Атлант расправил плечи
The Exploiters and the Exploited
"
Sittingbesidehiminhiscar,sheregrettedthatshehadagreed.ShelookedatthestreetsofNewYorkandthoughtoftheracebetweenmetalandtime,betweentherailsoftheRioNorteLineandthepassingdays.Shefeltasifhernerveswerebeingpulledtightbythestillnessofthecar,bytheguiltofwastinganeveningwhenshecouldnotaffordtowasteanhour.
"WithallthoseattacksonReardenthatonehearseverywhere,"saidTaggart,"hemightneedafewfriends."
Sheglancedathimincredulously."Youmeanyouwanttostandbyhim?"
Hedidnotansweratonce;heasked,hisvoicebleak,"ThatreportofthespecialcommitteeoftheNationalCouncilofMetalIndustries—whatdoyouthinkofit?"
"YouknowwhatIthinkofit."
"TheysaidReardenMetalisathreattopublicsafety.Theysaiditschemicalcompositionisunsound,it’sbrittle,it’sdecomposingmolecularly,anditwillcracksuddenly,withoutwarning..."Hestopped,asifbeggingforananswer.Shedidnotanswer.Heaskedanxiously,"Youhaven’tchangedyourmindaboutit,haveyou?"
"Aboutwhat?"
"Aboutthatmetal."
"No,Jim,Ihavenotchangedmymind."
"They’reexperts,though...themenonthatcommittee...
Topexperts...Chiefmetallurgistsforthebiggestcorporations,withastringofdegreesfromuniversitiesalloverthecountry...
