Tomorrow's World 5 



from this war with new resources of greater potential value 

 than any we possessed previously. We have learned how to 

 tap the ocean for the minerals needed for the manufacture of 

 cheap, powerful lightweight metals superior to any made 

 before the war, thereby making the ocean a new treasure 

 chest. The science of electronics has been advanced to a point 

 where its value is now comparable to the acquisition of one 

 hundred million ne*w skilled workmen. We have developed 

 plastics and new processes for treating wood, paper, and 

 glass that are almost equal in value to the discovery of new 

 elements. 



These facts alone mean a great abundance of beautiful, 

 durable articles for everyday use at a fraction of the cost of 

 prewar merchandise. But there are many many more new 

 inventions and processes of almost equal importance now 

 being employed for war production (a large number of which 

 cannot be revealed at this time for obvious military reasons) 

 that will later mean greater comfort and convenience than 

 we have ever dreamed possible. 



Way up at the head of the list of miraculous items that we 

 may expect to see and use in the postwar world are passenger 

 cars that can be transformed into airplanes or helicopters, 

 electronic "watchmen" that can test the ripeness of a melon 

 or count the number of people in a room and turn off the 

 lights when the last one has departed, glider "freight trains" 

 hitched to a "locomotive" plane carrying cargo overhead. 

 We will enjoy the benefits of new processes that can now 

 transform the bark of trees into warm wool cloth, paper into 

 weatherproof panels for the walls of houses, glass so resilient 

 that it can support the weight of an elephant, electric light 

 that will also destroy bacteria, and even a process that will 

 transform sawdust into raw sugar to name a few of the 

 things to come. 



The mass-production techniques now being employed for 



