Prompt and Utter Destruction
Subtitle: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press; The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 160
ISBN-13: 9781469628974
Subjects: Truman, harry s., 1884-1972; World war, 1939-1945, united states; World war, 1939-1945, japan; Atomic bomb; United states, foreign relations, 1945-1961
Description: In this concise account of why America used atomic bombs against Japan in 1945, J. Samuel Walker analyzes the reasons behind President Truman's most controversial decision. Delineating what was known and not known by American leaders at the time, Walker evaluates the options available for ending the war with Japan. In this new edition, Walker incorporates a decade of new research--mostly from Japanese archives only recently made available--that provides fresh insight on the strategic considerations that led to dropping the bomb. From the debate about whether to invade or continue the conventional bombing of Japan to Tokyo's agonizing deliberations over surrender and the effects of both low- and high-level radiation exposure, Walker continues to shed light on one of the most earthshaking moments in history.