Potential Enemy

"Potential Enemy" by Mack Reynolds is a science fiction story that explores what happens when humans encounter a secretive alien species that has lived among them for ages. The story follows a journalist who finds himself in the middle of a tense situation between people who want to understand the aliens and the military, who view them as a frightening threat. The main character, Markham Gray, is the first person to talk to these aliens and learns they are actually tiny, smart creatures that evolved on Earth while staying hidden. As Gray tries to figure out what the aliens want, the military decides to wipe them out, driven by fear and a desire for control. Gray struggles with the difficult choice between protecting these new beings and the human instinct to destroy anything that seems dangerous, raising important questions about how people treat others who are different.