On Fri, 19 May 2000, Wayne Brown  wrote:
WB> He was unable to get it published at the time; only after the
WB> publication of "The Hobbit" in the Cold War era was he able to
WB> find publishers interested in the earlier story.  Tolkien himself
WB> strenuously denied that it had anything to do with nuclear
WB> weapons.

Given Tolkien's statement and the timeline of the writings leaves
little doubt in regard to nuclear weapons. However, a lot of fiction
has dealt with the struggle between good & evil and the search for the
ultimate weapon. Possession of the latter would give one immense power
over their enemy. But such power in itself could lead to their own
downfall.

Tolkien could well have been influenced, consciously or not, by the
world events of his time (e.g. Japanese invasion of Manchuria & China;
emergence of the Nazis and subsequent build-up of the German war
machine; the Great Depression).

I honestly don't know. But that doesn't keep me from enjoying the
books. :)

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