, or they may
410
00:21:31.630 --> 00:21:32.690
be the most deadly enemies.
411
00:21:32.970 --> 00:21:36.539
You said they had a sense of humor, Dort. What
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00:21:36.579 --> 00:21:39.980
a joke to play. To deliberately set up a situation
413
00:21:40.019 --> 00:21:42.680
where we wouldn't know fact from fantasy, truth from lie.
414
00:21:43.880 --> 00:21:45.500
Wouldn't that be a joke, Dort?
415
00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:47.680
But we don't know that they did that, sir.
416
00:21:48.359 --> 00:21:51.910
And we don't know that they didn't. We don't know anything.
417
00:21:53.789 --> 00:21:57.269
Sir, does that mean we never go home again?
418
00:21:58.289 --> 00:21:58.609
I don't know.
419
00:22:00.299 --> 00:22:04.009
I have to think about it I have to think
420
00:22:04.049 --> 00:22:04.369
about it.
421
00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:42.920
You have just heard another adventure into the unknown world
422
00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:47.460
of the future. The world of... Dimension X.
423
00:22:47.450 --> 00:22:48.539
Dimension X.
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00:22:59.109 --> 00:23:02.349
Dimension X is presented each week by the National Broadcasting
425
00:23:02.390 --> 00:23:06.079
Company in cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers of the
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00:23:06.119 --> 00:23:10.880
magazine Astounding Science Fiction. Your host was Norman Rose, music
427
00:23:10.940 --> 00:23:14.170
by Albert Berman. Dimension X is produced by William Welch and.
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00:23:14.130 --> 00:23:15.309
Directed by Fred Way.
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00:23:15.730 --> 00:23:16.529
First Contact.
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00:23:16.950 --> 00:23:20.269
Written by Murray Leinster and adapted for radio by Howard Rodman.
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00:23:20.809 --> 00:23:24.470
Featured in the cast were Wendell Holm, Bob Hastings, Scott Gordon,
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00:23:24.769 --> 00:23:26.289
William Lally, and Stan Early.
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00:23:26.730 --> 00:23:27.930
Your announcer, Fred Cullen.
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That was Dimension X, episode 47, First Contact. Thank you
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00:23:32.890 --> 00:23:37.380
for joining us for this NBC science fiction broadcast. Follow
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00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:42.099
Old Time Sci-Fi Radio for more classic science fiction broadcasts.