Book - Hiroshima: Why America Dropped the Atomic Bomb

By Ronald Takaki, 1995. Hardback, 208 pages, seven pages of black-and-white photos. Pre-owned in excellent condition. No marks, no wear, no yellowing. Pages and dust jacket intact. "The bombing of Hiroshima was one of the pivotal events of the 20th century. At the time, Eisenhower, MacArthur, and Leahy all agreed that an atomic attack on Japanese cities was unnecessary. All of them believed Japan had already been beaten and that war would soon end. Was the bomb dropped to end the war more quickly? Or did it herald the start of the Cold War? In his probing study, prizewinning historian Ronald Takaki considers the cultural context of race -- the ways in which stereotypes of the Japanese influenced public opinion and policymakers. Relying on top secret military reports, diaries, and personal letters, Takaki relates international policies to the individuals involved: Oppenheimer and others... but above all, Harry Truman."