World War Three 1946 Series Boxed Set: Stalin Strikes First Read online

  Chapter One:

  It Begins

  ***

  This account was pieced together from survivor’s memories. It demonstrates how much information there is to be gathered if you know where and how to find it.

  ***

  First of Millions

  They were already 45 minutes into what was going to be a long bus ride. Half of the passengers were already asleep. Bob was almost nodding off himself when he heard the popping noise. The bus driver corrected for the loss of steering when another pop sent the bus out of control. This second failure of the front tires sent the bus hurdling into space. For what was to be the rest of their lives, no one heard a sound as the thirty-five foot rolling tube made of metal, wood and rubber that contained them all, fell through the air for a full three seconds. Then, all hell broke loose. Most of the passengers on board were killed instantly. Some never even woke up as their former safe cocoon exploded in pieces of metal and flame.

  The driver watched in terror as the bus flew through the air and prayed as the ground rushed to fill his windshield. The mind plays tricks on us in times of crisis. His last thought was how a massive boulder that was about to end his life looked a lot like a mushroom. The impact with the mushroom-shaped boulder did indeed drive the steering wheel into his chest, stopped his heart and ended his life.

  In the seat directly behind him, the young man was dreaming that he was falling, which, of course, he was. His brain treated the sensations he was feeling as though it was part of the dream, and let him continue dreaming for another two seconds before he was hurled through the windshield. This severed his spinal cord and drove his head into the same mushroom-shaped boulder and smashed it like a water melon shot out of a cannon. All of the other passengers died in a similar manner as the bus became a slag-heap of metal, wood, rubber and burning fuel, mixed with flesh and bone.

  None of this mayhem affected the boulder in the least, with the exception of the fire caused by the explosion. You can still see the discoloration to this day if you look close enough. The boulder itself will not be easy to find. It was just another traffic accident out in the middle of nowhere. No little wooden crosses. No little handmade monuments alongside the road. Nothing like you might see today on the spot where a fatal accident may have happened. The local sheriff reported it as driver fatigue, and that was the end of the investigation at that time. Had the investigation been done properly, then the bullet-entry holes that shredded the front tires might have been noticed earlier. Then someone might have put two and two together and then determined that these were the opening shots of World War Three.

  Given the fact that the occupation of the passengers killed was to assemble the most destructive weapon in the world, it was curious that the investigation did not warrant more attention. The young men killed were part of an elite engineering squad who were trained to assemble atomic bombs. The deaths of the 15 passengers aboard Bus 147, on December 15th, 1945, effectively set the manufacturing capacity of future atomic bombs to zero, at least for the next six months.

  It can only be speculated, but it is evident from some of the telegraph messages sent and received, that a few the people in charge tried to raise a red flag. The people in control of the program were not seemingly alarmed. Perhaps it was because World War Two had just ended and there was talk of never using the atomic bomb again. Besides, against whom would they use it?

  Now, if they knew what was to occur in less than 5 months’ time, they might have acted with more haste and alarm, to investigate the incident further. Possibly they may have found the remnants of the first shots of World War Three, somewhere along the road where the bullets ricocheted, after shredding the front tires of Bus 147. And thus ended the lives of 15 young American atomic engineers and an old bus driver, along an unknown road between Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Phoenix, Arizona.

  ***

  As you can see my files are very complete, and have been painstakingly compiled over months and years, since the beginning of this last worldwide conflagration.

  The following are a pair of police reports concerning some of the other deaths that befell other members of the assembly teams.

  ***

  In With a Whisper

  Excerpted from a police report filed by the Santa Fe, New Mexico, Police Department:

  December 16, 1945

  Santa Fe, NM

  23:45 hours

  Corner of 5th and Yardley

  Officer Sergio Patina, Badge# 582

  A white male, 25 years of age, was the victim of an automobile hit-and-run accident. The victim was killed instantly by a dark Ford, traveling at a high rate of speed moving east on 5th Street.

  The victim was identified as Army Sgt. Jerome Wilcox of Dixon, Illinois. No other information was available.

  The body was claimed and picked up at 23:26 hours by a special squad led by Major John Jones, U.S. Army. No ID # given. The Major was bearing a court order from a U.S. Federal Magistrate to retrieve the body and a special letter from the Office of the President of the United States.

  No further investigation authorized, upon confirmation of the authenticity of the documents.

  End of report per Chief of Police, Winston Jackson, Santa Fe Police Department.

  Excerpted from a police report from the Delavan, Wisconsin, Police Department:

  December 17, 1945

  Delavan, WI

  02:32

  Snuffie's Bar

  589 12th Avenue

  Officer Norm Smyth, Badge# 102

  A 23 year-old white male was stabbed to death, in an apparent mugging outside Snuffie's

  Bar. The victim was found in a pool of his own blood by other patrons leaving the bar.

  The victim was identified as U.S. Army Lieutenant Marvin Boyson, of Delavan, stationed in New Mexico, and home on leave.

