Thomas Niblock

History 4000

Dr. Morrill

June 26, 2008

Annotated Bibliography

Amato, Ivan. Pushing the Horizon: Seventy-Five Years of High Stakes Science and Technology

at the Naval Research Laboratory. Washington D.C. Naval Research Lab., 1998.

Ivan Amato conveys the foundation and development of the NRL by analyzing the research laboratories in the United States. Amato sets in context many of the important research events and fronts of modern military science and technology. This piece of literature is geared towards a scholarly audience and someone who is knowledgeable about scientific research and development. The book is based on primary sources, with lots of archival investigation. The book has a very convenient bibliography of secondary and primary sources, and also has a very useful index.

Amrine, Michael. The great decision: the secret history of the atomic bomb. New York, Putnam; London, Heinemann, 1959.

This book was written to tell the facts that happened in the four months prior to the dropping of the first atomic bomb. This is a good resource for anyone who is interested in the facts behind atomic energy. It leaves open the question: why did these events occur and who is ultimately responsible for the drive in pursuing atomic energy? The book is based on primary sources, with lots of archival investigation. The book has a very convenient bibliography of secondary and primary sources, and also has a very useful index.

Alperovitz, Gar. Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Potsdam: The Use of the Atomic Bomb and the American Confrontation with Soviet Power. Pluto Press, 1994.

Atomic Diplomacy draws on a number of crucial, recently released sources, which Alperovitz marshals along with other sources to present an account of the perceived interests and motives that induced Truman to use the atomic bomb twice against the Japanese in August, 1945. This piece of literature is geared towards a scholarly audience and someone who is knowledgeable about scientific research and development. The book is based on primary sources, with lots of archival investigation. The book has a very convenient bibliography of secondary and primary sources, and also has a very useful index.

Gordon, Michael D. Five Days in August: How World War II Became a Nuclear War. Princeton University Press, 2007.

Michael Gordin reorients the historical and contemporary conversation about the atomic bomb and World War II. Gordin contends that although the bomb clearly brought with it a new level of destructive power, strategically it was regarded by decision-makers simply as a new conventional weapon, a bigger firebomb. He details how Americans generated a new story about the origins of the bomb after surrender: that the United States knew in advance that the bomb would end the war and that its destructive power was so awesome no one could resist it. Five Days in August explores this and countless other legacies of the atomic bomb.

Gosling, F.G. The Manhattan Project: Making the Atomic Bomb. United States

Department of Energy, 1999.

Gosling conveys the history and development of the atomic bomb during WWII. He talks about the role of the U.S. government in conducting a top secret endeavor that brought about a new type of weapon. In this book he discusses the strategy of the Manhattan project. This piece of literature is geared towards a scholarly audience and someone who is knowledgeable about scientific research and development. The book is based on primary sources, with lots of archival investigation. The book has a very convenient bibliography of secondary and primary sources, and also has a very useful index.

Hasegawa, Tsuyoshi. The End of the Pacific War; Reappraisals. United States. Stanford University Press, 2007.

Historians from Japan, the US and the former Soviet Union make good use of recently released documents and find that the reasons for the Japanese surrender during World War II are still open for debate. They survey recent western literature, define Japanese political and military strategy at the end of the war, balance the threats of more atomic bombs or Soviet invasion, describe Soviet intentions as they entered into war with Japan in 1945, and describe the reasons debate will continue despite the release of previously unavailable documents. This piece of literature is geared towards a scholarly audience and someone who is knowledgeable about scientific research and development. The book is based on primary sources, with lots of archival investigation. The book has a very convenient bibliography of secondary and primary sources, and also has a very useful index.

Hogan, Michael J. Hiroshima in History and Memory. United States. Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Hogan survey’s the Hiroshima story, from the American decision to drop the atomic bomb, to the recent controversy over the Enola Gay exhibit. The nine essays in this book deal with both the historical record surrounding the decision to drop the atomic bomb and collective memories of the event. This piece of literature is geared towards a scholarly audience and someone who is knowledgeable about scientific research and development. The book is based on primary sources, with lots of archival investigation. The book has a very convenient bibliography of secondary and primary sources, and also has a very useful index.

Lanouette, William. Szilardian Science and Politics: Evolution, Revolution, or Subversion? Presented 10th November 2005 at the World Science Forum, Budapest.

In this article, Lanouette discusses Leo Szilard’s life from the perspective of other historians and scientists. This article is very useful in understanding the intelligence and the kind of person Szilard was. This article is recommended to anyone is interested in Szilard’s life and impact on science. This piece of literature is geared towards a scholarly audience and someone who is knowledgeable about scientific research and development. The article is based on primary sources, with lots of archival investigation.

McCullough, David. Truman. Biography & Autobiography/ Presidents & Heads of
State. Simon and Schuster Publisher. 2003.

David McCullough wrote this book in order to tell the story of President Truman’s

life in grave detail. This kind of exploration is uncommon among today's historians, who

do most of their research in libraries and archives. But then, by modern standards,

McCullough is something of an anachronism. He is among a small band of "public

historians" who seek to bring the past alive for the reading public by presenting history as

an unfolding story.

The Story of the Atomic Bomb (nd) E-History. Archives. Online available at:

http://ehistory.osu.edu/world/articles/ArticleView.cfm?AID=14

This is a very useful article to show the historiography of the atomic bomb. It is written

to state the historical records of the atomic bomb. It tells the story of the atomic bomb

from the 1900’s up until the surrender of the Japanese in 1945. The article is full of detailed

historical information that would be useful for anyone who is interested in the historiography

of the atomic bomb.

Wainstock, Dennis. The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb. Greenwood Publishing Group,

1996.

This is a very useful book in understanding the decision of the United States to drop the atomic

bomb on Japan. It is a balanced account of the political, diplomatic, and military currents that

influenced Japan's attempts to surrender and the United State’s decision to drop the atomic

bombs. This piece of literature is geared towards a scholarly audience and someone who is knowledgeable about scientific research and development. The book is based on primary sources, with lots of archival investigation. The book has a very convenient bibliography of secondary and primary sources, and also has a very useful index.

Walker, Samuel J. Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan. Chapel Hill and London: University of North Carolina Press, 1997.

Walker has provided a concise and objective analysis of the myriad of issues surrounding Truman's search for the best way to end World War II in the Pacific. His balanced and thoughtful approach to the mass of documentary evidence has much in common with the most recent work of Barton Bernstein, whose help is noted in the book's introduction. This book would deserve to be purchased by every college undergraduate, or anyone else wanting a thorough background in the issues surrounding the use of the atomic bomb.