The sky was falling - William Green Writes

The sky was falling - William Green Writes

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T h e reference is t o Buffett's favorite b r i d g e b o o k , Why
You Lose at Bridge^ a 1 9 4 6 classic that's still i n p r i n t .
Sure e n o u g h , I ' m h u r t by m y q u i c k moves. W e w i n but
only just. G r a h a m w o n one trick w i t h a jack I d i d n ' t k n o w
he h a d . B e t t e r players k e e p c o u n t o f w h a t h i g h cards
haven't been p l a y e d — I ' d lost track.
" I t takes a w h i l e t o get the h a n g o f i t , b u t that's w h a t
makes i t s u c h a terrific g a m e , " t b o n e w r i t e s . " T h e r e are
always n e w l e v e l s . "
W i l l g e t t i n g better at b r i d g e make m e better at p i c k i n g
investments? " N o , " comes Buffett's reply. " B u t the better
y o u u n d e r s t a n d the game the m o r e f u n i t i s . "
H
Talk about gruesome: Robert Harris collects atom bomb memorabilia
The sky was falling
By WUliam Green
" I GREW UP i n the s h a d o w
o f the b o m b , " says R o b e r t
D a l t o n H a r r i s , w h o was
b o r n i n Salt L a k e C i t y ,
Utah in 1943. "I had
dreams as a y o u n g k i d
a b o u t b o m b s f a l l i n g , skies
brightening and
sirens
w a i l i n g . I always felt v e r y
strongly the personal threat
o f atomic b o m b s . "
Armed with a P h . D . in
physics f r o m Rensselaer
Polytechnic
Institute,
H a r r i s s t r u g g l e d t o defiise
the atomic threat. I n 1 9 7 0
he w e n t t o w o r k at t h e
U . S . A i r Force's special
weapons
laboratory i n
Albuquerque,
N.M.,
d e s i g n i n g lasers t o s h o o t
d o w n i n t e r c o n t i n e n t a l ballistic missiles. H e left after
t w o years, c o n v i n c e d t h a t
the lasers w o u l d n e v e r
work.
N o w 5 4 , H a r r i s , a dealer
i n h i s t o r i c a l d o c u m e n t s , is
still fascinated b y b o m b s a n d t h e , s h e , ' t i i e s k y i s f a U i n g ! ' "
t e r r o r t h e y i n s p i r e . I n the past 1 7
H a r r i s sees t h e s t o r y as a n apt
years he has c o l l e c t e d m o r e t h a n a
m e t a p h o r for the A t o m i c A g e , w h e n
thousand bomb-related artifacts—old A m e r i c a n s — l i k e C h i c k e n L i t t l e —
advertisements, pamphlets, p h o were terrified that the sky was falUng.
tographs, b o o k s , c o m i c s , stamps a n d
O n e i t e m he treasures is a 51-yearl e t t e r s — t h a t f o r m a t i m e capsule
o l d b o o k l e t i n w h i c h the S e c o n d
from a bomb-obsessed era.
D i v i s i o n o f the U . S . M a r i n e s c o m m e m o r a t e s its 1 9 4 5 o c c u p a t i o n o f
T h e c o l l e c t i o n started w i t h various
Nagasaki. I n A u g u s t the city h a d
copies o f the C h i c k e n L i t t i e folktale,
been d e c i m a t e d by an a t o m i c b o m b .
first p u b l i s h e d i n 1 8 4 0 . R e m e m b e r :
I n this souvenir b o o k l e t , w h i c h
" C h i c k e n L i t t l e r a n u n d e r a roseH a r r i s b o u g h t at a b o o k fair i n
bush a n d a leaf fell o n her tail; so she
Rochester, N . Y . for about $ 3 5 , the
was d r e a d f u l l y f r i g h t e n e d , a n d r a n
M a r i n e s p r o u d l y note that: " I n the
away to H e n P e n . ' O H e n P e n , ' said
208
rubble
o f the
atomic
b o m b , we made a gridi r o n . " The booklet, b o u n d
w i t h a p i n k ribbon, features
a
photograph
of
the
Marines playing football i n
N a g a s a k i o n N e w Year's
D a y , 1 9 4 6 . A c a p t i o n dubs
the event " T h e A t o m i c
Bowl Game."
