I got one of Jim's signed books. Look on e-bay, there are (were) several sellers selling the book in the $20 range, some with postage included, some not.
One thing that all (that I have read) M1 books leave out is that John Garand did NOT design the M1 Rifle! A guy designed it (the name will come to me, I want to say "Hepple" although that may not be right), made prototypes, hired John to modify/improve it, John, knowing a good thing when he saw it, stole it and took it to SA, and they hired him to modify/improve it from the gas trap the inventor had on it.
John signed away all rights to the gun so he couldn't be sued for the profits before/during/after the war and had a guaranteed job for the rest of the war/life. After the war, the inventor sued the gov't for damages, with complete sets of drawings, workers, prototypes, and all documentation. The gov't was dumping in its drawers because it was liable for millions, so keep it in court/continuing it/delaying it until the guy died in the 1950s.
Since this is all public (court) record, it is available to dig up if you try long enough/bother. None of the M1 book writers want to bother (including Jim when I told him about it) checking and telling the truth about "Saint" John. Remember "The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance"? If it comes down to publishing the truth or a good story, publish the myth, which most "history" is when checked. Either a lie, a myth, or made up by the winners for the losers to read.
Sort of like the story of the inventors of the original "Jeep", and the Tucker car, both of which the gov't bankrupted to protect their big buddies. Naturally, the gov't isn't exactly publishing any of these details to let the sheeple know what is going on, and none are commonly reported by anyone else either, but it is available if you bother to look. Well, OK, they did make a move about the Tucker car, but still, how many people have even heard of the Tucker, or know what it is, or why, even now?
The same thing with "Carbine" Williams. He had nearly nothing to do with the M1 Carbine, the gas piston, or anything else to do with it. It was all a gov't "feel good" story for public morale and to gin up support for the war effort/movement. The gov't forced Winchester to hire Williams, and since Williams couldn't be fire by Winchester, he just ran riot and was despised by everyone there for just being a pain, disrupting the work, and being a publicity hog. That has been well documented in the American Rifleman, and other publications in the 1950s-60s and WInchester records, so it is no great secret, but a good lie/myth beats the truth every time.
One thing that all (that I have read) M1 books leave out is that John Garand did NOT design the M1 Rifle! A guy designed it (the name will come to me, I want to say "Hepple" although that may not be right), made prototypes, hired John to modify/improve it, John, knowing a good thing when he saw it, stole it and took it to SA, and they hired him to modify/improve it from the gas trap the inventor had on it.
John signed away all rights to the gun so he couldn't be sued for the profits before/during/after the war and had a guaranteed job for the rest of the war/life. After the war, the inventor sued the gov't for damages, with complete sets of drawings, workers, prototypes, and all documentation. The gov't was dumping in its drawers because it was liable for millions, so keep it in court/continuing it/delaying it until the guy died in the 1950s.
Since this is all public (court) record, it is available to dig up if you try long enough/bother. None of the M1 book writers want to bother (including Jim when I told him about it) checking and telling the truth about "Saint" John. Remember "The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance"? If it comes down to publishing the truth or a good story, publish the myth, which most "history" is when checked. Either a lie, a myth, or made up by the winners for the losers to read.
Sort of like the story of the inventors of the original "Jeep", and the Tucker car, both of which the gov't bankrupted to protect their big buddies. Naturally, the gov't isn't exactly publishing any of these details to let the sheeple know what is going on, and none are commonly reported by anyone else either, but it is available if you bother to look. Well, OK, they did make a move about the Tucker car, but still, how many people have even heard of the Tucker, or know what it is, or why, even now?
The same thing with "Carbine" Williams. He had nearly nothing to do with the M1 Carbine, the gas piston, or anything else to do with it. It was all a gov't "feel good" story for public morale and to gin up support for the war effort/movement. The gov't forced Winchester to hire Williams, and since Williams couldn't be fire by Winchester, he just ran riot and was despised by everyone there for just being a pain, disrupting the work, and being a publicity hog. That has been well documented in the American Rifleman, and other publications in the 1950s-60s and WInchester records, so it is no great secret, but a good lie/myth beats the truth every time.
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Ha....."Pederson" lost his bid to make HIS rifle the primary battle rife in the U.S., as I get from the story, one of the reasons anyway, was because we already had tons of .30-06. And, his en-bloc clip only loaded one way.
