Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan PDF
Preview Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan
PROMPT AND UTTER DESTRUCTION Prompt and REVISEDEDITION THEUNIVERSITYOFNORTHCAROLINAPRESS CHAPELHILLANDLONDON Utter Destruction TRUMAN AND THE USE OF ATOMIC BOMBS AGAINST JAPAN J. Samuel Walker ©1997,2004 TheUniversityofNorthCarolinaPress Allrightsreserved ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica Thepaperinthisbookmeetstheguidelinesfor permanenceanddurabilityoftheCommitteeon ProductionGuidelinesforBookLongevityofthe CouncilonLibraryResources. ThisbookwassetinMonotypeGaramond byTsengInformationSystems. BookdesignbyRichardHendel. TheLibraryofCongresshascatalogedtheoriginaledition asfollows: Walker,J.Samuel. Promptandutterdestruction:Trumanandtheuseofatomic bombsagainstJapan/byJ.SamuelWalker. p. cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. 1.WorldWar,1939–1945—UnitedStates. 2.WorldWar,1939– 1945—Japan. 3.Atomicbomb. 4.UnitedStates—Foreign relations—1945–1953. 5.Truman,HarryS.,1884–1972. I.Title. d767.25.h6w355 1997 940.54'25—dc21 96-52038 cip isbn0-8078-5607-x(alk.paper) 08 07 06 05 04 5 4 3 2 1 This book is dedicated with love to mychildren Mary Beth and Dan. Contents PrefacetotheRevisedEdition ix Preface xi 1 ACategoricalChoice? 1 2 TheMostTerribleWeaponEverKnown 7 3 TheProspectsforVictory,June1945 20 4 PathstoVictory 35 5 TrumanandtheBombatPotsdam 53 6 HiroshimaandNagasaki 75 7 HiroshimainHistory 98 Chronology:KeyEventsof1945RelatingtothePacificWar 111 Notes 113 EssayonSources 131 Index 137 Illustrations 1 MarshallandStimson,January1942 3 2 DamagetoTokyofromfirebombing 28 3 JapanesekamikazeattackoffOkinawa 33 4 Truman,Byrnes,andLeahyenroutetoPotsdam 54 5 Testexplosionofatomicbomb,July16,1945 57 6 Churchill,Truman,andStalinatPotsdam 63 7 Hiroshimaaftertheatomicattack 76 8 Nagasakibeforeandaftertheatomicbomb 79 9 Editorialcartoon,‘‘TheFellowWhoLightedtheFuse’’ 99 Preface to the Revised Edition Sixty years after the end of World War II, the use of the atomic bomb against Japan continues to generate an ever- growing volume of scholarly literature and to trigger enormous controversy.SinceIcompletedwritingthefirsteditionofthisbook in1996,importantnewworkshaveincreasedourknowledgeofthe contextinwhichtheUnitedStatesattackedHiroshimaandNaga- sakiwithatomicweapons.Buttheyhavenotstilledthedebateover PresidentHarryS.Truman’sdecision.TherevisededitionofPrompt andUtterDestructiondrawsonscholarlyfindingsthathaveappeared over the past eight years, especially research in recently opened Japanesesourcesthathasgreatlyenrichedourunderstandingofthe agonizingdeliberationsinTokyooverendingthewar.Thechanges I have made are not extensive but theyare important, and I hope theywillenhancethebook’svalue. Theresponsetothefirsteditionofthebookhasbeenverygrati- fying. Reviewers across the interpretive spectrum in the contro- versy over Truman’s decision to use the bomb were exceedingly kind,withtheglaringexceptionofsomewhostandatthepolesof thedebate.Ihavealsogainedgreatsatisfactionfromthefactthat scoresofcollegeprofessorsandsecondaryschoolteachershaveas- signedthebooktotheirclasses.Manyhavetoldmethatthebook ( ix )
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