Callous.^ H a r r i s , w h o s e
large frame is d o m i n a t e d b y
a n u n r u l y b e a r d t h a t has
g r o w n uninterrupted for
t h e last 2 5 years, d o e s n ' t
t h i n k o f i t as c a l l o u s .
Rather, he's t o u c h e d by the
soldiers' can-do attitude.
" T h e w o r l d they've been
l i v i n g i n has been b r o k e n , "
says h e . S o t h e y c l i n g t o
football: " A n o l d
r i t u a l t o get t h e m
through
New
Year's D a y . "
A 1946
note
from Carl Arndt,
master sergeant i n
the A i r F o r c e , t o his s o n C a r l Jr. captures the i n n o c e n c e o f the era. It was
p e n n e d as the U . S . p r e p a r e d t o d r o p
a n a t o m i c b o m b o n the B i k i n i a t o l l
i n the S o u t h Pacific: " D e a r Sonny,
Just a s h o r t letter so that I can s e n d
this e n v e l o p e o n the actual airplane
that is c a r r y i n g the A t o m B o m b . . . .
Love Pop."
H a r r i s has 3 5 0 books about b o m b s
arranged i n chronological order i n a
2M-story r o o m i n his S a n d L a k e , N . Y .
frame h o u s e . H a r r i s d e s i g n e d a n d
b u i l t t h e shelves h i m s e l f , b o l t i n g
t h e m t o t h e s t r u c t u r e so t h a t t h e
Forbes • June 2, 1997
w e i g h t o f his c o l l e c t i o n
helps support the house.
One
o f his favorite
t o m e s is Total
Atomic
Defense, by Sylvian K i n d a l l ,
pubUshedin 1952. Kindall
w a r n e d that 8 3 7 A m e r i c a n
cities w o u l d be p r i m e targets for
nuclear attack. H i s s o l u t i o n : E x p a n d
each city and m o v e all plants a n d factories to the perimeter. T h a t way, the
enemy w o u l d see n o p o i n t i n blasting
the cities " f r o m the face o f t h e
e a r t h . " T h e p r e d i c t e d tab f o r this
overhaul: $15 b i l l i o n . B u t , railed K i n d a l l , " C o s t is n o t t o be w e i g h e d
against the t e r r i b l e p r o b a b i l i t y t h a t
8 3 7 cities w i l l [ o t h e r w i s e ]
be
d e s t r o y e d , a l l t h e i r m i l l i o n s o f residents k i l l e d o r made h o m e l e s s . "
Fear drove m a n y to entertain w i l d
n o t i o n s . I n the 1 9 4 9 b o o k Must We
Hide?, R a l p h L a p p suggested b u i l d i n g " r o d " cities t h a t w o u l d be 5 0
miles l o n g a n d 1 m i l e w i d e , w h i c h
w o u l d supposedly be less v u l n e r a b l e
*«"^
o f nuclear war.
to
atomic
strikes.
Others,
including
A l b e r t E i n s t e i n , advocated
transforming
the w o r l d i n t o a single
n a t i o n , t h e r e b y eradie a t i n g the p r o b a b i l i t y
Just as l o o p y is a 1 9 5 5 p u b h c a t i o n
f r o m the Fe de r al C i v i l
Defense
A d m i n i s t r a t i o n entitled " 4 W h e e l s t o
S u r v i v a l , " w h i c h H a r r i s p i c k e d u p at
an antique store i n P o r d a n d , O r e . for
$ 5 . T h e p a m p h l e t explains h o w , i n
t h e e v e n t o f a n a t o m i c attack, a car
" m a y spell the difference between life
a n d d e a t h for y o u a n d y o u r f a m i l y . "
A f t e r the blast, the p a m p h l e t n o t e s ,
w o u l d - b e survivors s h o u l d c r o u c h i n
their cars, k e e p i n g the w i n d o w s shut
to stave o f f radioactive dust. After the
e x p l o s i o n , " t h e car p r o v i d e s a s m a l l
m o v a b l e house. Y o u c a n get away i n
i t — t h e n l i v e , eat, a n d sleep i n i t i n
almost any climatic c o n d i t i o n s . "
T h e p a m p h l e t also gives tips o n
a u t o m o t i v e etiquette i n the face o f
A r m a g e d d o n : " I f y o u have r o o m ,
p i c k u p w a l k i n g evacuees. D o n ' t
c r o w d o r t r y t o beat the o t h e r fellow.
