{"product_id":"the-most-awful-responsibility-truman-and-the-secret-struggle-for-control-of-the-atomic-age-9780063379435","title":"The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for Control of the Atomic Age","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"I thought I knew the story but learned much that I didn't know. Outstanding!\"-- Richard Rhodes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"This is historical research at its best.\" -- Dan Carlin\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePresident Truman's choice to drop the atomic bomb is the most debated decision in the 20th Century. But what if Truman's actual decision wasn't what everyone thinks it was? \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe conventional narrative is that American leaders had a choice: Invade Japan, which would have cost millions of Allied and Japanese lives, or instead, use the atom bomb in the hope of convincing Japan to surrender. Truman, the story goes, carefully weighed the pros and cons before deciding that the atomic bomb would be used against Japanese cities, as the lesser of two evils.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut nuclear historian Alex Wellerstein argues that is\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003enot \u003c\/em\u003ewhat happened.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot only did Truman not take part in the decision to use the bomb, but the one major decision that he did make was a very different one -- one that he himself did not fully understand until \u003cem\u003eafter\u003c\/em\u003e the atomic bomb was used. The weight of that decision, and that misunderstanding, became the major reason that atomic bombs have not been used again since World War II.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on a close reading of the historical record, \u003cem\u003eThe Most Awful Responsibility\u003c\/em\u003e shows that, despite his reputation as an ardent defender of the atomic bomb, Truman: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003eWanted to avoid the \"murder\" and \"slaughter\" of innocent civiliansBelieved that the atomic bomb should never be used againHoped that nuclear weapons would be outlawed in his lifetime\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eWellerstein makes a startling case that Truman was possibly the most anti-nuclear American president of the twentieth century, but his ambitions were strongly constrained by the domestic and international politics of the postwar world and the early Cold War. This book is a must-read for all who want to truly understand not only why the bomb was dropped on Japan but also why it has not been used since.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Alex Wellerstein\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harper\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/09\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 432\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.16lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.29h x 6.36w x 1.27d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780063379435\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/2025 pg. 102\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWellerstein, Alex:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlex Wellerstein\u003c\/b\u003e is an Associate Professor in the Science and Technology Studies program at the Stevens Institute of Technology and a visiting researcher at the Nuclear Knowledges program, Center for International Studies, Sciences Po, Paris. He is the author of\u003ci\u003e Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States\u003c\/i\u003e, and he has written for \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker, \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eAtlantic, Harper's Magazine, \u003c\/i\u003eand many other venues. He is perhaps best known as the creator of the NUKEMAP, the world's most popular online nuclear weapons effects simulator. He is also the author of the \u003ci\u003eDoomsday Machines\u003c\/i\u003e blog, and he has taught at Harvard, MIT, and Georgetown University.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Alex Wellerstein \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47493744361629,"sku":"9780063379435","price":50.53,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_9a3cc6f4-872e-4336-9c5e-509511dbc9b2.jpg?v=1766123953","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/the-most-awful-responsibility-truman-and-the-secret-struggle-for-control-of-the-atomic-age-9780063379435","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}