The Columbia Guide to Hiroshima and the Bomb

Few aspects of American military history have been as vigorously debated as Harry Truman's decision to use atomic bombs against Japan. In this carefully crafted history, Michael Kort provides an overview of the circumstances and thinking behind Truman's decision to deploy these weapons, a discussion of the major debates that have surrounded that decision, and a comprehensive collection of key primary source documents that historians have used to understand why the United States and Japan behaved as they did during the closing days of World War II. Kort begins by summarizing the debate over Hiroshima as it has evolved since 1945. He then provides an historical overview of the events in question, beginning with the decision and program to build the bomb. He describes the decisive battles of the Pacific War and revisits the motivations of American and Japanese leaders, following the sequence of events all the way to Japan's surrender. The author then examines in detail ten key issues that are part of the overall discussion of Hiroshima, guiding readers to relevant primary source documents and to scholarly books and articles that focus on those issues. The largest part of this book consists of those documents. They are organized into seven categories: American civilian; American military; "MAGIC" diplomatic summaries; Japanese government and military documents and diary entries; Japanese surrender documents; the United States Strategic Bombing Survey Summary Report and Interrogations of Japanese Officials; and Statements of Japanese Officials on World War II compiled by the Military Intelligence Section of the United States Army. Kort's rich narrative throws the reader into the center of the action but remains impartial throughout. Above all, by providing a broad range of documents, including translations of Japanese language materials, he makes it possible for readers to join in the ongoing debate and reach their own conclusions.