Synopsis

After a nuclear war between the U.S. and Soviet Union, the U.S. has gained the upper hand in the war by creating self-repairing robots to attack Soviet bunkers. Suddenly a messenger delivers a request to talk to someone from the U.S.

History

First publication: Space Science Fiction, May 1953

1954 RetroHugo finalist for best novelette.

Review

Kind of relates to The Gun and The Defenders, putting a different spin on the idea of automated robot weapons. So you have a story of robots trying to destroy humans and the paranoia from new varieties of robots looking just like humans. Excellent story, even if the end was a bit predictable.