"This is not the story of Bikini but is, of course, a work of fiction ... The story was certainly inspired by the evacuation of Bikini Island but for a full and, as far as I know, truthful account of what happened there, you will have to read 'No place to hide' by David Bradley, a fine book by an expert eye-witness ... It did occur to me that Bikini was, in a sense, a microcosm of the world-to-be if civilized humanity, for the last time, failed to live up to its name. It would appear that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not enough. The dreary demonstration of what man can really do when he puts his full powers to work on the problem of self-destruction, seemed to me to contain material enough for a work of fiction that could yet contain enough truth, enough sober warning, to justify its presentation to the public"--Pages 5-6.