AUGUST 6TH, 1945

HIROSHIMA, JAPAN

The blinding white intense fireball was the direct result of x-ray heated air, emitting a shock/pressure wave in all directions possessing a velocity faster than the speed of sound. The massive nuclear explosion and white light, accompanied by heat from the huge fireball, towered well over 1200 feet into the sky. The temperature of the fireball hovered over 7200 degrees F. At ground zero anything flammable burst into flames. Glass and sand melted. Humans either were instantaneously vaporized or turned into carbon. The accompanying gamma and neutron radiation from the fireball killed tens of thousands instantly, and felled thousands more in the days and weeks to come.

The infamous American Air Force Bomber, The Enola Gay, a B-29 travelled 11.5 miles away from ground zero before it felt the shock waves from the violent atomic blast. The bombing run had been flawless, with a 0815 hours release at 31,060 feet. "Little Boy" was a gun type fission weapon containing 130 pounds of Uranium 235. The bomb had fallen for 43 seconds and detonated at 1900 feet above Hiroshima Japan.

A severe crosswind had caused the perfect trajectory at the Aioi Bridge to be skewed by 800 feet. Detonation occurred directly above the Shima Surgical Center. Over 80,000 Japanese; men, women, children, and soldiers

Died instantaneously. The death toll would escalate to over 150,000 in the next few days. 90% of all available nurses and doctors were killed outright greatly diminishing treatment to the terrified masses of critically injured.

The world, for the first time, had experienced an atomic device dropped on human targets. The bomb, was equal to 12,000 tons of TNT. The American public would second guess President Truman for many years on his decision to drop the bomb. He fully realized that the only way the Japanese would surrender was an all out, total invasion of the island of Japan. And that the invasion could cost upwards of one million American soldiers lives. That price was too high to contemplate as Truman would later lament to reporters of posterity.

The Japanese did not surrender immediately after the carnage at Hiroshima, consequently, three days later yet another atomic weapon was dropped upon Nagasaki Japan. That second atomic drop, and the mounting high number of fatalities and injuries broke the back of the once defiant, Imperial Japan. Unconditional surrender was now tendered by a solidly beaten Japan. Their decision was timely because the American war machine was actively preparing to drop several more atomic bombs until they in fact agreed to unconditional surrender. 26 bombs had been readied for future bombing runs by B-29's.

Japan's Prime Minister Hideki Tojo marveled that he was labeled a butcher for his war crimes after learning of what the two atomic bombs did to his beloved Japan. Tojo knew what he had ordered into Manchuria, and Bataan, to him it was war. To unleash such a horrific bomb to him was actually deplorable. He would however, be prosecuted after he recovered from a failed suicide attempt where he had shot himself in the chest. He missed his heart and was treated by American surgeons, only to be hung months later as a court convicted war criminal.

President Harry S. Truman was president of the United States and the day he took over after only 82 days as vice president he was briefed on the Manhattan Project. Franklin Delano Roosevelt had died and Truman was sworn in as President. He held his first cabinet meeting, out in the hall as the meeting broke up he was contacted by the leaders of the military involved with the Project and immediately received a detailed briefing on the work at Los Alamos. Theory from Professor Albert Einstein to workings directed by J. Robert Oppenheimer were outlined and the reports both subjective and objective were lain on his lap of responsibility. Truman ultimately made the decision and set in motion the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To many he was a butcher, to countless others he was a brave man whose difficult, decision, most likely saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of American troops. To save lives, he had to utilize the bombs to take lives and not only deliver Uranium 235 but the firm resolve of the American people to end the long costly war in the pacific. Americans were tired of war. The war in Europe against Hitler and his Nazis along with the tedious South Pacific fight with Japan had extracted a toll upon almost every single American citizen. Adolph Hitler and the Nazi's, as well as Tojo and Imperial Japan had underestimated the tenacity of the American people. The United States was attacked on both ends of their country and they were thrust into a fight for their lives, their way of life, their democracy. Once the manufacturing facilities ramped up, coupled with the immense natural resources, there was no stopping the might they could, and would bring to bear. That might was ultimately unleashed on both segments of tyranny.

Some historians wondered if Truman would be able to handle his decision to end the war with the detonation of the atomic bombs. After the public viewed the atrocities at the hands of the Japanese soldiers and the holocaust in Germany he undoubtedly knew he had made the correct decisions. The politicians and the military of the United States of America vowed that the awesome atomic might they had obtained would never be unleashed against good, and would primarily be utilized as a harsh deterrent against any enemies, including and namely the Soviet Union.

