Heinlein, Asimov, and Clarke
jeanie
I have heard that Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov were all in
the Navy together and were stationed at some island in the
pacific during the WWII where they all met.
Anyone know if this is true?
-jeanie
je...@dgi.com
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* Peaceful, honest people have the right to be left alone. *
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coz...@garnet.berkeley.edu
>
>I have heard that Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov were all in
>the Navy together and were stationed at some island in the
>pacific during the WWII where they all met.
>Anyone know if this is true?
First off, it was L. Sprague deCamp, not Clarke (who as a British
subject was in line for a different service altogether--but I think
he was just under age.)
They were all in service together, true, but hardly on some island
in the pacific; rather in some Navy yard in Pennsylvania. DeCamp
was a career officer; when the war started Heinlein (a former naval
officer, disabled out some decades back for tuberculosis) tried to
get back in and was unsuccessful; Asimov was a draft-age graduate
student trying hard to stay _out_. DeCamp managed to persuade his
superiors at the naval yard that these variously skilled people
were just what they needed. Then he managed to convince Heinlein
that flying a desk was the best thing he could do under the
circumstances; and he persuaded Asimov that working for the Navy
as a highly skilled civilian boffin was the way to keep out of
the Army. (It worked until the war was over; then Asimov got
drafted anyway.)
Mark L. Stackpole
You've got the story a little scrambled.
Asimov and Heinlein both served in the Navy (Asimov as a
civilian employee) and were stationed together in Philadelphia, I
think. The third SF guy of the group was L. Sprague DeCamp.
Although they met, Asimov and Heinlein did not become
friends. So much for wartime comradeship.
Ole D. M. Lennert
>In article <m0mh0IT...@opus.dgi.com> je...@opus.dgi.COM (jeanie) writes:
>>
>>I have heard that Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov were all in
>>the Navy together and were stationed at some island in the
>>pacific during the WWII where they all met.
>>Anyone know if this is true?
>First off, it was L. Sprague deCamp, not Clarke (who as a British
>subject was in line for a different service altogether--but I think
>he was just under age.)
>
I believe that Clarke worked with the british radar systems during the
war.
Ole Lennert
(zap...@diku.dk)
Pally Hoffstein
>the Navy together and were stationed at some island in the
>pacific during the WWII where they all met.
>Anyone know if this is true?
>
>-jeanie
>
Campbell's Astounding magazine. I don't know if they met Clarke before the war
but they certainly corresponded with him. Clarke's work in the war kept him
stationed in Britain so I doubt he met Heinlein or Asimov during WWII.
Pally Hoffstein,
Vancouver, Canada
--
***** Look for me, somewhere down the Crazy River - Robbie Roberstson *****
Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey
> Asimov and Heinlein both served in the Navy (Asimov as a
> civilian employee) and were stationed together in Philadelphia, I
> think. The third SF guy of the group was L. Sprague DeCamp.
> Although they met, Asimov and Heinlein did not become
> friends. So much for wartime comradeship.
They ate lunch together regularly at work, and were part of the same
social circle, during their Philadelphia years. I would say that they
were friends, though there is reason to doubt that their friendship
was very warm. Without consulting any references, I can't recall that
Heinlein and Asimov had much interaction in the years following the
war.
Alexei and Cory Panshin give a detailed (and possibly somewhat
fanciful) account of A. and H.'s Philadelphia Navy Yard relationship
in their book *The World Beyond the Hill*.
O~~* /_) ' / / /_/ ' , , ' ,_ _ \|/
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/ \ (_) (_) / | \
| | Bill Higgins Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
\ / Bitnet: HIG...@FNAL.BITNET
- - Internet: HIG...@FNAL.FNAL.GOV
~ SPAN/Hepnet: 43011::HIGGINS
James Davis Nicoll
of a single bit of proof of this, however, unless one counts 'Glidepath'.
James Nicoll
Dan'l DanehyOakes
>I have heard that Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov were all in
>the Navy together and were stationed at some island in the
>pacific during the WWII where they all met.
>Anyone know if this is true?
Yes. It isn't true.
Asimov and Heinlein (and L. Sprague de Camp) all worked in the U.S. Navy Yards
in Philadelphia during the War.
I'm not sure where Clarke was, but it was almost certainly somewhere in England,
and it was definitely _not_ in Philadelphia. (If it had been, Asimov would have
mentioned it in the appropriate section of his autobiography.)
Until the philosophy that holds one race superior and another
inferior
Is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned
Everywhere is war
-- Haile Selassie via Bob Marley
FIGHT THE REAL ENEMY
-- Sinnead O'Connor
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes, Net.Roach
My opinions do NOT represent Pacific Bell,
Professional Development, or anyone else.
But I'm willing to share.
coz...@garnet.berkeley.edu
>.....I can't recall that
>Heinlein and Asimov had much interaction in the years following the
>war.
They saw each other at conventions, I assume, and they exchanged letters
at any rate. Asimov tells (somewhere in that voluminous autobiography)
of the day he got a letter from Heinlein, and he read it, and his wife
read it and remarked, "Bob's having trouble with his marriage."
