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Om hvordan Steinbeck blei involvert i å skrive Bombs Away for The US Army Air Forces.

"At about this time, mid-May of 1942, he was offered another temporary assignment." ...
"The job was to write two books for the Air Force, and Steinbeck was very dubious about it, since the books were obviously designed as publicity for the service and as enlistment bait - he didn't know whether he wanted to lend his name to something like that or not." (side 504)

"Other major writers, such as Hemingway and Faulkner, refused assignments such as Bombs Away,"... (side 505)

Steinbeck sier sjøl at han blei involvert i å skrive boka slik:
" He had heard about the project but was dead set against it when he was called in to see President Roosvelt. Having seen the President in action before, he knew that he would have to have great determination to stick to his guns and not get involved. So when he got to the White House, he set his jaws and kept thinking to himself, "I am not going to do this. They will have to get somebody else. I am not going to do this."
He went into the Oval Office, and there sat this very affable man, just oozing charm, puffing on a long cigarette. They never discussed anything but Roosevelt's interest in his writing. Then suddenly at the end of the interview, *Steinbeck was taken aback, he recalled, when the President suddenly said, "Now John, you are going to do what I want you to do - what I want you to do John". John told Oliver, "Then I found myself saying, "Yes, Mr. President, I am," and that was it." (side 508)