Title: Marching Orders
Subtitle: the untold story of World War II
First published: 1995
Description: Already acclaimed as "one of the most important books ever published about World War II," this brilliantly written book reveals a host of previously untold stories: how the American breaking of the Japanese diplomatic Purple ciphers led to the defeat of Germany and caused Eisenhower not to capture Berlin, as well as why America and Great Britain agreed to employ nuclear weapons against Japan.

Challenging conventional wisdom, this book concisely documents the dreadful casualties both American and Japanese forces would have suffered in an invasion and occupation of Japan. Marching Orders demonstrates, through its interpretation of the supposedly secret communications between Japanese leaders, that Tokyo was adamant in its refusal to surrender. The difficult choices facing the Americans about how to end the war quickly are explained on a day-by-day-basis.
Subjects: World War, 1939-1945, Cryptography, Military intelligence, Ciphers, World war, 1939-1945, personal narratives, american
Places: United States, Japan
LC classification: D810.S7 L364 1995