"Doomsday Eve" by Robert Moore Williams

In the midst of the war-that terrible conflict that threatened humanity's total destruction-the "new people" suddenly appeared. Quietly performing incredible deeds, vanishing at will, they were an enigma to both sides. Kurt Zen was an American intelligence officer among the many sent to root them out.

He found them. Taken captive in their hidden lair, he waited as the enemy prepared to launch the super missile, the bomb to end all bombs-and all life.

If only he could find the source of the new people's power, Kurt alone might be able to prevent obliteration of the Earth....

This is a bit odd, and a tad van Vogtian in places, but we will get to that in due course.

We begin our tale in a future America, at war with The Asian Alliance. Atomic weapons have been employed and areas of the US are hot with radiation. Indeed, this is typical of those works of this period which reflect the paranoia of the time regarding communism, the all too real fears of nuclear war and the consequent effects of radiation. Recently, there have been manifestations; The New People, as they have been termed, have  been appearing out of thin air at moments of crisis and providing infomation to avert imminent disasters.

American Intelligence Officer Kurt Zen becomes suspicious of a nurse, Nedra, out in the field tending to injured soldiers. She appears to be immune to radiation and he suspects her of being one of The New People. He is given orders to shadow her. Kurt himself however, begins to experience altered states of consciousness, and learns to leave his own body and put himself in touch with the Racemind. None of this seems to bother or confuse him unduly. He also appears to forget these new powers completely at moments where one might have thought they would come in useful.

This in itself is a very van Vogtian concept, as is the existence of the Homo Superior element, and one wonders if van Vogt was an influence. There is also the esoteric mind training of the New People, akin to van Vogt's Null-A philosophy. Williams is not van Vogt though, who could carry off such ideas. One is confused more than entertained here. (Roddy Williams, GoodReads)