If he wanted good news, all he had to do was check what was happening to the Soviet Union. With their economy in shambles, ostracized by the Western nations, and living on plunder stolen from Eastern Europe, the Russians were now having a difficult time. In China, the collapse of the Nationalists and the departure of the Japanese had left a power vacuum. When both the Soviets and the Chinese Communists had tried to seize control, their forces had collided. Now, Chinese Reds and Russian Reds were killing each other, and the Russians, at the end of a long and tenuous supply line, were definitely getting the worst of it.

The Russians had also been forced to withdraw from Korea, this time urged on by a Korean national named Syngman Rhee, whose irregular armies had made life miserable for the Soviets. The Soviets' inability to succeed in Asia was not lost on European nations, which were gaining confidence in their dealings with the far from omnipotent Russian bear.

Only in the Middle East were American troops in any danger. Palestine was in ferment, and the British had informed Truman that they were no longer interested in policing it. Now that the British had Hong Kong back, there was little motivation for them to hang on in the bloody and not so Holy Land that had already claimed a number of lives.

The Arabs hated the United States for helping out the Jews, but that could not be helped. France and Holland were on Truman's back to help them reclaim their colonies in Southeast Asia, but he'd be damned if he would aid either country to enslave other human beings.

"What a helluva complicated world we live in," he said to the wall. He checked his watch. It was time for a drink.

Postscript

Many of the characters were people whose roles in "real" history were, of course, different from those shown. However, care was taken to make their behavior in the story consistent with what is known about them, their personalities, and their motives. To satisfy the curious, here is a summary of what actually happened to a number of those historical characters.

Truman, of course, was elected president in his own right in 1948 and subsequently fired Douglas MacArthur over his handling of the Korean War. MacArthur was replaced by Matthew Ridgway, who is generally given credit for stopping the Chinese. George C. Marshall became secretary of state and sponsored the Marshall Plan, which rebuilt Europe, while Omar Bradley became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Most of the other Americans retired shortly after the end of the war.

The Japanese were not always so lucky.

After the war, Hirohito renounced any claims to divine status and continued to reign as emperor until his death in 1989. He was then succeeded by Crown Prince Akihito.

Defense Minister Anami committed suicide on August 15, 1945, after realizing that the coup attempt had failed because of his lack of support.

Lieutenant General Homma was executed in 1946 after being found guilty of war crimes involving the Bataan Death March. His degree of guilt is still debated.

Field Marshal Sugiyama committed suicide immediately after Japan's surrender.

Admiral Ozawa was never charged with any war crimes. He retired and died in the 1960s. There is confusion about the exact year of his death.

Captain Minoru Genda rejoined the Japanese military after the war and became chief of staff of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force. He died in 1989.

Comdr. Mochitsura Hashimoto testified in the court-martial of the captain of the Indianapolis. After that, he disappeared and may have entered a monastery.

Lieutenant General Ishii was never tried for any crimes. Ironically, he was called upon to speak as a lecturer on chemical and biological warfare at what is now Fort Detrick, Maryland. Like Hashimoto, his ultimate fate is not known.

Robert Conroy is a semi-retired business and economic history teacher living in suburban Detroit.