I'm John Batch with James Scott. His new book is Black Snow, Curtis Flamee, the fire

bombing of Tokyo in the road of the atomic bomb. The firebomb of Tokyo in March is unique in human history.

The atomic bomb used over Roshima and Nagasaki unique in human history. What after the war happens is we know the Cold War and Curtis LeMay rises in

ranking because it's a younger man he's 38 39 at the end of the war rises through the 1950s he becomes I don't know James I didn't write this down is he an early

commander of SAC strategic air command is he the first, and under LeMay, I mean, you see Strategic Airman really become a much greater organization.

I mean, he moves it to Nebraska.

He brings his war winning team of guys over from World War II and really gives it the gravitas and the

and what else and he deserves a lot of credit for the success of strategic air command.

Right, the big Boeing bombers, the B-36, the B-47, the B-52.

These are Lame's concepts and the end of the world from Lame's point of view. He rises to be a chief of

staff of the Air Force. I remember a picture during the human missile crisis of

John Kennedy in his rocking chair and his joint chiefs of staff before him and

there's the fat one the chubby one sitting there staring back at Kennedy he

didn't get along with McNamara who had been his subordinate why not yeah you know I mean in

in part I mean quite frankly Lamay does a pretty good service in the early rise of Vietnam

and trying to try to block McNamara from sort of going

down the road that he does but LeMay is not a politician. His aides and former

colleagues said look he was not the kind of guy that was ever going to succeed in with a diplomatic setting like

Washington. You know, he was used to being in charge in the Maryland Islands or in Nebraska

a sack is a very different beast than having to work amongst politicians and consensus.

And so he is like a fish out of water in Washington and he just butts heads with everybody.

With MacDamera and they're desperately trying to get him out and Kennedy and whatnots.

...