Sixth Column

Sixth Column is a short 1948 (1949?) science fiction novel by Robert Heinlein, set in an United States that has been conquered by a foreign invader. It centers on the activites of a research lab hidden in the Colorado mountains, which is is the last remaining outpost of the United States Army after its defeat by the Pan-Asians. The conquerors had absorbed the Soviets after an attack by them and had gone on to amalgamate India as well. The invaders are depicted as ruthless and cruel - for example, they crush an abortive rebellion by killing 150,000 American civilians as punishment.

Although specified in the novel as not being Japanese, some characteristics of the invaders are bound to provoke just such an association, particularly in an audience reading the book in the World War II era. The emphasis on "face" among the colonial forces and their resort to "honorable suicide" after losing face, the use of brush writing, the systematic destruction of American culture, and so are more reminiscent of Japan.

The book is notable for its frank portrayal of racism. The Pan-Asian conquerors regard themselves as a chosen people predestined to rule over lesser races, and they refer to white people as slaves. "Three things only do slaves require: work, food, and their religion." They require outward signs of respect, such as jumping promptly into the gutter when a member of the chosen race walks by, and the slightest hesitation to show the prescribed courtesies earns a swagger stick across the face. The Americans in the novel respond to their conquerors's racism by often referring to them in unflattering terms, such as flat face, slanties, monkey boys. However, Major Ardmore upon turning the tables on the Prince Royal, guarantees the Panasian colonists safe passage back to their land, refusing to take even the slightest revenge once the foreign invaders are vanquished.

Plot Summary

The mountain lab is a scene of turmoil as the novel begins. All but 6 personnel died suddenly, due to science fiction forces in the magneto-gravitic or electro-gravitic spectrums. The scientists at the lab soon learn that they can selectively kill people, by releasing the internal pressure of their cell membrames. They discover other awesome forces, yet their challenge is: how can a handful of men throw off an invasion force, when all communications have been cut and it's a capital crime to print a word in English?