  The body was claimed by U.S. Army Major John Jones, bearing special documents from the Federal Government and a writ from a Federal Judge, and thus was not released to family pending Army investigation.

  No further investigation is authorized.

  End of report per Chief of Police Grady Monahan.

  ***

  This was caught by chance on a home video and the ashes retrieved and reconstituted.

  ***

  A fairly non-descript looking man picks up a telegram at the Western Union office which reads thus:

  ***Urgent-Your Eyes Only***

  Gadget assembly teams not able to function... STOP

  Locate others and seek shelter... STOP

  Highest priority... STOP

  Signed Minuit... STOP

  Having read the telegram, he calmly burns it with his cigarette lighter and walks away.

  ***

  One of many intercepted calls that point us to the truth of the fate of the Assembly Teams

  [i]

  ***

  The Pentagon

  Outside Washington, D.C.

  January 2, 1946

  “Sergeant, get me General Hightower! NOW!”

  “Holy shit Jim. I have more than a dozen reports on my desk and they all involve the deaths of seventeen of the twenty-two assembly team personnel and the crippling of another four. Someone has been targeting our assembly teams for the gadget when they went home on leave over the holidays.” …

  …

  “We have a mole and they have fingered our assembly teams. All the other gadget personnel are locked away in Los Alamos but these guys were allowed to go home. Whoever they are, they just crippled our program, and I’m sure the Reds know it. It could be six months before we find the talent we need. We're really screwed…”

  …

  “Yeah you said it. I gotta call the Admiral. He can get the word to the President. Yeah you take care too, Jim.”…

  Damn! We really are screwed without those boys. Took a long time to train them and now we have to start over again...

  Partial Assembly of an Atomic Bomb

  Chapter Two:

 
; Turning Of Wheels

  ***

  Stalin addresses the faithful.

  ***

  The Kremlin

  Moscow, U.S.S.R.

  January 23, 1946

  ***самое сокровенное - для вас в покое, чтобы увидеть***

  (***Most Secret – For You Alone To See***)

  This transmission is to be read to Headquarters staff at 1500 hours.

  Our former allies, the so-called “Western Democracies,” have demobilized entire armies, and have sent many of their armed forces home. The U.S. and England have a fraction of their former forces stationed on the European mainland. They mistakenly believe that their so called “Atomic Bomb” has altered our plans.

  Our glorious leader, Tovarishch Stalin has given us of his vision of a worldwide workers’ paradise led by his guiding hand.

  He does not fear the atomic bomb. He has seen the devastation it has brought to untold numbers of innocent victims; he does not fear its wrath.

  Although he has no doubt that our armed forces can storm through the blasted hulk of the former Germany and France, he does not want to use our armies, unless it is absolutely necessary. Recent events have forced his hand, and the very existence of Soviet society is imperiled.

  Our former allies have made a fateful blunder and the world shudders at the prospect, and consequences, of another World War. They have rejected our rightful demands, regarding Manchuria, Turkey and the liberation of Eastern Europe. In a stupendous miscalculation, the U.S. has based a squadron of B-29 Superfortresses at Frankfurt, in Western Germany in an attempt to intimidate us. The B-29 is not a defensive weapon. Furthermore, a plan authored by the British Government has fallen into our hands entitled “Operation Unthinkable”.[ii] It details a sneak attack on the Motherland. It is a plan so diabolical that it makes the Great Patriotic war and the craven attack by the Hitlerites pale by comparison. A sneak attack by our former allies against Hitler. The very allies we saved from certain destruction with the lives of our sons and daughters.

  Only one conclusion can be drawn from the intercepted plan and the stationing of such an offensive and devastating weapon as the B-29 bomber on German soil. They intend to use their atomic bomb, in a sneak attack on the Motherland we hold so dear.

  They continue to gather German scientists and their “wonder weapons,” and have been stealing them away to work on even more destructive weapons and delivery systems. We must act, and we must act now. The situation will only get worse as time passes.

  We need to create a buffer zone, so that the Motherland is never again subject to attack. Our vision is that any future wars waged against us by the capitalist warmongers will be fought in the no man’s land that is the former Nazi homeland, for as long as capitalism survives, there will be more war. It is all merely a matter of where and when these wars will be fought, because Capitalism and Communism cannot occupy the same space.

  Some say the second atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki in an attempt to intimidate us, and to reinforce the power of the atom bomb in our mind. In addition, it was to demonstrate that America has not only one, but many bombs and is ready to use them. Tovarishch Stalin has discovered that this is a great magnificent lie. This is the same kind of spectacular lie that the Hitlerites used to intimidate their victims, before stabbing them in the back with sneak attacks.

  Today we received word, through our massive network of agents, that the Americans have only a total of six atomic bombs. Now is the time to strike, to save the Motherland from atomic annihilation. We must attack now, before they gain more of these monstrous weapons and use them.

