War's End: An Eyewitness Account of America's Last Atomic Mission
Sweeney, the only person to fly both atomic bomb missions over Japan in 1945, wrote this account because "I [felt] outraged and betrayed when...our national museum, the Smithsonian exhibition,...attempted to change the history of the war." The Smithsonian exhibition initially questioned whether dropping of the bomb was justified. Sweeney starts off with a clumsy attempt to advertise himself, then partially succeeds in cultivating the excitement of "insider" knowledge of specific events, places, and times. Because Sweeney claims to have "hitched his star" to Col. Paul Tibbets, the mission commander and pilot of the Enola Gay, this volume serves to raise his visibility as second in command. He does not forcefully support his thesis of "righting a wrong" until the last chapter and appendix (involving testimony before a Senate committee). Ultimately, this book offers little new or startling information. Recommended only for pertinent collections.?Harry V. Willems, Southeast Kansas Lib. Sys., IolaCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.