As today marks the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, I recall a comment a colleague made many years ago and how it was linked to Lassen County. At issue was when the Red River Lumber Company sold its scrap iron to Japan, who would in turn use to the scrap iron for war purposes and ultimately the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In September 1933, Red River Lumber Company sold $15,000 of scrap iron and obsolete machinery to the Japanese government. According to the press release “Many see the order from Tokyo for junk the possibility that preparations are being made for war on an extreme scale. Scrap iron is utilized in munitions making.”

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