Americans dropped the bomb's, saw the carnage from afar and still exhibited difficulty in imagining the devastation. Truman and his staff knew that they had quite the weapons of deterrent and used them when called upon to bluff and up the ante during negotiations in foreign affairs. That ploy only lasted a short time. Once the Russians had their own operational a-bomb, then all of that changed, and shortly the world would see the communists and the Americans square off in a 'cold war.'

Rolf Reiter lay upon a blow up light green thin plastic raft in the middle of the hotels swimming pool. He felt slightly ridiculous, though it was comfortable and the temperature was near 150 degrees he thought. He was not a very large man at 5 foot 7 inches and had a small firm gut, possibly 10 pounds over ideal weight at the most. His boyish dark brown hair though thinning was not a widows peak. The rear monks cap was beginning to appear with more thinning that was an indicator he was rapidly colliding with the elderly age of 42. One of the attributes women noticed, after they noticed he was not an Adonis were his eyes. Those eyes were deep yet bright blue that permeated ones consciousness if allowed. They were not penetrating, more, intense than any other description ever offered.

Reiter was on a vacation, the second vacation in his entire life. He had been on one with his parents when he was 12 years old, and now this one. General Carlton Reeves, his boss, had ordered him to take 3 weeks vacation.

"Rolf, You are not human working all of the time. You will take at least 3 weeks off, more if you wish. It is an order, period. I don't want to hear from you unless the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor again. If they do, just call me, and it better not be from Pearl Harbor."

"All right General, take a breath." Said Reiter.

"Take a breath-General yourself." Said Reeves, good heartedly smiling at the retort.

Rolf Reiter had been instrumental in working for the counter intelligence services leading up to Nazi Germany taking on half of the world. He was one of the key operatives in a top secret allied project aptly dubbed, "Chameleon Bravo." That project involved a very hush hush project involving Hitler, Eva Braun, Heinrich Himmler and a cast of many. No one apparently knew exactly what it entailed in detail. After the Chameleon Bravo project, Rolf Reiter had been presented the Congressional Medal of Honor by then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at a semi private ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House.

Reiter moved through the ranks from Major to Brigadier General, faster than he had desired. President Truman had deemed him a one star general on orders that stated "temporary." No one had un done it as of yet. Reiter, who abhorred awards and publicity of any sort, was embarrassed by the medal. He did have to admit he had become accustomed to the term 'general.' It was opening many otherwise closed doors, especially those of some single and quite attractive women in the Washington D.C. circles.

Reiter was the only person actually in the crystal blue swimming pool. He had found this forlorn blow up air mattress, deflated, and spent 10 minutes turning purple blowing it up. He now lay on his stomach, with both feet hanging lazily off to each side, and drifting in the pool. Turning his feet one way or the other, would direct him towards another area of the pool, much like a rudder. His head was turned to the right side as he was gazing at two young women lying in the sun. Just then, he felt his body tense as three small children were intently searching the side of the pool for something. They were kicking at the water, and looking and pointing, and he immediately knew what they sought. Their Mother strolled along behind them pushing yet another offspring in a baby carriage with a sun top to screen the little one from the blazing sun. Reiter was scoping the three adventurers as they became more animated and excited in not locating their objective. He knew he was in trouble. Just as he had decided he was going to slowly, and quietly roll off one side and casually swim to the side one of the little snots yelled, "Mommy, there it is. That short man stole it!"

This action caused everyone around the pool to sit up including the girls in bikinis and gaze at Reiter, the blow up toy thief floating in the middle of the water. He felt like a pirate who had been captured, and would be walking the plank in short order.

The second one of the little three stooges yelled, "He did he did Mommy call the police he took it, help help help!"

Reiter didn't slide off, he jerked away from the floating toy and swam to the bottom of the pool. He wondered if he could remain on the bottom until the whistleblowers left, or grew older though he knew he was not an Olympic swimmer or a deep sea diver. He finally required oxygen and had to swim to the top and as his head broke water, he gasped for a fresh breath of air, he saw all three of them yelling and crying and pointing directly at him. He grimaced and yelled that he would swim over there and talk to them about it. Now the Mother was yelling and pointing at Reiter.

