The Proteus Operation
Encyclopedia
The Proteus Operation is a science fiction
novel
which was written by James P. Hogan
and published in 1985. Alternate history, time travel
, and parallel universes
form the basis of its plot, in which a group of military commando
s, diplomat
s, and scientist
s travel back to 1939. They try to prevent the Axis Powers
from winning World War II
.
was a complete wake-up call for the human race, leading to a greater internationalism and a "Never Again" spirit towards war that would eventually wear away the differences between the various power-blocs until, by the 21st century, a global League of Nations oversees a planet totally at peace.
Unfortunately the people who feel they have lost out because of the social transformations enabled by decades of peace and co-operation (the aristocracy, corporate dynasties, etc.) come up with a plan to build a functional "time machine" and change history for their benefit. Their scheme is to go back as far as they can (the very early 1920s) and mentor the fledgling Nazi Party (which, on its own in the original history, simply faded out after the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch
). They regard the Nazis as the perfect tool for destroying the Soviet Union
and establishing an elitist tyranny to which they can re-locate and live the lives of luxury and entitlement they believe have been stolen from them.
Adolf Hitler
, however, has other plans. He uses the Uptime history lessons he receives to ensure that Western Europe falls swiftly, and then he drops a few of the Uptime nuclear weapons to remove the Soviet Union from the map. That done, he destroys his end of the "time conduit" and declares independence from his former sponsors. By the 1970s, Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan
have conquered everything other than North America
, Australasia, and parts of South America
. Africa
has suffered an enormous genocide
every bit as complete as the one inflicted upon the Jews, and the Axis powers
stand poised to start a final war that the United States
is bound to lose, given the great Nazi German military power.
There is an organization in this altered timeline who, having discovered the secret behind the Nazi successes of the previous decades, decide that it will build its own time machine to go back to stop their present nightmare of upcoming Nazi world domination from developing. Its time machine is not as advanced or powerful, so they can only open a gate to 1939. The plan is to establish a cross-time military alliance between the American President John F. Kennedy
- holding power in their 1975 - and his predecessor Franklin D. Roosevelt
. But things go wrong, and it is up to the Uptime agents, cut off in 1939, to keep the western Allies, including the United Kingdom
and the United States in the fight, while working to close off Hitler's gateway to the alternate 2020s before he gets his atomic bomb and missile advantage.
In the end, they succeed, and the "alternate timeline" they create in the process turns out to be our own world.
Historical figures in the book include Isaac Asimov
, Wilhelm Canaris
, Winston Churchill
, Duff Cooper
, Anthony Eden
, Albert Einstein
, Enrico Fermi
, Reinhard Heydrich
, Adolf Hitler
, Heinrich Himmler
, John F. Kennedy
, Frederick Lindemann, Franklin D. Roosevelt
, Leo Szilard
, and Edward Teller
. Of these, only Asimov and Teller were still alive when the novel was published in 1985.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
which was written by James P. Hogan
James P. Hogan (writer)
James Patrick Hogan was a British science fiction author.-Biography:Hogan was born in London, England. He was raised in the Portobello Road area on the west side of London...
and published in 1985. Alternate history, time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
, and parallel universes
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
form the basis of its plot, in which a group of military commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
s, diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
s, and scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s travel back to 1939. They try to prevent the Axis Powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
from winning World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Plot
The Proteus Operation is based on the premise that current history is the result of multiple meddling with the timeline. Originally the First World WarWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was a complete wake-up call for the human race, leading to a greater internationalism and a "Never Again" spirit towards war that would eventually wear away the differences between the various power-blocs until, by the 21st century, a global League of Nations oversees a planet totally at peace.
Unfortunately the people who feel they have lost out because of the social transformations enabled by decades of peace and co-operation (the aristocracy, corporate dynasties, etc.) come up with a plan to build a functional "time machine" and change history for their benefit. Their scheme is to go back as far as they can (the very early 1920s) and mentor the fledgling Nazi Party (which, on its own in the original history, simply faded out after the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
). They regard the Nazis as the perfect tool for destroying the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and establishing an elitist tyranny to which they can re-locate and live the lives of luxury and entitlement they believe have been stolen from them.
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, however, has other plans. He uses the Uptime history lessons he receives to ensure that Western Europe falls swiftly, and then he drops a few of the Uptime nuclear weapons to remove the Soviet Union from the map. That done, he destroys his end of the "time conduit" and declares independence from his former sponsors. By the 1970s, Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
have conquered everything other than North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Australasia, and parts of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
has suffered an enormous genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
every bit as complete as the one inflicted upon the Jews, and the Axis powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
stand poised to start a final war that the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is bound to lose, given the great Nazi German military power.
There is an organization in this altered timeline who, having discovered the secret behind the Nazi successes of the previous decades, decide that it will build its own time machine to go back to stop their present nightmare of upcoming Nazi world domination from developing. Its time machine is not as advanced or powerful, so they can only open a gate to 1939. The plan is to establish a cross-time military alliance between the American President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
- holding power in their 1975 - and his predecessor Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. But things go wrong, and it is up to the Uptime agents, cut off in 1939, to keep the western Allies, including the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States in the fight, while working to close off Hitler's gateway to the alternate 2020s before he gets his atomic bomb and missile advantage.
In the end, they succeed, and the "alternate timeline" they create in the process turns out to be our own world.
Historical figures in the book include Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, Wilhelm Canaris
Wilhelm Canaris
Wilhelm Franz Canaris was a German admiral, head of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service, from 1935 to 1944 and member of the German Resistance.- Early life and World War I :...
, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, Duff Cooper
Duff Cooper
Alfred Duff Cooper, 1st Viscount Norwich GCMG, DSO, PC , known as Duff Cooper, was a British Conservative Party politician, diplomat and author. He wrote six books, including an autobiography, Old Men Forget, and a biography of Talleyrand...
, Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
, Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi was an Italian-born, naturalized American physicist particularly known for his work on the development of the first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, and for his contributions to the development of quantum theory, nuclear and particle physics, and statistical mechanics...
, Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
, Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, Frederick Lindemann, Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, Leo Szilard
Leó Szilárd
Leó Szilárd was an Austro-Hungarian physicist and inventor who conceived the nuclear chain reaction in 1933, patented the idea of a nuclear reactor with Enrico Fermi, and in late 1939 wrote the letter for Albert Einstein's signature that resulted in the Manhattan Project that built the atomic bomb...
, and Edward Teller
Edward Teller
Edward Teller was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist, known colloquially as "the father of the hydrogen bomb," even though he did not care for the title. Teller made numerous contributions to nuclear and molecular physics, spectroscopy , and surface physics...
. Of these, only Asimov and Teller were still alive when the novel was published in 1985.
External links
- The Proteus Operation at the author's official website