The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America

Chad Millman talked about his book The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America and an Epic Hunt for Justice, published by Little, Brown. The book recounts the explosion in 1916 set by German saboteurs on Black Tom Island, a spit of land in New York Harbor, that devastated much of lower Manhattan. The German saboteurs bombed the ammunition depot to undermine U.S. attempts to assist the British war effort in World War I. Officials had been aware of the possibility of incidents of this type but had done nothing to prevent it. Mr. Millman also tells the story of a private lawsuit against Germany to recoup the financial losses caused by the blast. It was twenty years later that a group of three lawyers named McCloy, Peaslee, and Martin established the responsibility of the German government. After his presentation the author responded to audience members' questions. close