Columbia Guide to Hiroshima and the Bomb

Michael Kort is professor of social science at Boston University's College of General Studies. He received his B.A. in history from Johns Hopkins University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Russian history from New York University. He is the author of several books on the history of the Soviet Union and the Cold War, including The Soviet Colossus: History and Aftermath (sixth edition, 2006) and The Columbia Guide to the Cold War (1998). Michael Kort is a professor of social science at Boston University's College of General Studies. He is the author of several books on the Soviet Union and Cold War history including The Handbook of the Former Soviet Union; The Soviet Colossus: History and Aftermath; and The Columbia Guide to the Cold War.

• Acknowledgments Introduction Part I. Historical Narrative 1. The Debate Over Hiroshima 2. Building the Atomic Bomb 3. The Pacific War 4. The Decision to Drop the Bomb 5. The Japanese Government, Ketsu-Go, and Potsdam 6. Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Japan's Surrender 7. Hiroshima and American Power Part II. Key Questions and Interpretations Part III. Resources Chronology Glossary of Military Terms and Abbreviations Glossary of Names Selected Bibliography Part IV. Documents Guide to the Documents A. American Civilian Documents B. American Military Documents C. MAGIC Diplomatic Summaries D. Japanese Government Documents, Military Documents, and Diary Entries E. Japanese Surrender Documents F. United States Strategic Bombing Survey: Summary Report and Interrogations of Japanese Officials G. Statements of Japanese Officials on World War II, Military Intelligence Section, Historical Division, U.S. Army Notes Index

A rich resource to the complex and often profoundly controversial questions surrounding the bomb of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Reference & Research Book News Lucid and careful summaries of the issues...[a] substantial and well-chosen collection of documents from American and Japanese sources -- Lawrence D. Freedman Foreign Affairs Not only comprehensive but so engaging... This is a book for every library. -- Joe P. Dunn American Reference Books Annual An indispensable book. -- Robert James Maddox Journal of Cold War Studies Innovative. -- Philip Nash H-Diplo By giving the nuclear debate life before the Cold War, Kort revitalizes it for a new complex era. The Columbia Guide to Hiroshima and the Bomb makes a valuable contribution. -- Jay Larson Peace and Change