DECISION TO DROP THE BOMB

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 1965

This book originally began as an NBC White Paper document, but the material--collected throughout the US, Japan, and Europe, in interviews with all the available scientific and governmental figures concerned in the momentous story--soon ""overfloWed the limits"" of television. Fortunately, the authors have been able to preserve that historically valuable overflow in this more permanent from The main body of the book is a day-to-day account of the period between April 12, 1945, when FDR died, and August 6 of the same year, When a new kind of bomb exploded above the city of Hiroshima. A brief introductory section summarizes crucial prior events, and au equally brief conclusion runs to the surrender of Japan. Editorializing and second-guessing have wisely been kept at a minimum and opinions on the question of whether or not the decision was the ""right"" one have been left to the participants themselves, with the authors restricting their own efforts to trying to discover whether it could have been altered, once made. Their findings agree with Robert Oppenheimer, who told them: ""The decision was implicit in the project. I don't know whether it could have been stopped."" A diligent piece of research into a complex and controversial area. It may not have the popular potential of Day of Trinity (Atheneum--p. 516) but it does continue that story.

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 1965

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Coward-McCann

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1965

Categories: NONFICTION