This is John Batchelor.

Conversation with James Scott, the author of many books about World War II history,

but in particular the most recent, Black Snow, Curtis LeMay, the firebombing of Tokyo,

and the Road to the Atomic Bomb.

Conversation with James turned on Curtis LeMay, the man who invented the idea of low-level bombing by B-29s

with incendiary devices that created a firestorm over Tokyo in March of 1945, far more damaging than any other bombing had ever made against Tokyo,

and arguably competitive with the atomic weapon that was not used on Tokyo.

However, in this instance, we're talking about Curtis Lamey problem solver.

And here's James to tell the story of when Curtis LeMay was in Asia, dealing with down B-29 pilots

and how he needed indigenous people's help and what they wanted for.

James Scott, the book is Black Snow, Curtis LeMay, the firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the

atomic bomb.

Much more of this later tonight.

Yeah.

So that's actually when Lamey, but right before he gets to the Marianas, he spends a little bit of time in India and China,

flying, commanding B-29s that are going against targets in deep in southern Japan.

And so Lamey at that point is, and again, he's such a pragmatist.

So he's trying to get for crews that go down in the jungles, he needs to be able to rescue them.

And so he goes, the natives, he reaches up some of these native tribes and they say, well, you know, we need your help.

And they don't want money.

They want opium.

And so LeMay's exasperated subordinate comes in and he says, you know, we can't, we can't pay

...