Diary of Burt Post Sept. 15th, 1946

Just saw an advertisement for a new movie coming out before Christmas called "It's a Great Life or Wonderful Life", directed by Frank Capra. I sure liked his movies about the war effort. Those "Why We Fight" movies sure got me stirred up.

Usually I don't like this kind of thing but it could be good. Stars Jimmy Stewart. I guess he made it before he went back in to the Army Air Force. It has angels and a redemption theme. His love interest is a new girl named Donna Reed. She is cute. A guy at the barber shop showed me a nude picture of her. I guess those starlets have to get on screen somehow. The casting couch must not be a myth. I sure wish I was a Hollywood Director. On second thought I wouldn't give up my family for a chance at bedding the most beautiful girls in the world...

The economy is really slowing down again for civilian products. The military stuff is taking over again. I guess Truman and his brain trust are starting to get their head out of their ass. I heard it was the big wig corporate types that didn't want to go into debt further. Hell we just fought a war to save those poor folks over there and they are worried about business when another tin pot dictator comes along. If you ask me if you put business before your country you are a traitor and should be treated as one. Imagine trying to fight a war without asking the average man to sacrifice anything while your fighting men are dying and getting maimed and you sitting at home worried about the next good movie.

I do what I can. I tried to join but they keep saying my job is critical to the war effort. Who would have thought that paper and paper products were a critical part of the war effort.

Bill Swain is still not able to come back to work. According to Mary he has horrible nightmares about his time in Guadal Canal. He wakes up screaming and is pouring in sweat. I guess he even attacked Mary before he came out of it. Combat must be terrible. I wonder if there is any help for these guys? I guess they call it battle fatigue or something. Old Blood and Guts Patton almost lost his job because he didn't believe in it and slapped that soldier. After being with Bill I believe it. Something's just aren't meant for the average man to endure. I wonder how many hand to hand combat situations Patton got himself in to? Maybe he's just one of those rare individuals that can live with killing a man up close. No one knows how they would react until it happen to them.

The Pope by Ranger Elite

Mediterranean Theater in WWIII 1946

The Pope by Ranger Elite

0745

Private Apartments of Pope Pius XII

The Papal Residence

Vatican City, inside Rome, Social Republic of Italy

“This is simply an outrage! How could this have happened?” asked The Pope. He was just handed a message from the speaker of the Italian Parliament demanding the return of the Vatican to its rightful owners, the Italian people, and the renunciation of the Vatican's claim of independence from the Italian state, by midnight. He had read the reports over the past few days of Italian troops massing at the demarcation line, according to his intelligence officers of the Swiss Guard, these were troops that were deemed “politically reliable” by their Soviet puppet masters. Pope Pius XII calls into his office the commander of his Swiss Guard.

A few moments later, the commander of the Swiss Guard enters the room, kneels and kisses the Pope's Sigil ring, and arises to give his report. As he concludes his report, he adds a personal note, “Your Excellency, I will stand and fight for you, and our faith, to the very last. It will be my honor to serve you to the very end. I have polled every last man under my command and informed them that there is no shame in them leaving to tend their families back in Switzerland. They have all decided to stay and fight, to the last man, to the last bullet, to the last pike, if need be.

We are at your disposal.” The leader of God's church on earth was left momentarily speechless, but quickly regained his composure “Comandante, I will not allow it to come to that. We are going to utilize the “Odessa” network that the German Nazi SS put together to escape Europe. No, comandante, we are headed for Jerusalem, the true seat of the Roman Church. We have been in secret talks with our Greek Orthodox brethren for quite some time now and are close to merging our sects again, for the first time in nearly a thousand years, and we will have unfettered access to all of the Katolikos of Jerusalem's facilities. That, I believe, comandante, is worth the loss of our seat in Rome” the leader of the Pope's personal body guard looks stunned, appalled at the naked lust for power as depicted by a man he thought he knew, then composed himself and excused himself from the Pope. 

Found: One Atomic Bomb!

---

Two aides are sitting outside the oval office and both looking at the latest addition of the Washington Post. They are in an animated discussion which is out of sync with the stated calm of the White House. Heated discussions and animated anything is highly frowned upon in the setting these young gentlemen find themselves in. They are surrounded by pictures of some of the most heated debaters and speaker in US history. Speakers who are to this day revered for their animated discussions. But today is not the time for such a display. Nerves are on edge because of the very article they are discussing.

"Of course it's not treason. I mean Walter Winchell mentioned it on the radio and Charley McCarthy made jokes about it. It was all over the London Times. It certainly isn't top secret information anymore so how can it be treason?"
"I dunno it just seems un-patriotic to me to start spreading rumors about such a thing. I mean this can change the whole war if it's true."
"Of course it's not true. Do you really thing that those pilots wouldn't do everything in their power to see that it never ended up in enemy hands. No, they did crashed that thing as hard as they could and the Soviets are just bluffing!"
"Well they published the crews names and pictures like they were captured."
"Ah you can't really see their faces. Their wives and mothers couldn't recognize them from those photos."
"Well then how did they get their names?"
"Who says their even real names?"
"Murrow got to Mrs. Knutson and she admitted that her husband was missing before the FBI could whisk her and the others away. How do you explain that?"
"I can't but I just know that no United States Army Air corps bomber crew carrying an atomic bomb would rather save their lives than let one get into the hands of the Reds. It just wouldn't happen and you can take that to the bank."

"Hey you two...knock it off. The President can hear you all the way from his desk!"
"Yes Sir...sorry Sir. We were just leaving."
"You bet your ass you were. Now get over to the Chief of Staffs office and wait there till I deal with you."
"YES SIR!"

