Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World

On the island of Tinian, James Nolan and Robert Furman arrive on the USS Indianapolis, keeping watch over the most precious cargo the war has yet seen: “$300 million worth of weapons-grade uranium-235 destined to fuel America’s first combat-ready atomic bomb” (171). Nolan is a doctor and Furman an engineer, and once the Indianapolis has delivered its cargo to the island, it sets off immediately for the Philippines to engage in further combat, only to be torpedoed and sunk four days after leaving Tinian. In the meantime, Churchill fails to be reelected to office and the Potsdam Declaration is released, demanding that Japan surrender unconditionally.

Robert Lewis is stationed at Tinian and the day’s mission is not off to a good start, as one of the planes that was about to take off has malfunctioned, dropping a bomb onto the runway. The problem is quickly resolved, however, and the day goes on as usual. When Lewis gets a chance to speak with Tibbets, Tibbets tells him that he will be flying the mission with the bomb; unfortunately, Lewis takes Tibbets to mean that he would be piloting the plan, something Tibbets had no intention of allowing.