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There are some historical claims regarding science fiction that seem to be a bit suspicious. One is the claim that during his World War II efforts to develop the V-2 rocket, Wernher von Braun was receiving copies of Astounding Science-Fiction. I will begin with the Introduction to Volume 1 of The Astounding-Analog Reader, which appeared in 1973 and was edited by Harry Harrison and Brian Aldiss. Their discussion refers to Cleve Cartmill’s “Deadline,” which described an atomic bomb employing 235U. This resulted in visits to John W. Campbell and Cartmill from security personnel from the Manhattan Project. Although it was
