Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan

by J. Samuel Walker

Book Overview

A study of the events and circumstances that lay behind President Truman's use of atomic bombs against Japan. It examines the popular mythology about how the decision was made and evaluates the role of US-Soviet relations and American domestic politics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807846627
• ISBN13: 9780807846629
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
• Length: 142 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 9.3"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

No ideology here just history

Ideology defined: The body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture. If you have already made up your mind that the atomic bombings of Japan were wrong, you have two choices: (1) Don't buy the book and participate in the next demonstration against the bombings which will, again, make you feel morally superior; (2)buy the book and realize that it was not as simple a decision as you thought it was. Then ask yourself, what would I have done in 1945? Very challenging book. It certainly provides a very good understanding of the choices Truman had to deal with and the feelings in the US at that time. One final point for the anti-bombing crowd: Check the stats on the casualties in the conventional bombings of German and Japanese cities. And educate yourself about Japanese atrocities in China: 350,000 slaughtered in Sungchiang, and between 260,000-350,000 civilians murdered in Nanking. That's for starters.

Historiography at its Finest

One of the most complex, divisive, and nuanced debates in the history of the twentieth century is the decision by U.S. President Harry S. Truman in August 1945 to drop two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, thereby ending World War II. A traditional conception of the decision, indeed the one most often voiced by actors in the decision, was that it was done to speed the end of the war and thereby preserve American lives that might be lost in future combat. The revisionist interpretation, often identified with Gar Alperowitz, argues that the war was almost over and that the Japanese were on the verge of surrender anyway. The reason to drop the bomb, therefore, had little to do with the ending of World War II and was aimed more at impressing and influencing future relations with the Soviet Union. Another interpretation suggests that the use of the atomic bomb had more to do with American racism, and that the U.S. would have refrained from using such a horrific weapon on other Caucasians in Europe. Other scholars condemn the use of such a weapon targeting large populations, including non-combatants, as immoral and obscene. Subsequent historians have argued various permutations of these interpretations and the debate remains far from settled. J. Samuel Walker's "`prompt & utter destruction': Truman and the Use of the Atomic Bomb against Japan" is a superb short discussion of the merits of each of these interpretations and an assessment of the current state of understanding on the subject. He takes an exceptionally even-handed approach, pointing up the strengths and weaknesses of each major argument and assessing how they have evolved over time. In the end, as Walker documents, five fundamental considerations played into the decision to use atomic bombs in August 1945. First, the decision makers, especially Truman, sought to end the war at the earliest possible moment. They believed this new and terrifying weapon would do so and should therefore be employed for what they considered the greater good of ending the bloodshed. Wrapped up in this argument, although Walker thinks it a bit of side issue, was a widely held belief that bringing the Japanese to the surrender table would require an invasion of its islands. This would be, as those considering it believed, a costly and lengthy campaign that might mean the loss of thousands of lives on both sides. Casualty estimates of all types exist, and they have been used in the debate since then to justify or condemn the use of the bomb. Walker finds that those estimates, which are at best educated guesses that range broadly depending on the assumptions and the perspectives of those making them, are less useful in assessing what took place than the understanding that Truman was unwilling to accept any more casualties than absolutely necessary. Second, Walker notes how Truman and his advisors were intensely concerned that they had to justify the enormous cost of developing the atomic weapon, an

This was a very informative book

I thought that this book was very informative in every way. It was precise on everything about the A-Bomb. It was 400 pages of some of the best written material that I have ever read in my life. If you are looking for a book about A-bombs please check out this book because it just might be the best book on A-Bombs you ever read

Most Informative book on A-Bombs that I have ever read

Are you looking for a good book on A-Bombs then well this is definitely the book that you have to read. It is informative and interesting in everyway. All the way from the making of the bomb to when it was dropped to now with even stronger bombs. It is a very good book.

A great historical overview on the end of World War II

This book was an excellent historical account of the events leading up to the use of the atomic bombs. I now realize that there were a multitude of reasons for and against their use, and a lot of gray in between. The reader is presented the information and forced to make their own opinion on this very controversial event.