What is the first work of written fiction in which science fiction authors are consulted by the government during a crisis?

Question

Niven and Pournelle’s Footfall has a team of science fiction writers helping deal with alien contact (1985).

David Brin’s The River of Time (aka "Coexistence") has SF writers brought in to help with a weirder crisis (1981).

But I suspect there are earlier examples.

What’s the earliest example of science fiction in which science fiction writers are consulted as a part of the plot?

I suspect the earliest example is in a printed work, but if, for example, there’s a movie in which the British government calls in H. G. Wells, I’d love to know about that.

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EDIT: To clarify my question’s intent.

While in the real world Isaac Asimov, L. Sprague de Camp and Robert A. Heinlein actually worked for the government during World War II I don’t think they were selected to serve during World War II because of their status as science fiction writers. At least I recall nothing from Asimov’s autobiography to suggest that being an author was involved in his selection for service in government roles.

These days, there is an organization of science fiction authors who consult with the government as authors (SIGMA Forum), but that was organized in the 1990s.

Answer 1

Possibly Pâté de Foie Gras, a short story by Isaac Asimov (written in 1956)

We have a narrator from the Department of Agriculture (Government) and a 'crisis' of golden goose eggs circumventing heavy radiation.

So the narrator consults a science fiction writer — Asimov himself!

Answer 2

1964: "Waterspider", a novelette by Philip K. Dick, first published in If, January 1964, available at the Internet Archive. Plot summary from NESFA's Recursive Science Fiction site:

In the 21st century the Bureau of Emigration sends agents back to the 1954 World SF Convention to abduct Poul Anderson. They believe that the 20th century SF writers were precogs (even if they didn't know it themselves). They need Anderson to tell them how to solve their speed-of-light drive problem.

Answer 3

Note: Answered before the question edit made it clear that real-world authors were implied.

One Thousand and One Nights. (8th - 10th century, common era.)

Shahryār (Persian: شهريار, from Middle Persian: šahr-dār, 'holder of realm'), whom the narrator calls a "Sasanian king" - i.e. the head of the de-facto government of the type Monarchy calls to himself after a to-do (crisis) with an unfaithful wife and several unsatisfactory nights with the local virgins (resulting in their executions), Scheherazade.

Scheherazade (the author in question) tells stories, one per night with requisite cliff-hangers, being sure to leave the King wanting more - ensuring her continued survival. This continues for 1000 nights.

I posit that although the stories may have derived from the surrounding kingdoms, Scheherezade must have placed her own interpretation on them, making them fit the particular purpose - and ensuring that they had something approximating a cliff-hanger.

Is it Sci-Fi?

It is regarded as a very early example of Sci-Fi. The various stories include elements such as:

• Travel across the cosmos to different worlds.
• Lost ancient technologies, advanced ancient civilizations that went astray, and catastrophes which overwhelmed them.
• Lifelike humanoid robots and automata, seductive marionettes dancing without strings, and a brass robot horseman.
• A flying mechanical horse controlled using keys, that could fly into outer space.

Answer 4

It’s not exactly what you’re looking for, but one of the earliest extant works where the heroes consult real-world authors of fiction in a fantastic setting on behalf of the state is Aristophnes’ comedy The Frogs, written in 405 BCE. In it, Dionysius and his servant take a trip to Hades to speak to the recently-deceased playwrights Euripides and Sophocles. The problem they wish to solve is not, however, scientific.

His play Peace, written a few years later, comes closer. In this fantasy, the hero ends the Peloponnesian War, which Aristophanes’ city of Athens was then losing, by flying to the realm of the gods on a giant dung beetle. He tells his daughter that he got the idea from Aesop’s fables.