From Marilyn Wagner

Hi Ann,


I've Always Loved You was a catalyst to fascinating conversations pertaining to WWII. At age four, Germany and Japan were faraway places that existed somewhere in Outer Space, but I was too young to comprehend what was going on other than "something bad." Every night Father walked the neighborhood to ascertain that dark-out shades were pulled. Father was too old to be drafted. Search lights flooded the night skies over Burbank, scanning for enemy planes and probably missiles. I understand several parachute-carried weapons reached the West Coast, but their existence was top secret.


After WWII there was angst in Asia toward the Japanese, as might be expected, but episodes of hatred continue into current time. Learning about Dr. Ishi's torture of victims was an eye opener. Years ago I gave a lecture in Princeton, NJ on a subject related to California history. Prior to the lecture a woman who was born in China telephoned me with invective towards Japan that stunned me. She ranted on and on about the Rape of Nanking and all the things done to the Chinese. I was totally in the dark. My topic included Nisei. The woman demanded that I denounce Japan. This was 1990... not 1945!


The father of one of my friends was an inventor of the P-38 that shot down Yamamoto. A team of engineers worked on the P-38 in Burbank. Bob's father went on to design the Constellation, but died of a heart attack at an early age in 1957, right after we graduated from high school. Bob went on to be a creative genius who invented the heart clip among many other innovations. Burbank was filled with brilliant minds. The Skunk Works at Lockheed was top secret. Not even the wives of employees working there had any idea of new products evolving. Another classmate's father was on the team that invented the SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest plane ever. His daughter (my classmate) invented Fortran, an early computer language, for Lockheed. Burbank was a key part of winning the war, a bastion of brilliant minds.


Your book has marvelous value as a reference on the war. After my book was published, Berkeley's library contacted me for insertion in their archives. Yours should be there, too.