Joe Carson's Weapon

"Joe Carson's Weapon" by James R. Adams is a science fiction short story where a young, creative boy named Joe Carson, who loves science fiction mags, suddenly finds himself the center of attention for Martians looking to invade Earth. It all starts when a funny letter from Joe gets into the wrong alien hands, and they think he's got some super-weapon they need to understand before they can take over. The story then centers on the Martian's bumbling attempts to find out about this "weapon" from Joe, as he realizes that they misinterpreted words and jokes as potential weapons. The Martians soon see the very meaning of a joke is a weapon of mass distration for human kind, and they leave Earth, as a book of jokes becomes the ultimate potential weapon for humanity.