Operation Crossroads - Lest We Forget!: An Eyewitness Account,

Operation Crossroads - Lest We Forget!: An Eyewitness Account, Bikini Atomic Bomb Tests 1946

An eyewitness account of the first postwar atomic bomb tests by award-winning author and atomic veteran William L. McGee

On July 1, 1946, millions of people around the world waited anxiously by their radios for the results of the first postwar atomic bomb tests code-named Operation CROSSROADS.
Award-winning author and atomic veteran William L.McGee provides an eyewitness account of his participation at Crossroads, an event which many scientists considered the most significant of the twentieth century.

McGee, a twenty-year old U.S. Navy Gunner's Mate, had served in the Pacific theater in World War II. After the war, he was one of 42,000 military, scientists, and civilian personnel assembled at the Bikini Atoll int he Marshall Islands for the two tests: Test Able from the air on 1 July and Test Baker from underwater on 25 July. McGee was assigned to the heavy cruiser USS "Fall River" (CA-131), the Flagship for the Target Fleet at Crossroads and responsible for the positioning of the 95 target vessels in the Bikini Lagoon.

In his signature spare and straightforward writing style, McGee provides a detailed account of Tests Able and Baker, starting with the plan, the preparations, the build-up, the two rehearsals, and the tests themselves. To this, he adds details from the "Fall River" ship logs,interviews with "Fall River" shipmates and other Crossroads participants, and the preliminary observations immediately following the tests.

The Foreword is by Dr. F. Lincoln Grahlfs, former Vice Commander of the National Association of Atomic Veterans (NAAV) and a Crossroads participant.Â In the Appendix, "Later Lessons Learned," two of the nation's leading authorities on the dangers of radiation inherent in nuclear weapons - Dr. Oscar Rosen, an advocate for "atomic veterans," and Jonathan M. Weisgall, the legal representative of the people of the Bikini Atoll since 1975- express their findings and conclusions about the devastating effects of radiation on man, animal, and ships. Also in the Appendix: a brief "Development of the Atomic Bomb".

"I wrote this book to help preserve a part of history few know about today," says McGee.Â "The subject is timely with the threat of nuclear warfare still very much in the news today. We have to learn from history... lest we forget."

Bill McGee is one of the few surviving "atomic veterans" from Operation CROSSROADS. He is a Lifetime Member of the National Association of Atomic Veterans (NAAV). McGee is the author of twenty-two books."Pacific Express: The Critical Role of Military Logistics in World War II" is on the Marine Corps Commandant's Professional Reading List for Logistics. "The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943: From Guadalcanal to Bikini, Pacific War Turning Point"won the Silver Medal Award for History from the Military Writers Society of America.

Bill and his co-author/wife Sandra live in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. VisitÂ WilliamMcGeeBooks.com.
Country USA
Brand UNKNO
Manufacturer BMC Publications
Binding Paperback
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780970167859
ReleaseDate 0000-00-00

Country	USA
Brand	UNKNO
Manufacturer	BMC Publications
Binding	Paperback
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780970167859
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

Operation Crossroads - Lest We Forget!: An Eyewitness Account, Bikini Atomic Bomb Tests 1946

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