Inside the Oval Office.
"Pretty rough on them weren't you? The President isn't even in here."
"They don't know that. Loud mouth little runts. I hate aides anyway. Who started this program?"
"What do you think about what they were discussing?"
"I have no idea what an atomic bomb looks like so they could be totally bluffing for all I know. All I know is that if they have an intact atomic bomb we are in trouble."
"How so...they have no way of delivering it. No bomber big enough...oh wait they did have what looked like a fully functional B29 sitting there in the background. Were in hell did they get that if the story wasn't true?'
"I heard that some of our bombers had to make landings in Russia when they couldn't make it back to Okinawa after bombing Japan. I heard they never gave them back. It could be one of them."
"But it's got the correct markings and all I heard. They even printed the serial number of the bomber in the article."
"I wonder what their game is?"

NATO HQ
Madrid Spain

"I wonder what their game is?"
"What do you mean Sir?"
"Why are they tipping their hand so obviously? They have to know that we know that that bomber was seen crashing full throttle into the coastal waters off Leningrad. We have dozens of witnesses. Hell I know Knutson and that crew. They would have done everything possible to destroy that bomb. From what I know of Jennings he would have been beating on it with a crow bar after he emptied his side arm into it. He would be attempting to destroy it until his dying breath. There is no way that bomb is intact and there is no way that the crew surrendered and they have to know we know this. Yet they are exposing the fact that they have a spy in place who could provide them with names and the serial numbers etc. Why would they place that person in such obvious danger and expose him or her as a spy? I mean it can only be a hand full of people."
"Maybe it was that guy they caught already. He was pretty high up. Maybe they figured what the hell let's foment a little confusion and dissension between us and the Brits. Make it look like we pulled a fast one and the Reds do have a bomb. I mean I bet the general public will think that they do. How can we fight that without reveling all sorts of top secrets to refute their claims. I mean all we can do is officially deny everything and call the Pravda article a hoax...which of course it is."
"I suppose your right. Have you ever seen an Abomb?"
"No Sir and you."
"Nope. That thing in the photo could be one for all I know

Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting room
Washington D.C.

"That thing in the photo could be one for all I know."
"What are you talking about."
"Hell it looks real to me down to that oddly placed arming access they added. Look there at the edge."
"Well I'll be jiggered. How could they know about that?"
"There was that scientist who disappeared after the polonium attack. He could have given them some last minute information before he skidaddled. Otherwise that is the real McCoy and I don't believe that for a minute."
"They sure are playing with us and the Limey's. They probably don't know who to trust now. We tell em one thing and the Soviets provide proof that it isn't true. I mean come on those look alike crew members and that perfect B29 in the background and then the picture of the bomb. How can the Brits not think that something is amiss in our version and with this cold shoulder we've been giving them until the clean up their house and get rid of that mole? Shit it's no wonder they have to be thinking non-productive thoughts."
"Then you have those Southern Senators screaming at Truman to not help our cousins and even I would question just how far we are going to go and pay to bail them out once more. Did you see the budget figures? Holy Christmas we closing in on 150% of GDP in debt and those war bond sales are not doing too well. We have to get this over with and soon or our economy will collapse like the Brits and there is no one to bail us out."
"All I know is that this was masterfully played by one hell of a chess player. I don't even know who to trust now.

Number 10 Downing St.
London

"I don't even know who to trust now. With the Yanks freezing us out and the rumors flying around Whitehall it's a mess. How can we find out what is real an what is fiction? So they have an atomic bomb or not? How about an intact B29 to deliver it to London? This is unacceptable and the Yanks have to give us more information so we can make an informed decision and explain to the populous why we cannot give into Stalin's demands. What do we do evacuate London? Do we risk reaping the horrors of Hiroshima on our own people just to placate the Yanks. We have to know more ... this is intolerable.
What is Stalin demanding currently?
"That we stand down the RAF, allow overflights at his discretion, military observers throughout Britain, the Royal Navy be mothballed and used only for defense of the British Isles, close off the Mediterranean to all US entry through the Suez and Gibraltar, expel all US military from all of the British Empire, freedom for India, Palestine etc. , basically we would become a neutral power for the foreseeable future and lose much of our empire. And I''m sure there is more where that came from in the future if we acquiesce."
"There have already been riots in the streets near Parliament."

Kremlin
Moscow

"There have already been riots in the streets near Parliament."
"Good...events are proceeding better than we planned. The Capitalists have never been very good at chess. Some day we will have to have a world wide chess tournament and see who is the best. So far we have them reacting to our every move and they don't seem to have the capability to gain the initiative. We have to keep the pressure on in all fronts both psychologically and with a clenched fist. Keep them reeling from crises to crises while we plan our next move. Never give them time to think or breath...just react. That's how we will win."
"I must say that Beria's idea to make public the capitalist bombing attempt on Leningrad was a brilliant move. Not only has it sown dissension amount the capitalist dogs but it has hardened the wavering resolve of our own people. They now see how important it is to sacrifice everything in order to stop the threat of nuclear destruction by any means. Presenting proof that the capitalists slave masters were attempting to incinerate the helpless people of Leningrad was a master stroke. Now there can be no question that that this is a fight to the death. That the capitalist pigs will not hesitate to use the most heinous weapon ever devised by man with impunity and with no thought of civilian deaths is now foremost in everyone's thoughts. This will harden even the most soft amongst us. This will be prevent any thoughts of rebellion or of allowing dissension from any quarter.