"What on earth do you mean?" Asimov said. "He doesn't even _mention_
his wife."
"That's right. He doesn't even mention her."
Sure enough, the Heinleins were divorced soon after.
SSB GLOVER
: In article <m0mh0IT...@opus.dgi.com> je...@opus.dgi.COM (jeanie) writes:
: >
: >I have heard that Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov were all in
: >the Navy together and were stationed at some island in the
: >pacific during the WWII where they all met.
: >Anyone know if this is true?
:
: First off, it was L. Sprague deCamp, not Clarke (who as a British
: subject was in line for a different service altogether--but I think
: he was just under age.)
Clarke wasn't under-age: he was instrumental in the development of the
GCA Ground Controlled Approach radar system (slight exaggeration, he *is*
the Hon Pres of BSFA after all ;-)) and it was while working with radar he
had the idea of a synchronous orbit artificial satellite...
For a (slightly) fictionalised account of this work, see his non-sf novel
"glide path"
--
Steve Glover, Co-editor "Matrix" newsletter of BSFA, Novacon 22 publications
Fan programme Intersection '95 ... FIAWOL
Daniel Blum
WWII. Heinlein was discharged (medical) before WWII. I don't think
Clarke was ever an American citizen. Heinlein and Asimov (and L.
Sprague de Camp) did all work at the Philadelphia
Navy Yard during WWII (although not together).
--
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Dan Blum Institute for the Learning Sciences Room 327
bl...@ils.nwu.edu 1890 Maple Ave., Evanston, IL 60201 708-467-2306
"Let it be granted that a controversy may be raised about any question,
and at any distance from that question."
Lewis Carroll
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Aragorn
I can't think of any _absolute_ proof either, but just about every book
I have (of Clarke's) mentions his involvement with the development of
talk down radar during WWII. Also, in his intro to _Glidepath_, he
mentions that he felt compelled to write it based on his experiences.
BTW, _Glidepath_ is his only non-sf fictional work, being published in
the mid-50's. (IF that would have been early 30's, it would have been a
perfect example of period work)
Aragorn
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***sean...@ecn.purdue.edu***********************************************
* Man-in-Black: "You mean you'll put down your rock and I'll put *
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* like civilized people." _The Princess Bride_ *
Joel Upchurch
> I have heard that Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov were all in
> the Navy together and were stationed at some island in the
> pacific during the WWII where they all met.
> Anyone know if this is true?
Heinlein and Asimov both held civilian jobs at the U.S. Navy Yard
in Philadelphia during WWII although Asimov said he already had
met Heinlein before. Asimov said he didn't meet Clarke until 53.
Asimov got drafted into the ARMY after the war and was sent out
to the Pacific for awhile.
I got this information from Asimov's book "In Memory Yet Green".
(If your mail bounces use the address below.)
Joel Upchurch/Upchurch Computer Consulting/718 Galsworthy/Orlando, FL 32809
jo...@peora.ccur.com {uiucuxc,hoptoad,petsd,ucf-cs}!peora!joel (407) 859-0982
Joel Upchurch
> They ate lunch together regularly at work, and were part of the same
> social circle, during their Philadelphia years. I would say that they
> were friends, though there is reason to doubt that their friendship
> was very warm. Without consulting any references, I can't recall that
> Heinlein and Asimov had much interaction in the years following the
> war.
There is a reason for this; Asimov lived in Boston, Heinlein lived in
California and Asimov wouldn't fly. Asimov's autobiography seems to
indicate a fairly active correspondence between them. Asimov indicates
that he had some fairly strong disagreements about politics with
Heinlein, but they didn't seem to have kept them from being friends.
Jim Freund
>
> I have heard that Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov were all in
> the Navy together and were stationed at some island in the
> pacific during the WWII where they all met.
> Anyone know if this is true?
'Fraid someone was pulling your leg, or else sadly misinformed. Clarke
is not a US citizen, and never served in the British navy, and Asimov
never served in any navy either. (In fact, I don't believe he was ever in
the armed forces at all.
OTOH, Heinlein and L. Ron Hubbard were at Anapolis together...
-- --
WBAI -- 99.5 FM / ZiffNet
James J. Herlburt
into some sort of army project. Heinlein was working on some sercet thing
that nobody talk about. Afterward Asimov got drafted and served a tour on
some island.
Gharlane of Eddore
> From: jfr...@mindvox.phantom.com (Jim Freund)
> Subject: Re: Heinlein, Asimov, and Clarke
>
> je...@opus.dgi.COM (jeanie) writes:
>
> >
> > I have heard that Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov were all in
> > the Navy together and were stationed at some island in the
> > pacific during the WWII where they all met.
> > Anyone know if this is true?
>
> 'Fraid someone was pulling your leg, or else sadly misinformed. Clarke
> is not a US citizen, and never served in the British navy, and Asimov
> never served in any navy either. (In fact, I don't believe he was ever in
> the armed forces at all.
>
> OTOH, Heinlein and L. Ron Hubbard were at Anapolis together...
