I'm John John Bachelor with James Scott, the author of Black Snow, Curtis LeMay, the

Fire Bombing of Tokyo and the Road to the Atomic Bomb. The poorest sections of Tokyo are on fire and a

firestorm that Tokyo has never seen before and might never actually happen

again. This is a unique event in human history. However, back in Guam, Curtis LeMay, who launched

these 325 bombers and everyone on the Marianas and also back in Washington is waiting for results as James tells us they expected up to 70% casualties

James you provide a human scene LeMayMay can't sleep, and he and a colleague go for a couple of

Coca-Cola's from his Quansant Hunt. They finally get word that there's light

flack. What is their first understanding of the

raid and how it's going you know in le May is sort of always kind of this figure you

know this sort of reserved guy you know and and he admits he couldn't sleep this mission.

And so he doesn't, he lingers in the operations center.

And then he's finally, he's just stressed out.

He knows that one way or another, his whole career is going to be defined by what happens on this night, either by disaster or success. And so it's a lot riding on him. And so he does, he connects with the press official

for the 21st bomber command who's in there

kind of waiting to see what the results are

so that he can release the stories

that reporters have put together.

And so let me get you a Coke.

And so they jump in his car head over to his tent and they grab some cooks and they sit there

and Lame is just totally distracted. He's rattling off about

what his experience was like in India and everything he's doing everything you

can to distract him and to kill time till they get back to the operations hut and

...