How Silent Fall the Cherry Blossoms

[Geon]

Although if you have a highly infectious disease requiring an opportunity of spreading then having a national election two days after the initial infection is a remarkably bad (or good depending on your viewpoint) co-incidence.

One infected polling clerk is going to be a disaster.

The disease in question requires at 2 to 4 days to incubate. Although those with weak immune systems may begin to feel the affects earlier (i.e. children and the elderly) it will not affect the '44 election outcome. However I will tell you that this will affect the FDR presidency in another way.

Geon

 

[The Sandman]

The disease in question requires at 2 to 4 days to incubate. Although those with weak immune systems may begin to feel the affects earlier (i.e. children and the elderly) it will not affect the '44 election outcome. However I will tell you that this will affect the FDR presidency in another way.

Geon

Let me guess: it's going to make it shorter.

 

[Archibald]

Date: November 6, 1944
Place: Los Angeles (Union Station)
Time: 5:00 p.m. [PST]

William Pulaski*, looked up from his seat in Union Station to see a large poster glaring back at him asking him “IS THIS TRIP REALLY NECESSARY? AVOID UNNECESSARY TRAVEL IN WAR TIME!” For Bill it most definitely was necessary. His grandmother in St. Louis was in quickly declining health and he had been asked by his dad along with his two sisters and brother to return home for what looked to be her final days. Getting some time off from his work with MGM as a stage hand had not been easy especially in war time. The studio was very busy these days churning out both entertainment for the home front as well as films to “motivate” and “inform” the public. In addition to his big work load at MGM Bill also served as an air raid warden for his neighborhood.

Of course, last night had been particularly hectic and Bill had been afraid he would have to postpone his trip because of the air raid. However after it became clear that the Japanese had dropped duds on the city he had decided to go ahead with his travel plans. One thing he suspected his nieces and nephews might enjoy seeing was a small piece of one of those duds that had fallen in the street. Police and fire department had arrived barely five minutes after the thing hit cordoned off the area and begun collecting the pieces but Bill didn’t think the police would have minded him taking a small souvenir with him. It was only a tiny piece less then a ½ inch around. He was sure his nieces and nephews would be excited to see what a piece of a real Japanese bomb looked like.

Bill didn’t know it however, but he would not be travelling to St. Louis alone. In his baggage among his clothing there were 18 tiny hitchhikers. Not all of them would survive to reach St. Louis but there would be 5 of them still very much alive when the suitcase opened.

Bill Pulaski was not alone in having unexpected travelers with him. Around Los Angeles in bus depots, train stations, and at airports twenty eight other people were unknowingly carrying these tiny passengers. They were fleas, specially bred in a laboratory in China several thousand miles away. They would soon be on their way to other parts of the country.

* Names with an asterisk should be considered to be fictitious.

Oh shit. This sounds a bit like Stephen King "The stand" early chapters (when the plague starts to spread after the scientist escaped the infected laboratory)

There will be blood !

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

Let me guess: it's going to make it shorter.

I was thinking the same thing, with the clue about the elderly being impacted more; I'm just not sure if FDR gets infected or just dies early; I mean, this is going to put so much more strain on him.

Question - witht he VP spot vacant if that happens, and Truman already coming in, would Wallace appoint him Secretary of State and then resign, allowing him to take over immediately? It sounds like a wise plan to spare the U.S. some extra turmoil.

, bad news. Depressing to think that World War 2 could have been even worse than it actually was. I don't know why I'm drawn to these dark timelines, but keep it coming!

I don't like them, either, and will likely not follow a lot - I really just came because the title seemed quite interesting, and I suspect it's going to be a lot worse than just a number of royal families having troubles like my "The Mighty Houses Have Struck Out." But, I had the same question about written ones and sometimes dystopias remind us, as you say, that OTL, while bad, is a lot better than it could have been. While the poll I ran a while back on these was related to writing them, the results are probably similar except the newbies writing them part won't apply.https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=119265

 

[trekchu]

Oh shit. This sounds a bit like Stephen King "The stand" early chapters (when the plague starts to spread after the scientist escaped the infected laboratory)

There will be blood !