  We will no longer allow the West to dictate its will on the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and to our glorious leader, Tovarishch Stalin. He will, once and for all time, remove the threat to Mother Russia. No longer will there be a gun pointed at our head from the direction of Western Germany.

  ******End of Transmission******

  ***

  Just some of the eye witness accounts on how unprepared the US and Great Britain were for war.

  ***

  “No Fools”

  White House Briefing Room

  Washington, D.C.

  April 1st, 1946

  13:00 hours

  The Admiral walks into the briefing room and unlocks a briefcase from his wrist, and opens it. He then gathers a file and collects his notes before beginning, “Mr. President, thank you for your time. I have just a few facts and observations for you today. My purpose is to inform you of what we believe is an imminent threat. We believe that our former ally, the U.S.S.R. is planning a sneak attack. We believe that the attack will start on or before May 15th, 1946.”

  “We believe that we have discovered a spy ring in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and in other Manhattan Project facilities. We fear that certain facts have been passed on to the NKVD and from there, to Stalin himself. These facts include:

  The actual number of functional Mark III atomic bombs.[iii]

  The time it takes to assemble these bombs.

  The exact weight and configuration of these bombs.

  The number of assembly teams available, and their locations, even their identities.

  The number of specially-designed B-29 bombers that can carry the devices.[iv]

  The number and location of the pits and nuclear storage facilities needed to load the devices into the bomber.[v]

  How many hours of viability these devices have before they have to be disassembled and then reassembled again.”[vi]

  “What this means is that Stalin may no longer fear the Atomic bomb in its present form. He now knows how vulnerable these devices, and the bombers that deliver them, really are.”

  “We also have reason to believe that he is in possession of information as to how many devices our own military believes is necessary to defeat the Soviet Army. The lowest estimate is in the order of seventy, and all seventy must be 100 percent efficient. In all reality, this means that a minimum of at least 140 devices would be needed.”

  “We further believe that the basing of the B-29's in Western Germany was a grave error on our part, and gives Stalin the casus belli that he needs to convince his military and populace that we are going to attack first. This, in turn, leads to the conclusion that he must attack us first before we can use our atomic bombs. It appears to be a terrible misunderstanding that could cause a horrific third world war.”

  “Additionally, nineteen of the twenty-two members of the assembly teams have been attacked and fifteen have been killed. Someone knew the identities and importance of those individuals. These "accidents" have crippled our atomic bomb program for at least six months.”

  After listening in stunned silence, the President of the United States finally speaks “That is grave news indeed. Can you please elaborate on the seven facts for me?”

  “Of course, sir; we only have four devices…”

  “Only four?!” the President exclaims.

  “Yes, that is correct, sir, only four. We had six, but we used two of them on Japan. Secondly, it takes over two days to assemble the device. Additionally, the two different models weigh 8,900 and 10,000 pounds each, respectively. They are very large and that is why we need the pits to load them. Then there is the subject of the assembly teams. Currently we only have two trained assembly teams, and as I detailed earlier, they have been put out of action for at least six months. Next, we have twelve B-29 Silverplates, specially-designed for, and capable of carrying, the Mark III atomic bomb. William Boeing has promised to deliver more, but assembly of the aircraft is time-consuming and he can't find enough qualified technicians capable of passing the FBI background checks.” As if answering the President's questioning look, the Admiral continues, “Yes sir, Mr. Boeing has a more stringent screening process than other manufacturers, because of the sensitive nature of the contract. There is also the issue of the two atomic bomb loading pits we do have, both on Okinawa, and in England. The loading pits that we used
on Tinian Island have been filled in for safety purposes. These are the only other pits that we had intended to build. Lastly, the devices must be used within forty-eight hours of assembly, or they begin to decay theoretically losing their potency and potentially increasing the chances of a weapon misfire. No one wants that sir.”

  The President pales, and looks visibly shaken and the Admiral acknowledges this, “I know it’s a lot to comprehend… I can see you're upset sir. Can we talk again tomorrow so you have a chance to digest the report and its ramifications?”

  The President nods and adds, “This is your assessment and the assessment of your team, Admiral, isn't it?”

  “Why, yes, sir … of course.” says the Admiral, somewhat hesitantly.

  The President appears to have regained some of his composure and returns to his usual direct manner “Don’t take this the wrong way Admiral but I have a dozen reports on my desk, just this month alone that tell me that Uncle Joe is going to attack, and dozens more from months past. Yet, he hasn't done so. This new information about the atomic bomb program is, without a doubt, most distressing. I still don’t have enough here to convince Congress to slow down the demobilization of our armed forces. You must understand the politics of the situation. They simply wouldn't have the will to make our boys spend more time away from their families and civilian lives, after years of giving up everything for their country. It is, after all, an election year.”

  “As you said Admiral, I will have to take your information under advisement. It is politically impossible to slow up the demobilization process at this time, much less stop it. I just hope to Holy God that you are wrong.”