History Literature / SixthColumn

* SafelySecludedScienceCenter: After the PanAsians destroy the U.S. government and occupy the U.S., a secret government laboratory underneath the Rocky Mountains is tasked to develop superweapons that can defeat the invaders.

* AuthorAppeal: More like Editor Appeal. The story was a reworked version of Creator/JohnWCampbell's unpublished ''All''. Campbell was adamantly of the opinion that Northern Europeans were the best of races. Campbell was the editor of ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction'' and at the time thoroughly dominated the field of Sci Fi. Heinlein was uncomfortable with the racism and published ''Literature/FarnhamsFreehold'' sixteen years later, inverting racist tropes. Given that Heinlein was of the opinion that [[FairForItsDay he had removed the racist aspects of the story]], consider what the story originally must have been.

* SimpleStaff: The "priests of Mota" bear a staff with a multi-colored cube on top. They claim it as a holy item to get around the occupiers' ban on weapons. The cube is the Ledbetter projector and the staff has concealed controls to choose the desired effect from a wide range of options.

* AuthorAppeal: More like Editor Appeal. The story was a reworked version of Creator/JohnWCampbell's unpublished ''All''. Campbell was adamantly of the opinion that Northern Europeans were the best of races. Campbell was the editor of ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction'' and at the time thoroughly dominated the field of Sci Fi. Heinlein was uncomfortable with the racism and published ''Literature/FarnhamsFreehold'' sixteen years later, inverting racist tropes. Given that Heinlein was of the opinion that [[FairForItsDay he had removed the racist aspects of the story]], consider what the story [[UpToEleven originally must have been]].

* DayOfTheJackboot: The [=PanAsians=] have taken over the U.S. and rule it in a harsh manner.

* InterchangeableAsianCultures: The entire Asia has amalgamated to a massive nation of [=PanAsia=], with most elements resembling Japanese culture. The story was originally written during WW2 when anti-Japanese propaganda was understandably strong... and the Chinese had already been fighting the Japanese for years.

* ChekhovsSkill:

** This is likely a reference to Japan's Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, a highly euphamistic title for the Japanese Empire. The description of the American occupation is a [=bowdlerized=] depiction of Japan's occupation of China.
* DayOfTheJackboot: The [=PanAsians=] have taken over.

** This in turn inspired the fannish pseudo-religion, the True Faith of the Sacred Cat. TFSC is governed by the holy Catma.
### The Lord Mota resides on Mars in the form of the sacred green cat.
### If you believe that, you'll believe anything.

** Given the crimes of the East Asian front of World War II were fresh in living memory, the "Yellow Peril" could have been considered a very real thing. Especially to the peoples of Korea, China & The Phillipines.

* ChekhovsSkill: Ardmore privately admits that he's an advertising executive and not a professional soldier. This skill is useful for promoting the ScamReligion.

* TokenEnemyMinority: Frank Mitsui, the ''only'' good Japanese character in the book. Which is still [[FairForItsDay saying a lot]], considering what was going on at the time.

* InterchangeableAsianCultures: The entire Asia has amalgamated to a massive nation of [=PanAsia=], with most elements resembling Japanese culture. The story was originally written during WW2 when anti-Japanese propaganda was understandably strong...and the Chinese had already been fighting the Japanese for years.

* YellowPeril: In 1949 you could get away with writing novels about evil Asians conquering the USA.

*** 1. The Lord Mota resides on Mars in the form of the sacred green cat.
*** 2. If you believe that, you'll believe anything.

* InterchangeableAsianCultures: The entire Asia has amalgamated to a massive nation of [=PanAsia=], with most elements resembling Japanese culture.