True, but:

1) It's WW2, and thus there is lots of Government owned manpower to enforce quarantines.

2) A Government far less squeamish about things like that.

3) "Real" plagues always burn out eventually.


Mínd you, this will do a number on the European campaign as well. We might see the Iron curtain farther west. One more reason to despise TTL's Japanese.

 

[Wet Coast]

So he gets a briefing at 09.00 and decides to wait to have a quiet lunchtime chat???

He's been told what? That some people think that the LA bombs may have contained a possible unknown bacteriological. Note the number of uncertainties in that sentence. He's ordering an investigation but 2 or 3 hours is not going to make much of a difference.

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

He's been told what? That some people think that the LA bombs may have contained a possible unknown bacteriological. Note the number of uncertainties in that sentence. He's ordering an investigation but 2 or 3 hours is not going to make much of a difference.

yes, notice, too, that it's uncertain enough that the president wasn't awakened.

If they thought it was urgent, the scene would have been someone rushing in to tell the President and a bleary-eyed FDR meeting with someone at 3:30 AM.

 

[Geon]

Patient #1

Here is an update. I hope you are continuing to enjoy this.

Date: November 7, 1944
Place: Los Angeles
Time: 11:00 a.m. [PST]

At 11 o’clock that morning citizens in Los Angeles were going about their daily wartime business. That included going to the polls for the national elections. At one polling place Louise Jennings* was busy checking voter registrations against the large lists in front of her. Around her people were still talking about the air raid that had occurred two nights ago. There were some in her neighborhood that felt this was just another scare by the army just like back in February of ’42, even though this time the army reported that nine planes had been shot down and had been identified as Japanese planes. The army had yet to produce debris from the planes though and many were convinced the army was trying to cover up another screw up.

For her own part Louise was glad her husband, Henry* had insisted they had equipped their basement with the necessary items one might need in an air raid (i.e. extra food, a cook stove, two kerosene lanterns with extra kerosene, a garden hose, a first aid kit, extra water). When the sirens had sounded she had gone down to the basement while her husband had put on his air raid warden helmet and gone out to check the blackout. She had heard the sound of antiaircraft fire in the distance seeming to come closer then fading out. She even thought she had heard a plane’s engines overhead. Much later her husband had returned with news that one of the planes had dropped a bomb about 4 blocks away and he had been called in to help with crowd control around the impact site. Nobody had been hurt but there was a small crater in the street where the bomb had hit and fragments of something that looked like smashed dishes all around the thing. The police, fire departments, and army had soon arrived and carted away what was left of the “bomb”. All in all it was a far cry from what she had seen Greer Garson face in the film, Mrs. Miniver.

She was a bit concerned this morning for her husband. He had awoken claiming he didn’t feel well. Henry was usually hungry as a bear at breakfast. However today he begged off breakfast and only drank a cup of tea. Louise had suggested Henry stay home but Henry worked in one of the Lockheed aircraft plants in the area and simply couldn’t let himself be out sick. Their son was fighting in the Pacific somewhere and Henry was not going to let a little queasy stomach keep him from work. Louise had insisted Henry take it easy today and told him if he got worse to come home and call her.

Louise had just started processing the next person in line when one of the other poll volunteers came up and told her she had a telephone call and it sounded urgent. She quickly got up handing her duties off to the volunteer that had given her the message and went to the phone in a nearby room. The person who answered on the other end of the line was Tad*, a friend of Henry at work. Henry had been feeling more and more ill throughout the morning and finally had asked his friend Tad to drive him back home, as he felt too ill to drive. Henry had thrown up twice in the car before they reached the house. Tad had managed to get him in and got him to bed. He had then called Louise to let her know.

Louise now very concerned asked Tad to call the family doctor-the number was written in the very front of the little phone directory beside the phone. She would be home right away. Louise quickly hung up and headed out of the room to let the other volunteers know she would have to leave much earlier then intended.

Louise and Henry Jennings were a simple middle aged couple in their late 40’s who were patriotic and “doing their bit,” for the war. They were no one special until now. Although they did not know it yet Henry Jennings would have the unfortunate distinction of being known as Patient Zero in official records of the Los Angeles Outbreak.

