The Columbia Guide to Hiroshima and the Bomb (Columbia Guides to American History and Cultures)

by Michael Kort

"Few aspects of American military history have been as vigorously debated as Harry Truman's decision to use atomic bombs against Japan. In this volume, Michael Kort describes the wartime circumstances and thinking that form the context for the decision to use these weapons, surveys the major debates related to that decision, and provides a comprehensive collection of key primary source documents that illuminate the behavior of the United States and Japan during the closing days of World War II." "These primary source documents comprise the largest part of this volume. They are organized into seven categories: American civilian documents, American military documents, 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