. . . D o n ' t lean o n the h o r n . "
T h e n there's a b r o c h u r e t o u t i n g a
firm c a l l e d W e s t e r n States A t o m i c
V a u l t s , I n c . T h e cover bears a sketch
o f a m u s h r o o m c l o u d e n g u l f i n g San
Francisco. W h a t to d o i n preparation.^
S e n d y o u r s t o c k c e r t i f i c a t e s , tax
records, business d o c u m e n t s a n d w i l l
t o the c o m p a n y ' s a i r - c o n d i t i o n e d
vault i n the Santa C r u z m o u n t a i n s .
W h a t has t h i s c o l l e c t i o n t a u g h t
H a r r i s r ' " T o be m o r e s c r u t i n i z i n g
a b o u t w h a t y o u ' r e accepting as fact,"
he replies. G o o d p o i n t : P a n i c k i n g o n
scanty i n f o r m a t i o n got C h i c k e n L i t t i e
eaten by F o x L o x .
H
Note: You can contact Harris by
writing to:
aGatherin', P.O. Box 175,
Wynantskill, N.Y. 12198.
Think pink
WmM IT COMES TO dress shirts, w h i t e is safe,
matches e v e r y t h i n g a n d r e q u i r e s n o
t h o u g h t to m a t c h i n g a suit. It's also d u l l .
T h e elegant F r e n c h - b l u e dress shirt is
a safe a l t e r n a t i v e , b u t t o o m a n y n a t t y
W a l l Street lawyers a n d b a n k e r s are
already o n t o b l u e . S o p i n k is back, after
b e i n g i n eclipse for years. B r o o k s B r o t h ers r e p o r t s t h a t sales o f p i n k shirts t h i s
season account for about 7% o f shirt sales,
u p from 2% last spring. " I f a m a n has g o n e
from a w h i t e to a blue shirt, t h e n p i n k is the next
l o g i c a l s t e p , " says J a r l a t h M e l l e t t , d e s i g n d i r e c t o r at
B r o o k s , w h i c h i n t r o d u c e d its now-classic m e n ' s p i n k
shirt i n 1 9 2 0 .
C h o o s e hues carefiilly. T h e perfect p i n k is a pale ice
pink. A v o i d garish salmon, peachy or orangy p i n k .
S h o c k i n g p i n k makes a pale face l o o k a n e m i c . " O n l y
o n e t o t w o shades o f p i n k are s u i t a b l e w i t h a s u i t :
c a n d y a n d b a b y p i n k , " dictates E r i c H u m b l e s o f
L o n d o n ' s T u r n b u l l & Asser.
A p i n k shirt is inappropriate i n the evening. It's great
w h e n w o r n as the Italians d o i t — w i t h a blue blazer.
210
gray flannels a n d b r o w n
suede shoes. A v o i d p a i r i n g p i n k w i t h a b r o w n suit.
" A g a i n s t charcoal is where p i n k b e l o n g s , " declares A l a n
K a t z m a n , ovmer o f Manhattan's clothier H a r r i s o n James.
A dark blue suit w o r k s , t o o . Black.> N o way. " T h a t looks
like a J o h n G o t t i n i g h t m a r e , " says K a t z m a n w i t h disgust.
Say t h i s : P i n k w i l l get y o u n o t i c e d i n a w h i t e - s h i r t
e n v i r o n m e n t . Says E n g l i s h t a i l o r T i m o t h y E v e r e s t ,
" I ' m n o t the greatest fan o f p i n k , b u t w h e n I wear i t
p e o p l e ask i f I've l o s t w e i g h t o r h a d a h a i r c u t . T h e y
always say I l o o k w e l l . "
-CAROLINE WAXLER
H
Forbes • June 2,
1997