[Milsurplus] Small things matter

[W7QHO at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/23/2004 9:11:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time, mikea at mikea.ath.cx writes:

>  My favorite teacher, Dr. Walt McCrone used to tell about how the US
> > countered the Japanese balloon bombs of WWII. These balloon-bombs
> > reached Washington and Oregon. While they caused no serious damage
> > the potential was there for a real panic. The whole thing was done
> > in secrecy, of course so as to not panic the population 
> or give the
> > Japanese any inkling of success.

I was a kid in western Montana at the time and remember the episode well.  Not a   big secret, though.  I remember descriptions of the warheads being distributed in the schools along with stern DO NOT TOUCH warnings!  Also remember seeing a thick, tough piece of paper that was represented as being a piece of one of the gas bags. 

Dennis D.  W7QHO
Glendale, CA