Prompt And Utter Destruction: Truman And The Use Of Atomic Bombs Against Japan

by Walker, J. Samuel

• ISBN13: 9780807856079
• ISBN10: 080785607X
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-02-01
• Publisher: UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS

Summary

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. He delineates what was known and not known by American leaders at the time and evaluates the role of U.S.-Soviet relations and American domestic politics. In this new edition, Walker takes into account recent scholarship on the topic, including new information on the Japanese decision to surrender. He has revised the book to place more emphasis on the effect of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in convincing the emperor and his advisers to quit the war. Rising above an often polemical debate, Walker presents an accessible synthesis of previous work and an important, original contribution to our understanding of the events that ushered in the atomic age.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Revised Edition	ix
Preface	xi
A Categorical Choice?	1	(6)
The Most Terrible Weapon Ever Known	7	(13)
The Prospects for Victory, June 1945	20	(15)
Paths to Victory	35	(18)
Truman and the Bomb at Potsdam	53	(22)
Hiroshima and Nagasaki	75	(23)
Hiroshima in History	98	(13)
Chronology: Key Events of 1945 Relating to the Pacific War	111	(2)
Notes	113	(18)
Essay on Sources	131	(6)
Index	137