 

[LeX]

Best option for Japan is to surrender asap, before the Allies decide to pay them back with anthrax or simply lots of nukes. With luck the moderates can call the crazies out on their apocalyptic BS before it's too late.

 

[Garrison]

Best option for Japan is to surrender asap, before the Allies decide to pay them back with anthrax or simply lots of nukes. With luck the moderates can call the crazies out on their apocalyptic BS before it's too late.

It's too late now; a biological weapon can't be recalled and surrendering would doubtless be seen as a cynical move by the Japanese to escape the consequences of their actions. Not that I believe that the Japanese would surrender before something akin to the a-bombs plus the Soviet invasion.

 

[Geon]

A-Bomb Apologists

One thing is certain there will be fewer people in this TL claiming the atomic bombing of Japan was unjustified. As some of you have already guessed there are going to be consequences for this and future historians will have little trouble explaining why.

Geon

 

[LeX]

It's too late now; a biological weapon can't be recalled and surrendering would doubtless be seen as a cynical move by the Japanese to escape the consequences of their actions. Not that I believe that the Japanese would surrender before something akin to the a-bombs plus the Soviet invasion.

I doubt this. If Japan surrenders it's not like the USAF is going to keep bombing it. The postwar consequences might be harsher though. Japan will be kept on a far shorter leash.

There was an earlier update in which the Emperor was shown to be displeased by the attack and its inevitable consequences. There must be others like him, and they could use this as fuel against the hardliners. EDIT: Seems like the nukes still get used. Either way some sort of surrender is going to happen.

 

[Workable Goblin]

I doubt this. If Japan surrenders it's not like the USAF is going to keep bombing it. The postwar consequences might be harsher though. Japan will be kept on a far shorter leash.

I mean, this is long past the Casablanca Conference, so any surrender will be completely unconditional. The US (which will be the only occupying party of note, most likely), will be legally able to do as it wishes in Japan, which is likely to be unpleasant for the Japanese (although it's not likely they'll commit genocide or anything like that).

 

[Alex1guy]

I doubt this. If Japan surrenders it's not like the USAF is going to keep bombing it. The postwar consequences might be harsher though. Japan will be kept on a far shorter leash.

There was an earlier update in which the Emperor was shown to be displeased by the attack and its inevitable consequences. There must be others like him, and they could use this as fuel against the hardliners. EDIT: Seems like the nukes still get used. Either way some sort of surrender is going to happen.

They will be lucky if they don't get divided after this...

 

[LeX]

They will be lucky if they don't get divided after this...

Depends on what the Soviet Union does. Ethnically and politically there's absolutely no sense in dividing Japan unless you want to make Okinawa independent, and even that's a stretch.

 

[Artatochor]

Depends on what the Soviet Union does. Ethnically and politically there's absolutely no sense in dividing Japan unless you want to make Okinawa independent, and even that's a stretch.

Hirohito isn't too happy with the attack. He might actually turn to the Soviets, to save his country from Americans.

 

[M. A. Dickens]

Nitpick: should it be Patient Zero? Otherwise a very chilling update.

Marc A

 

[gladiator8085]

Hirohito isn't too happy with the attack. He might actually turn to the Soviets, to save his country from Americans.

I don't think that he would turn to Stalin for help. In any case, short of the Race from Turtledove's books showing up I can't think of anything else saving the Japanese from the USA retribution.

 

[Archibald]

The US (which will be the only occupying party of note, most likely), will be legally able to do as it wishes in Japan, which is likely to be unpleasant for the Japanese (although it's not likely they'll commit genocide or anything like that).

Coincidentally, the OTL horrific bombings of Tokyo (as imagined by this charming guy called Curtiss Le May) started on November 17, 1944 and climaxed of course on the night of March 10, 1945)

In short, after the plague attack Curtiss Le May B-29s should be given a free hand, and no Japanese city will stand.

japan is doomed !

 

[sharlin]

What ever the results are, this is going to be horribly painful for the USA and an absolute disaster for Japan. A lot of people are going to die.