Annotated Bibliography

Baker, Paul R., ed. The Atomic Bomb: The Great Decision. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1968.

Baker’s compilation includes the work of several scholars, journalists, and statesmen. It includes essays concerning the use of atomic weapons against Japan and the effect these weapons had on the Cold War, morality, and contemporary nuclear policy. One of the most noteworthy inclusions is Henry L. Stimson’s article, The Decision to Use the Bomb, in which the veteran politician describes the issues surrounding the use of atomic weapons to end World War II and the factors that affected this decision.

www.jstor.org (accessed June 26, 2008)

Bernstein gives chronological coverage of the development of atomic diplomacy and the transition of power from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Harry S. Truman. He covers the factors that contributed to Truman’s decision to employ atomic bombs to end World War II.

Groves, Leslie R. Now It Can Be Told: The Story of the Manhattan Project. New York, NY: Da Capo Press, 1975

In this monograph, Groves, the military leader of the Manhattan Project, relates the story of the Project—specifically Groves’s personal account of his direct involvement. It is an extremely detailed account of the events that transpired between September 17, 1942, and December 31, 1946.

Hastings, Max. Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1944-45. New York, NY: Alfred A Knopf, 2008.

Hastings chronologically examines the Pacific theater of World War II, and closely analyzes the battles leading up to the use of atomic weapons to end the war. Hastings’s book was very useful in the writing of this paper because of its author’s precision and supportive stance concerning America’s use of the atomic bomb.

Miller, Donald L. D-Days in the Pacific. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2005.

Miller provides a detailed survey of the major battles of the war in the Pacific. He combines historical facts and analysis with the griping firsthand accounts of soldiers who fought in the bloody campaigns. His coverage of the fighting on Okinawa was especially concise, and captured the milieu of the Pacific theater.

Rees, Laurence. Horrors in the East: Japan and the Atrocities of World War II. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2001.

In this book, Rees chronologically intimates some of the more egregious Japanese war crimes committed prior to and during World War II. The author makes use of firsthand accounts delivered by the perpetrators and victims of these atrocities. The stories of these witnesses helped to sculpt a vivid understanding of the mentality possessing the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.

Schoenberger, Walter Smith. Decision of Destiny. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 1969.

Decision of Destiny analyzes the conditions that influenced Truman’s decision to use atomic weapons against Japan. Schoenberger offers a balanced and well thought-out argument supporting the rationality of the Presidents decision. He examines many factors, new and old, which affected this decision, including Soviet concerns, Japanese tenacity, and American foreign policy.

Skates, John Ray. The Invasion of Japan: Alternative to the Bomb. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1994.

The Invasion of Japan surveys Olympic, America’s invasion plan for the Japanese home island. While Skates concludes that the use of atomic weapons was not a military necessity, his detailed description of the Japanese defense strategy was unparalleled. This work aided in the solidification of this writer’s thesis.

Sledge, E. B. With The Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1990.

E. B. Sledge served as a United States Marine during World War II. He served with the 1^st Marine Division on Peleliu and Okinawa, and his book, With The Old Breed, is the story of his experiences while fighting in the Pacific. This monograph paints a vivid, and at times disturbing, picture of the abject realities of the War against the Japanese.

Takaki, Ronald. Hiroshima: Why America Dropped the Atomic Bomb. Boston, MA: Little Brown and Company, 1995.

Takaki’s book is a study of America’s Decision to employ atomic bombs to end the war with Japan in the summer of 1945. His work is of a primarily revisionist bent, and he cites several reasons for America’s use of atomic weapons that deviate from the established rationale—to end the war quickly and save American lives. He examines factors such as American Racism and President Truman’s “inferiority complex.” His work was helpful in constructing the historiographical portion of this paper.

Walker, J. Samuel. Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 2004.

Walker’s book, Prompt and Utter Destruction, is a historiographical study of Truman and his decision to use atomic weapons. This book was extremely valuable because of its precision and brevity. It conveyed a cornucopia of information in a very concise manner. Primarily, Walker argues that America was justified in its use of atomic bombs to end World War II quickly, while saving the lives of American soldiers.

Walker, J. Samuel. “Recent Literature on Truman's Atomic Bomb Decision: A Search for Middle Ground.” Diplomatic History, Vol. 29 Issue 2 (2005), p311-334. http://www.ebscohost.com (accessed June 26, 2008).

Walker’s essay concerns the historiapraphical debate surrounding the use of atomic weapons. He examines the arguments of leading historians who studied Truman’s decision, and compares and contrasts the assertions of traditionalists and revisionists. Walker attempts to find middle ground between these seemingly diametrically opposed historical interpretations.