> -- --
>
Asimov got drafted right AFTER the war, and put in a couple of years as
an enlisted man, policing up cigaret butts and refusing to sign up for
extra time in order to get a commission. He and the Army were both
delighted to be rid of each other.
As for L. Ron Hubbard being at "Anapolis" (sic) .... are you KIDDING?
Hubbard was born in 1911, which would have put him an entire class cycle
behind Heinlein, *IF* he'd been at Annapolis, which he wasn't.
Hubbard's only college attendance was at George Washington Engineering
School, where he flunked out. (His high school record was the reason
he couldn't get into Annapolis, even with the political pull his family
had; they were old-line Navy, from way back...)
Hubbard served a hitch in the U.S. Marine Corps in the early thirties,
and later joined the U.S. Naval Reserve, where his family pull got him
a commission.
Hubbard's only degree was the doctorate he conferred on himself in the
early fifties! (He also billed himself as a "naval captain" and a
"trained engineer" in subsequent years. He never got above the rank
of Lieutenant, Junior Grade, and never commanded anything that took a
crew of more than four; and he certainly was not a qualified engineer
or scientist!)
Hubbard served, briefly, during WWII, as a very junior naval reserve
officer. He also spent a good deal of time in military hospitals during
the next decade, and was repeatedly diagnosed as schizophrenic (this
does NOT mean "multiple personalities," movies to the contrary; it means
the diagnosee has a loose grip on reality) and megalomaniac (knows he's
the natural ruler of the world).
Factual details of Hubbard's life and careers can be found in many
places; the L.A. Times and Time Magazine have both done thorough
articles on him in the last few years, and several "unauthorized"
biographies exist. The official "Church Of Scientology" version
of LRH's life would even have you believe that LRH ghosted a bunch
of Heinlein's work!
Heinlein and Hubbard were friends, to a degree; Heinlein enjoyed
outrageous loudmouths, particularly when they contrived to do well
in the world by playing on the vulnerabilities of idiots. He found
Hubbard amusing, in much the same way that John Campbell used to
enjoy the "professional wrestling" shows...... as gross entertainment.
They were not bosom buddies, and when LRH asked Heinlein to put together
a letter requesting that LRH be assigned to the Philadelphia Navy Yard,
to work in the DeCamp/RAH engineering & research crew, Heinlein declined.
He said they wanted to get some real work done, but that LRH was welcome
to visit any time he was in port.
Jim Kasprzak
|> Jim Freund pontificated:
He did? Where? And what was that about glass houses?
|> > From: jfr...@mindvox.phantom.com (Jim Freund)
|> >
|> > OTOH, Heinlein and L. Ron Hubbard were at Anapolis together...
|> As for L. Ron Hubbard being at "Anapolis" (sic) .... are you KIDDING?
No, just a victim of faulty information. He wasn't the only one.
|> He never got above the rank
|> of Lieutenant, Junior Grade, and never commanded anything that took a
|> crew of more than four...
|>
|> Hubbard served, briefly, during WWII, as a very junior naval reserve
|> officer.
If you're going to correct other people's errors, the least you can do
is get your own facts straight.
During the Second World War, Hubbard got a commission in the US Navy
through a combination of the naval old-boy network and his own talents
as a BS artist. He ultimately reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander,
and was captain of two minor vessels, both of which had a crew of more
than four.
This information comes from Russell Miller's unauthorized biography
_Bare-Faced Messiah_. Miller did his homework quite thoroughly, and
got his information directly from US Navy records. I don't know where
you got yours, but on that point at least, it was false.
(I'm not that fond of Hubbard, and neither was Miller. But I am fond
of getting one's facts straight. You blew it with Vonnegut and Farmer,
and you blew it with Hubbard. Three strikes and you're out, buddy.)
|> Factual details of Hubbard's life and careers can be found in many
|> places; the L.A. Times and Time Magazine have both done thorough
|> articles on him in the last few years, and several "unauthorized"
|> biographies exist.
True. I suggest you read them.
------------------------------------------------------------------
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___/ | Jim Kasprzak, computer operator @ RPI, Troy, NY, USA
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\_| Pro-Change. Pro-America. Pro-Clinton.
==== e-mail: kas...@rpi.edu or kasp...@mts.rpi.edu
Charles J. Divine
>
>>
>> I have heard that Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov were all in
>> the Navy together and were stationed at some island in the
>> pacific during the WWII where they all met.
>> Anyone know if this is true?
>
>'Fraid someone was pulling your leg, or else sadly misinformed. Clarke
>is not a US citizen, and never served in the British navy, and Asimov
>never served in any navy either. (In fact, I don't believe he was ever in
>the armed forces at all.
No -- just the usual garbling of information when it passed around
and around.
Heinlein, Asimov and L. Sprague de Camp all worked at a Philadelphia
navy base during WWII. Possibly as a result of some bright idea to
get SF authors who were also scientifically talented to come up with
SF "super" weapons.
Asimov was eventually drafted into the U.S. Army.
I don't know what Clarke did during WWII.
--
Chuck Divine