Balloon bomb that landed in Rigby nearly 80 years ago was a failed attempt to terrorize America

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Published astatine 6:00 pm, July 28, 2024

Editor’s note: This is nan eleventh successful a bid highlighting nan stories down section depository artifacts.

RIGBY – Jefferson County Sheriff Oscar Orstrom and his deputy, Wayne Adams, arrived arsenic nan balloon explosive was still successful nan aerial supra a section eastbound of Rigby.

It was February 22, 1945 and nan instrumentality made of atom insubstantial carried anti-personnel and incendiary bombs. It was 1 of 9,000 unmanned balloons nan Japanese launched against nan U.S. nan erstwhile November. It was months earlier nan U.S. would motorboat an atomic explosive complete Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, signaling a U.S. triumph and an extremity to World War II.

Air defense accommodation successful nan U.S. had precocious been deactivated, according to nan National Museum of nan U.S. Air Force, and that’s erstwhile nan attacks began.

Years earlier, Lt. Col. James Doolittle of nan United States Air Force led a B-25 aerial ambush complete Tokyo, Japan. America’s first retaliation against nan Japanese aft nan bombing of Pearl Harbor killed 50 group and caused only insignificant damage, but it did overmuch to boost morale for U.S. forces.

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Prompted by nan Doolittle raid, a 1945 article from nan Rigby Star reports nan Japanese balloons were equipped pinch 4 10-pound incendiaries and 1 35-pound precocious explosive bomb. The attacks weren’t intended to do wide damage, but were designed to commencement wood fires and distract America successful nan waning days of World War II, according to Cleave Reddick, curator astatine nan Farnsworth TV & Pioneer Museum, which has accusation astir nan attack.

Although 9,000 balloon bombs had been launched, only astir 1,000 made it to North America. Balloons landed successful 16 states, arsenic good arsenic Canada and Mexico. Only 285 incidents were reported successful nan U.S.

“As much sightings occurred, nan government, pinch nan practice of nan news media, adopted a argumentation of soundlessness to trim nan chance of panic among U.S. residents and to contradict nan Japanese immoderate accusation connected nan occurrence of nan launches,” nan Air Force depository reports.

A week earlier it landed successful Rigby, an charismatic said pinch The Rigby Star astir not publishing reports of immoderate balloon sightings “to beryllium judge that nary 1 spotted nan scope for nan Japs.”

The balloon that landed successful Rigby had travel aft a caller driblet connected nan Bonneville Dam powerfulness line, which caused a little outage.

Rigby residents spotted nan balloon flying towards 4300 East and pulled it to nan crushed arsenic it mislaid altitude. Sheriff Orstrom had arrived moments earlier.

“Much of nan 17,000 cubic feet of hydrogen state primitively contained successful nan 35-foot diameter container had escaped, but location was capable near to clasp its pear style erstwhile pulled to nan ground. Sheriff Orstrom and Deputy Adams took complaint and later delivered nan balloon and accessories to nan due agency,” nan Rigby Star reported.

Fragments from erstwhile balloons had been fixed to Army Intelligence officials, but this was nan first exemplary that was afloat intact.

Japanese attempts to usage these devices arsenic a warfare limb were a awesome flop, according to news reports astatine nan time.

“Had nan Japanese held nan atomic explosive secret, it could person been a occurrence arsenic it did present its load to America, though successful a haphazard manner. No business harm was ever done by immoderate of those landing successful our country,” nan newspaper reported.

But location were a fewer fatalities that occurred.

On May 6, 1945, months aft nan balloon landed successful Rigby, six group were killed successful Oregon erstwhile a balloon explosive they dragged from nan woods exploded.

“The U.S. authorities quickly publicized nan balloon bombs, informing group not to tamper pinch them. These were nan only known fatalities occurring wrong nan United States during World War II arsenic a nonstop consequence of force action,” according to nan Air Force Museum.

American hostility towards Japan

The grounded Japanese balloon crippled only accrued hostilities betwixt nan warring nations. The Rigby Star article, written nan time earlier nan U.S. bombed Japan, referred to nan East Asian state arsenic a “bastard nation” that “must beryllium reduced to zero and intimately watched for galore years.”

This hatred extended to Japanese Americans.

An executive bid signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt successful 1942 gave subject leaders nan correct to region Japanese group connected nan West Coast — moreover those who were U.S. citizens — and spot them successful internment camps passim nan country.

One of these camps was nan Minidoka War Relocation Center successful Idaho. More than 10,000 Japanese Americans were housed present betwixt 1942 and 1945.

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Chase Clark of Idaho Falls, Idaho’s politician astatine nan time, supported nan relocation of Japanese group to this camp.

He reportedly made a disparaging remark astir nan Japanese successful May 1942 while speaking astatine a Lion’s Club gathering successful Grangeville.

“Japs unrecorded for illustration rats, breed for illustration rats and enactment for illustration rats. We don’t want them permanently located successful our state,” he is reported to person said.

Clark reportedly apologized for this connection years later. His grandson, Chase Church, believes it was nan logic he was not re-elected for a 2nd term.

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Though nan Japanese incarceration camps were closed astatine nan extremity of nan war, FDR’s executive bid was not officially rescinded until 1976. Congress passed nan Civil Liberties Act successful 1988, calling nan bid a “grave injustice” to Japanese Americans. Around $1.6 cardinal successful reparations were fixed to “formerly interned Japanese Americans aliases their heirs,” 1 article reports.

“We must admit that nan internment of Japanese Americans was … a mistake,” President Ronald Reagan said successful a 1988 speech. “Throughout nan war, Japanese Americans successful nan tens of thousands remained utterly loyal to nan United States.”

Today, a Day of Remembrance is held each twelvemonth to observe this legislation. The Japanese American Citizens League useful to “secure and support nan civilian authorities of Japanese Americans and each others who are victimized by injustice and bigotry.”