Synopses & Reviews
In the wake of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt called for the largest arms buildup in our nation's history. A shortage of steel, however, quickly slowed the programand#8217;s momentum, and arms production fell dangerously behind schedule. The country needed scrap metal.and#160;Henry Doorly, publisher of the
Omaha World-Herald, had the solution.
Prairie Forge tells the story of the great Nebraska scrap drive of 1942and#8212;a campaign that swept the nation and yielded
five million tons of scrap metal, literally salvaging the war effort itself.
and#160;James J. Kimble chronicles Doorlyand#8217;s conception of a fierce competition pitting county against county, business against business, and, in schools across the state, class against classand#8212;inspiring Nebraskans to gather 67,000 tons of scrap metal in only three weeks. This astounding feat provided the template for a national drive. A tale of plowshares turned into arms, Prairie Forge gives the first full account of how home became home front for so many civilians.
and#160;and#160;
Review
andquot;Solid, thoroughly researched. . . .and#160;[Prairie Forge]and#160;should be on the shelf of every Nebraska public library.andquot;andmdash;Bruce D. Cohen, H-Net
Review
andquot;With ease, Kimble tells a story that goes beyond junk collecting and illuminates the fascinating tale of how Nebraska helped forge the way for one of the most significant military victories in Western history.andquot;andmdash;Erin Seaward-Hiatt, L Magazine
Review
and#8220;For anyone interested in the home front and the American production miracle this . . . is must reading.and#8221;and#8212;William L. Oand#8217;Neill, professor emeritus of history, Rutgers University, and author of
A Democracy at War: Americaand#8217;s Fight at Home and Abroad in World War II
Review
and#8220;An excellent home front story about Nebraska and World War II.and#8221;and#8212;R. Douglas Hurt, head of the Department of History at Purdue University and author of
The Great Plains during World War IIReview
and#8220;Kimbleand#8217;s enticing narrative takes us back to a largely forgotten aspect of wartime America.and#8221;and#8212;David L. Bristow, editor of
Nebraska History
Review
and#8220;In his engaging book, James J. Kimble relates to us how publisher Henry Doorly combined patriotism, hucksterism, and the spirit of competition, first in Nebraska and then in the entire country, to keep the steel furnaces going full blast and thereby shorten the war. For anyone interested in the home front and the American production miracle this . . . is must reading.and#8221;and#8212;William L. Oand#8217;Neill, professor emeritus of history, Rutgers University, and author of
A Democracy at War: Americaand#8217;s Fight at Home and Abroad in World War II and#160;
Review
andquot;Kimbleand#39;s research and interviews breathe life into this little-known contribution to the U.S. war effort. Prairie Forge is an entertaining, well-written narrative of the tremendous role Nebraskans, Henry Doorly, and scrap metal played in shaping the early years of the war.andquot;andmdash;Tom Mele, Scrap Magazine
Review
andquot;Kimbleand#39;s well-crafted narrative capably examines this often poorly understood moment of American history.andquot;andmdash;Thomas H. Berg, South Dakota History
Review
andquot;A worthwhile contribution and an enjoyable read on a topic of surprising interest and importance.andquot;andmdash;Maury Klein, Journal of American History
Synopsis
In 1942, a small plane carrying Lt. Col. Franklin T. Matthias and two DuPont engineers flew over three farming communities in eastern Washington. The passengers agreed. Isolated and near the powerful Columbia River, the region was the ideal site for the world's first plutonium factory. Two years later, built with a speed and secrecy unheard of today, the facility was operational. The plutonium it produced fueled the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. Hill Williams traces the amazing but also tragic story from the dawn of nuclear science through World War II and Cold War testing in the Marshall Islands.
Synopsis
On the eve of World War II, news of an astonishing breakthrough filtered out of Germany. Scientists there had split uranium atoms. Researchers in the United States scrambled to verify results and further investigate this new science. Ominously, they soon recognized its potential to fuel the ultimate weapon--one able to release the energy of an uncontrolled chain reaction. By 1941, experiments led to the identification of plutonium, but laboratory work generated the new element in amounts far too small to be useful. Fearing the Nazis were on the verge of harnessing nuclear power, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gambled on an ambitious project to research and manufacture uranium and plutonium for military use.
As research continued, engineers began to construct massive buildings in an isolated eastern Washington farming community. Within two years, Hanford became the world's first plutonium factory. The incredibly complex operation was accomplished with a speed and secrecy unheard of today; few involved knew what they were building. But on August 9, 1945, when the "Fat Man" fell on Nagasaki, the workers understood their part in changing the world.
Hanford's role did not end there. The facility produced plutonium throughout the Cold War. Some was used in tests conducted halfway around the world. Nuclear bombs were dropped on the Bikini and Enewetak Atolls, profoundly impacting the Marshall Islands people and forever altering their way of life.
Through clear scientific explanations and personal reminiscences, Hill Williams traces Hanford's role in the amazing and tragic story of the plutonium bomb.
About the Author
James J. Kimble is an associate professor in the Department of Communication and the Arts at Seton Hall University. He is the coproducer of
Scrappers: How the Heartland Won World War II, a feature documentary on the 1942 scrap drives.