Reiter pulled himself up out of the pool and said, "Ok look you little, people." That is when the hand grabbed him on the back of the neck. He turned to face one of the largest men he had ever seen in his entire life grab his neck, and pick him up with that one hand and slam dunk him onto the now hard surface of water. Reiter struck the water so hard that it nearly knocked the breath out of him. Slightly dazed, he swam to the shallow end of the pool and attempted to step up the three small plastic curved safety steps. The monster man had anticipated that evasive action and moved to those steps and reached out for his throat once again. In total reflex action, Reiter automatically employed judo, utilized the mans forward movement and inertia against him and handily flipped him over his own head and into the sparkling blue hotel pool.

The monster, this time had the wind knocked out of him. He yelled, "I can't swim, help me."

Reiter took three strokes, dove under his feet, spun him around and swam him all of 7 feet to the side where the "Mother" was awaiting her huge land lubber gladiator. They all helped him up and out of the pool, and in a few minutes the behemoth was spouting both water and air and doing well. He turned down any medical attention and apologized to Reiter. Reiter accepted the apology, grabbed his towel and ran for the hills, which was his room on the second level over looking the pool. As he walked up the stairs dripping wet he thought he should sneak back to the pool tonight in cover of darkness. He would bring his survival knife and do in, the little adventurers floatation device that had been in question. He would show them he thought. The thought made him laugh out loud as he put his key in the lock turned it and walked into his hotel room which was full of air conditioned atmosphere. It felt very good, so he toweled off and collapsed upon the bed closest to the window and fell fast asleep. He slept the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening hours. When he awoke he was chilled from lying directly in front of the air conditioning unit. He took a nice long shower which brought his core body temperature back within his comfort zone. He donned a summer weight pair of light weight gabardine pants, slipped on shoes sans socks and a black and white flowered Hawaiian style shirt. He combed his hair straight back which was the current style. Everyone wanted to look like Clark Gable and he was no exception. Reiter walked down the street to a small beach front bar and grill and selected a small wicker table in a booth to the back of the establishment. He ordered a bottle of Bollinger's Champagne which he was now hooked on, and king crab legs. He had lived for years on not so fine food and had decided that since this was a real vacation he was going to eat 'high on the hog' as some would say. He then thought, "High on the hog? Crab isn't on a pig." Then he thought, "My God if that is the best I can do I'm really in need of this vacation."

His dinner was uneventful and rather relaxing. After the meal he ordered a glass of port, which about knocked his barnacles off as he was not much of a drinker. The port, as with most people, pleasantly warmed his insides. He was slightly tipsy and in walking back to his hotel he decided he would take the beach route. Before his walk he settled up his bill at the cash register, which also sat upon a wicker counter. He noticed a quite attractive woman sitting at the end of the bar. She was a brunette, slim and tallish. Probably taller than him, he thought. Wondering if he looked at all like Clark Gable, with this new hair style he was sporting. Dismissing that thought, He walked by her as he headed for the beach and she said, "Care for a drink sailor?"

"Well lady, another drink will probably sink me, and I am not a sailor, does that knock me out of contention?"

"Actually sir, it keeps you in it, as you quite possibly told the truth, that in itself is refreshing."

The bar tender smiled at Reiter's acquisition and said, "What will it be.... sailor?"

Reiter laughed as well and said, "Something light my good man."

"Ok how about a Tom Collins?"

"All right, how much does he weigh?" said Reiter. No one laughed, but the woman turned to face him head on.

The woman introduced herself as just Brenda. Reiter asked why she didn't have a last name and she said, "My parents couldn't afford a last name for us kids."

"You can borrow mine, it is smith."

That made them both roll. Reiter thought that this vacation thing was looking up, if one excluded the tragic swimming pool incident. That raft would be history. For the next 45 minutes he negotiated and manipulated the woman named Brenda to accompany him on his walk back to his room. The stars seemed to be hanging right over the top of the ocean as the two footers rolled into the beach. It was a lovely evening, and they walked hand in hand down the half mile to his hotel. Just before they arrived at the beachfront side of his hotel, he stopped, moved towards her and kissed her lightly. She wanted it less lightly and they held a very long kiss well. They were standing in the water, about 6 inches deep. She said, "Ok we are here, now what?"

He said, "Shall I walk you back to the restaurant Barb?"

"No, and it is Brenda you goof."

"I told you I don't drink much."

He walked with her in great anticipation of a night full of hugs and kisses and more right up to the second story balcony room. They kissed once more on the door step, he turned and opened the door and to his and her surprise, sitting on his bed was a beautiful, long haired, very long legged blonde.

"Oh my God" said Brenda.

"Oh my God" said Reiter.

"Oh my God ... is this a religious meeting?"