David Johnson wrote:

> Most of us, I imagine, came across the idea in John's "Introduction"
> to _Federation_, where he wrote, almost off-handedly, "The survivors
> have created a belief-system around Merlin, the legendary computer
> that was reputed to have won the war for the Federation, reminiscent
> of the Cargo Cults much in vogue among Pacific Islanders after the
> parachute drops of W.W.II."

Oomphel in the Sky comes closer to cargo cults than Merlin.