Operation Crossroads, Lest We Forget!
The Primary Memoir of the 1946 Atomic Bomb Tests at Bikini
Updated for the 80th Anniversary in July 1946
“Nuclear grabs the headlines today. But few know about the first postwar nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1946. I’m proud to have played a role in preserving this history.” – Sandra V. McGee, co-author of Operation Crossroads, Lest We Forget!
On 1 July 1946, the world held its breath, and millions waited by their radios, anxious for news of Operation CROSSROADS—the first atomic bomb tests of the postwar era. No one knew what to expect.
Among the 42,000 servicemen, scientists, and civilians at the remote Bikini Atoll in the Pacific was 20-year-old U.S. Navy Gunner’s Mate William L. McGee, stationed aboard the new heavy cruiser USS Fall River (CA-131). His ship’s assignment was to position the fleet of 95-plus target ships in the Bikini Lagoon for two atomic bomb tests—Test Able from the air, and Test Baker from underwater.
What McGee and his shipmates witnessed from ten miles away was both frightening and spectacular, and with consequences some would not survive later in life.
Decades later, McGee,a noted military historian of World War II in the Pacific, wrote about his participation at Bikini in Operation Crossroads, Lest We Forget! An Eyewitness Account (BMC Publications, 138 pp). Known for his straightforward writing style and exhaustive research, McGee has written a true story from his unique point-of-view aboard the Fall River.
For the 80th anniversary of Operation Crossroads in July 2026, Sandra V. McGee, Bill’s widow and co-author, has updated the book. “I had a sobering realization,” she says. “Likely no Crossroads participants are alive today. The shipmates Bill interviewed for the book are gone. Bill is gone. Many of these men, including Bill, from illnesses linked to radiation exposure at Crossroads. I’m proud to have helped preserve their history few know about today.”
History books explain the blast.
This book remembers the men who stood beneath the blasts.
Inside the book:
- Firsthand testimonies from shipmates who witnessed the two atomic blasts.
- Entries from the USS Fall River ship’s log capturing the important role of the Fall River at Operation Crossroads.
- Vintage photographs.
- Early opinions from the military and the media.
- Later opinions from three atomic experts on the use of nuclear power and the dangers from ionizing radiation.
A gripping blend of memoir and history, Operation Crossroads, Lest We Forget! places you on deck with a front-row seat to the dawn of the Atomic Age and the Cold War.
PAPERBACK & EBOOK
EXTRAS
WATCH: Vintage Films from Operation Crossroads
LISTEN: NBC Live Radio Broadcast from Test Baker
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Operation Crossroads, Lest We Forget! – Editorial Reviews
“Operation Crossroads is an account full of old photographs, personal mementos, statistics, copies of routine schedules, ship’s orders, logs, newspaper articles, other eyewitness accounts, and writings from experts in the field….This book preserves the legacy of those who participated in this operation. In the post-World War II era, this event and its lessons should be remembered, and warnings heeded.”
– Military Writers Society of America
“Well-written and engaging … The inclusion of material by other writers adds important elements to the story.”
– Giff Johnson, editor, The Marshall Islands Journal, and author Nuclear Past, Unclear Future
“An excellent book. I read it the day it arrived.”
– Robert L. Ruyle, Nebraska State Commander, and editor of the National Assn. of Atomic Veterans Newsletter
“A one of its kind firsthand story … McGee explains what he saw—from the dangers posed by radiation unknown to the men, to the lessons learned after his participation in one of the most important and pivotal events in human history. His experience illustrates that the greatest danger of nuclear warfare lies not in the immediate hellish blast from an atomic bomb, but from the deadly radioactivity lingering in the fallout. What a great educational lesson for us younger generations. Add another great masterpiece to the existing collection from gifted author and historian William McGee.”
– Zach Morris, editor, LST Scuttlebutt magazine
MARK BARNES, WAR HISTORY ONLINE November 2016
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY October 2016
THE ARK (Belvedere-Tiburon) July 27, 2016
LST SCUTTLEBUTT (Magazine of the U.S. LST Assn.) June 2016
NAAV NEWS (Newsletter of the National Assn. of Atomic Veterans) 2nd Quarter 2016
THE MARSHALL ISLANDS JOURNAL June 17, 2016
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Operation Crossroads – What Readers Are Saying
“The author and I both came aboard the new heavy cruiser USS Fall River in January 1946 in Norfolk, Virginia. I was a Quartermaster and he was a Gunner’s Mate. Little did we know, in a few months, the Fall River would be the Flagship for the Target Group of 95 vessels at Crossroads, and we would have a front row seat for two atomic bomb tests, Able from the air and Baker from underwater. When Mr. McGee’s book arrived, I read it in one sitting. I was impressed with the amount of detail and I learned a lot about the damage done by radiation to the ships and the men who served on them. . . . What also impressed me is that the author has been legally blind since 2003 from macular degeneration, and lives with multiple types of cancers, which he said may or may not have been caused by radiation exposure at Crossroads. Thanks his co-author and wife, Sandra, Mr. McGee was able to get his story told. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what it was like to be at Crossroads and what happened afterwards. I’m placing my order for two more copies.”
– John W. Stambaugh, former Quartermaster 1/c, USS Fall River (CA-131)
“Have it! Read it! Love it! It’s an eyeopener! This is a concise account of the Bikini atomic bomb tests in 1946 by an eyewitness. He includes his own observations as well as those of his shipmates and the ship’s log. He describes in detail (and with photos) the awesome destructive power of nuclear weapons. Despite 50 years of discussion and negotiation regarding limiting or eliminating nuclear weapons, there are still thousands in the arsenals of several countries with more to come. Thank you for your service and thank you for reminding us that nuclear weapons should never be used. I give this book five stars.”
– Wyman Harris
“Excellent slice of life narrative following the end of WW2. First, the author’s journey to the East Coast, hoping for a stint in postwar Europe; then serving on the USS Fall River at the atomic bomb tests at Operation CROSSROADS in the Marshall Islands. Well done in terms of day-to-day life and filled with humor and the “hustle” of just getting by. The author’s descriptions of being at Crossroads put me there. Appendix I, “Later Lessons Learned”, was a great way to wrap up the book, as well as illustrating to the reader that this terrible legacy still lives on — lest we forget.”
– Brian Cowden, writer/director of the documentary Atomic Veterans Speak
“McGee has crafted a narrative that drew me in and would not let me go until I finished the book in one sitting.”
– Dennis R. Blocker II, Pacific War historian, National LCI (Landing Craft, Infantry) Assn., and researcher for The Heart of Hell
“The author has documented this historically significant event so succinctly–and made it come alive–that the reader is on deck of the USS Fall River, shielding their eyes, and awaiting the blast of a monster.”
– Marilu Norden, author, Unbridled, A Tale of a Divorce Ranch
“Includes a compelling, well-documented exposé of the cover-up after Operation Crossroads.”
– John Houck, beta reader
“I was so caught up in the story, I may have failed my assignment as a beta reader.”
– Michael Olson, author, Tales from a Tin Can, USS Dale
“The magnitude of Crossroads as seen by the author and his participation in it come alive. . . As a yachtsman, I particularly enjoyed reading the actual log entries of the USS Fall River (CA-131), the Flagship for the Target Fleet.”
– Mel Owen, Owen Wickersham & Erickson