FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Sandra V. McGee                                     
707-666-2426
mcgeebmc@aol.com
 

OPERATION CROSSROADS 80 YEARS AGO
An Atomic Veteran’s Eyewitness Account 

NAPA COUNTY, Calif. (Jan 1, 2026) – Before the air had cleared from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the U.S. government was planning peacetime tests of the atomic bomb.

On 1 July 1946, millions gathered around radios awaiting news of the first postwar atomic bomb tests—code-named Operation CROSSROADS. No one knew what to expect.

Among the 42,000 servicemen, scientists, and civilians at the remote Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean was 20-year-old U.S. Navy Gunner’s Mate William L. McGee, serving aboard the new heavy cruiser USS Fall River (CA-131). His ship’s mission: position more than 95 target vessels in the Bikini Lagoon for two atomic detonations—Test ABLE dropped from the air, Test BAKER exploded from underwater.

From 10–15 miles away on the deck of the Fall River, McGee and his shipmates witnessed scenes both spectacular and terrifying—and with consequences some would not survive later in life.

McGee has captured his story in Operation Crossroads, Lest We Forget! An Eyewitness Account, Bikini Atomic Bomb Tests 1946 (BMC Publications; 2016, Second Printing 2026. 138 pp. Paperback $19.95, Ebook $7.95). Available on Amazon and from other booksellers.

His co-author and widow, Sandra V. McGee, has refreshed the slim volume for the 80th anniversary in 2026. “I realized that likely no Crossroads participants remain alive,” she says. “Bill passed away in 2019, and the shipmates he interviewed for the book had also passed away—many from radiation-linked illnesses, like Bill. But their stories are recorded, and I’m proud to have contributed to the effort.”

Inside the Book:

• Firsthand accounts from shipmates who witnessed the blasts
• Original Fall River ship’s log entries capturing daily life and routines
• Vintage photographs and illustrations that bring the events to life
• Early opinions from the media
• Later opinions from three experts on the use and misuse of nuclear power

“A sobering but entertaining read.”
—Mark Barnes, War History Online

Operation Crossroads, Lest We Forget! puts readers on deck, inside the blast zone, with a front-row seat to the dawn of the Atomic Age.

Extras at McGeeBooks.com:

Read: “10 Facts You May Not Know About Operation Crossroads”
View: The Able Blast in a Movietone Film Reel, 1 July 1946
Listen: The Baker Blast on NBC Radio Live from Bikini, 25 July 1946

About the Authors:

William L. McGee (1925-2019) was an award-winning author of World War II military histories in the Pacific. His nonfiction works have garnered praise for their exhaustive research and straightforward writing style. Sandra V. McGee has co-authored nine nonfiction works with her husband. Learn more at McGeeBooks.com.

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To the Media: For review copies (please specify Paperback, Ebook, or PDF file), media releases, author headshots, and book cover images, please visit the Press Room at McGeeBooks.com.