PRoblem

In Short

"PRoblem" is a 1956 science fiction short story by Alan E. Nourse about Earth becoming a temporary incubator for an alien race called the Grdznth. Fleeing a dying star, the reptilian, fur-covered mammals use Earth to gestate their young while trading inter-dimensional science with human mathematicians. When public outrage threatens to derail the migration, public relations expert Pete Greenwood spins a brilliant campaign around Grdznth motherhood. The plan buys crucial time, but the mathematicians ultimately realize that every alien crossing dangerously shifts the two universes' energy balances, leaving humanity destined to swap places with the aliens on a freezing, hostile world.

The Story

Pete Greenwood receives an urgent summons from his frantic friend and fellow public relations man, Tommy Heinz, to help handle an influx of alien creatures known as Grdznth. Arriving at the Public Relations Bureau in New York, Pete learns that the Grdznth are arriving by the thousands through a parallel universe portal. Fleeing a dying sun, they need Earth's hospitable climate to safely gestate their upcoming offspring while their scientists collaborate with human mathematicians, led by Charlie Karns, to share the secrets of inter-dimensional travel, null-gravity, and mass control.

Despite their polite demeanor, the Grdznth are intensely ugly, frightening to children, and disruptive to city traffic and daily life. Public outrage swells, fueled by angry citizens and incensed politicians like Senator Stokes, who threaten to fire Tommy and expel the aliens. Recognizing that previous attempts to market the Grdznth as lovable or wealthy have failed, Pete pivots the strategy entirely. He seizes upon the universal reverence for motherhood, launching a massive, multi-week media campaign highlighting expectant Grdznth mothers.

The public responds warmly to the campaign, pushing back anti-alien movements and securing the necessary months for the operation to continue. However, behind the scenes, Pete grows increasingly uneasy about the lack of progress from Charlie Karns in Math Section. When Pete and Tommy finally break through to Charlie, they find him floating in mid-air alongside a smug Grdznth named Spike, who has finally cracked the mathematical differential.

Charlie delivers a devastating realization: the dimensional crossings involve an incompatible energy differential. Every Grdznth that crosses over pumps massive energy into Earth's system while unbalancing the dimensional scale. Instead of merely sharing technology, the migration is a calculated displacement. Earth's population is being fully super-charged and overloaded, meaning humanity is about to be swapped into the Grdznth's harsh, freezing, mountainous home world while the aliens inherit Earth.

How It Unfolds

• The letter arrives: Pete Greenwood receives an urgent, cryptic message from his friend Tommy Heinz demanding immediate help with a growing alien crisis in the East.
• A chance encounter: While riding an Eastbound Rocketjet, Pete shares his seat with a fading, apologetic Grdznth who misgauged its jump and startled the civilian passengers.
• The crisis in New York: Pete arrives at the chaotic Public Relations Bureau, where Tommy explains that thousands of aliens are arriving daily and outraging the public.
• The high-stakes trade: Charlie Karns reveals that the Grdznth are exchanging advanced physics and transmatter secrets in exchange for using Earth as a warm nursery.
• The motherhood campaign: Facing mounting political pressure and angry senators, Pete devises a brilliant public relations strategy focusing entirely on the sanctity of Grdznth mothers.
• The fatal realization: As public acceptance peaks, Charlie Karns discovers that the alien crossings are an energy trap designed to swap humanity into a freezing, uninhabitable dimension.

The People

• Pete Greenwood is a seasoned, level-headed public relations expert who values pragmatism and sharp strategy. He wants to help his overwhelmed friend, though he remains skeptical of easy answers. He cuts through public relations fluff to find the one emotional angle that works, ending up trapped in the catastrophic planetary swap alongside everyone else.
• Tommy Heinz is a high-strung, frantic PR director who frequently buckles under professional pressure and public outrage. He wants to save his career and manage the impossible migration, but he is easily blinded by short-term fixes. He watches his triumphant campaign unravel into doom when the true cost of the alien trade becomes clear.
• Charlie Karns is an intense, overworked mathematician heading the Math Section. He wants to decode inter-dimensional physics and unlock null-gravity power for humanity, but he misses the fatal energy differential until it is too late. He ultimately discovers the horrific truth alongside an amused alien genius.
• Spike is a brilliant Grdznth scientist working with human mathematicians. He wants to secure a survival path for his species, using polite manners and steady calculation to quietly execute the displacement of Earth's population.

In Its Own Voice

The letter said: "PETER: Can you come East chop-chop, urgent? Grdznth problem getting to be a PRoblem, need expert icebox salesman to get gators out of hair fast."

This abrupt opening message from Tommy sets the frantic, humorous tone of the crisis.

For a moment the creature floated upside down, legs thrashing. Then the head and body joined, executed a horizontal pirouette, and settled gently to the floor like an eight-foot circus balloon.

This description captures the surreal, clumsy way the aliens materialize unpredictably across human spaces.

"We're loaded with it. Super-charged. Packed to the breaking point and way beyond."

Charlie Karns uses these words to explain how the dimensional energy transfers are silently dooming humanity.

What It's Really About

The story explores the tension between technological progress and the unseen ecological costs of unchecked expansion. It questions whether humanity's desire for limitless power, energy, and mastery over space will blind us to manipulation by more strategic outsiders. Nourse examines how easily public masses can be manipulated through emotional appeals like motherhood, showing how media campaigns can mask systemic dangers. Furthermore, the narrative highlights the irony of colonization, wherein a desperate species seeking refuge inadvertently acts as an existential colonizer, trading one world's survival for another's displacement through the cold mechanics of universal balance.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy classic, high-concept mid-century science fiction with a sharp satirical edge will find much to love here. It feels brisk, clever, and grounded in the bureaucratic absurdity of managing an impossible public crisis. The story reads like a blend of workplace satire and cosmic horror, capturing the frantic energy of newsrooms, opinion polls, and exhausted professionals trying to spin disaster into success.

The narrative does present period conventions, such as mid-century career dynamics and the casual smoking and drinking culture of the 1950s workplace. However, these elements lend the story an authentic retro charm rather than hindering the experience. What truly stays with you is the chilling pivot from a humorous satire of public relations to a quiet, devastating cosmic trap. Nourse avoids a neat, comforting Hollywood resolution, leaving the reader with the lingering, eerie realization that humanity was simply out-maneuvered by a polite, calculating alien intelligence.