Bombs over the U.S.

One of the great secrets of World War II was that from November 1944 to April 1945 the Japanese floated over North America some 9,000 small bombs in paper balloons made of tightly glued pieces of parchment-like paper. Only about 280 are known to have reached the U.S. and hit the ground -- in Ore gon, Wyoming, Montana and as far in land as Iowa. The Japanese had hoped the bombs, launched into the Pacific jet streams, would ignite forest fires in the Pacific Northwest and panic the U.S.

population. But there were no fires -- and no panic because the press voluntarily censored news of the bombs.

Now the Iowa State Historical Museum has mounted an exhibit in Des Monies of bomb fragments and balloons recovered in that state. There were six known victims of the bombing; on May 5, 1945, in Ely, Ore., a woman and five children went to inspect the strange object that had drifted down from the skies and were killed when the bomb exploded. The danger is not over. Some live bombs are still lying about U.S. prairies and mountains. "If you see something that looks like a bomb," cautions Iowa Museum Director Jack Musgrove,"leave it alone and call us."

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