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Web Resources

"Documents on the decision to use the atomic bomb are reproduced here in full-text form. In most cases, the originals are in the U.S. National Archives. Other aspects of the decision are shown from accounts by the participants."

Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb (Harry S. Truman Presidential Library)

"This collection includes documents totaling almost 600 pages, covering the years 1945-1964. Supporting materials include an online version of "Truman and the Bomb: A Documentary History," edited by Robert H. Ferrell."

Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II

Atomic Bombs and the Soviet Invasion: What Drove Japan's Decision to Surrender?

Beware, the Historian! Hiroshima, the Enola Gay, and the Dangers of History in Diplomatic History (Winter 1996), 121-131.

Atomic Bomb Decision

Making the Decision to Use The Atomic Bomb

President Truman Did Not Understand

Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb

Documents Relating to American Foreign Policy - Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Suggested City DVD's

White Light Black Rain The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
A documentary which looks at the legacy of the first use of nuclear weapons in war, featuring archival footage, photography, and interviews with Japanese survivors of the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, as well as Americans who believed the atomic bombs were the best way to end the conflict.

Suggested City Library Books

The Most Controversial Decision: Truman, the atomic bombs, and the defeat of Japan by Wilson D. Miscamble
ISBN: 9780521735360
Publication Date: 2011-04-11
Discusses the usage of atomic bombs by the United States in World War II and President Harry S. Truman's decision to launch a nuclear attack on Japan, examining the morality of the decision, and exploring the relationship between nuclear weapons and the start of the Cold War.
The Atom Bomb by Tamara L. Roleff
ISBN: 0737702141
Publication Date: 2000-01-01
Contains twenty essays in which various authors examine issues related to the atom bomb, discussing its development, the decision to drop the bomb on Japan, the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and America in the Cold War; with evaluations of the bomb by scientists.
Harry S. Truman by Robert H. Ferrell
ISBN: 1568027664
Publication Date: 2003-11-21
Chronicles the life and presidency of Harry Truman through narration and over one hundred primary documents, covering such topics as his youth in Missouri, his electoral strategies, his administration's policies, and the dropping of the atomic bomb.
Hiroshima by John R. Hersey
ISBN: 0679721037
Publication Date: 1989-03-04
Downfall by Richard B. Frank
ISBN: 9780141001463
Publication Date: 2001-05-01
Examines the last months of the Pacific war as it appeared to American and Japanese decision makers at the time, and presents evidence that indicates Japan was not at all ready to surrender in August 1945 at the time the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Red Cloud at Dawn by Michael D. Gordin
ISBN: 9780312655426
Publication Date: 2010-11-23
Traces the origins of the nuclear arms race of the mid-twentieth century, focusing on the story of "First Lightning," the 1949 Soviet test bomb.

Suggested City eBooks

Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the use of atomic bombs against Japan by Samuel
ISBN: 9781469628981
Examines the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, discussing the information on which American leaders based the decision to drop the bomb, and the roles of U.S.-Soviet relations and American domestic politics.

Librarian and Extended Essay Coordinator

Jennifer Berg Gaither

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JSTOR is an online archive of academic journals and primary sources. The JSTOR archive includes content in History, Language & Literature, Religion, Art & Art History, Education, Law, Science and Political Science. Most journals in the archive are added 3-5 years after the publication date.

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Research Guide: Atomic Bombs: Home

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