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Chargement... Road to Surrender: Three Men and the Countdown to the End of World War II (édition 2023)par Evan Thomas (Auteur)
Information sur l'oeuvreRoad to Surrender: Three Men and the Countdown to the End of World War II par Evan Thomas
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Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. Excellent narrative of the issues confronting the decision makers faced with using, or not using, the atomic bomb. ( ) The book is well-written and informative as it speaks of the decisions that led to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It specifically focuses on the American leadership and the Japanese leadership, and what led up to the final surrender of Japan in September 1945. The book does not focus on the development of the atom bomb; that has been covered elsewhere. This book discusses the decisions that led up to actually using the atom bomb for the first time, and the outcome, as well as what was going on with the Japanese leadership following the deployment of the bombs. It discusses the deliberations as well as a final decision by the Emperor to surrender. The book is very sympathetic to all sides; it does not seek a villain, and it doesn’t have a hero. But, that being said, it opens a window onto the experiences and feelings of the airmen going into Japan to drop the bomb, and it goes into the feelings on the Japanese side, and how close we came to the war continuing and more lives being lost, and many more lives could have potentially been lost had things turned out differently. An eye-opening account of the end of WWII through three men involved in decision making: the American Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, ailing and pressuring for limiting civilian casualties; Gen. Carl “Tooey” Spaatz in charge of bombing in the Pacific; and Japan’s Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo, pressing surrender to a War Council determined to accept massive causalities over defeat. At the heart of the book is the decision by the United States to employ the Atom bomb. Those involved came to second guess their support and decisions, but the author argues that it did save lives. Henry Stimson is the center of the story. He had a long political career and was well respected when President Roosevelt appointed him Secretary of War. Although in failing health and disturbed by the horrible civilian casualties in Europe, he was dedicated to his work, pressuring the U.S.to not follow the British carpet bombing that killed civilians, and urging the banning of submarines in war. His moral vision is admirable. With Roosevelt’s death, Truman sidelines Stimson. We are given an understanding of what was happening in Japan, how the military’s power overshadowed Emperor Hirohito, a coup brewing if he surrendered. Russia entering the war would allow them to take over more territory in China and, they hoped, Japan. The U.S. wanted to end the war and stop the Russian advance. Choosing targets for the atom bombs–ocean, small island, military target or city–was complicated. And when Japan did not immediately accept the terms of surrender, the U.S. was preparing a third and even a fourth bomb. Deeply researched, the book brings to life history and the men who made history. Thanks to the publisher for a free ebook. aucune critique | ajouter une critique
Distinctions
"This suspenseful and propulsive account of the days leading up to the end of World War II, is told through the stories of three men: Henry Stimson, the Secretary of War, who had overall responsibility for decisions about the atomic bomb; Gen. Carl "Tooey" Spaatz, head of strategic bombing in Europe and the Pacific, who was in charge of actually dropping the bombs; and Shigenori T?g?, the Japanese Foreign Minister, who was the only one in Emperor Hirohito's Court and Supreme War Council who knew and believed that Japan must surrender. 1945 was Stimson's last year of his career as a statesman in the administrations of five presidents. When Truman, a peripheral figure in the momentous decision, accepted Stimson's recommendation to drop the bomb, you are there as Army Air Force commander General Spaatz accepts the order, gets into one of the planes, and the planes take off. Like Stimson, Spaatz agonized over the command even as he recognized it would end the war, and that a prolonged war would cause even greater destruction. But Spaatz and Stimson were on only one side of the story. On the other side of the world was a commander whom they would never meet. From the start of the Pacific war, Foreign Minister T?g? worked to mediate negotiations between the Japanese Prime Minister, the Emperor, and his Court, all of whom believed surrender was impossible. Finally, T?g? convinced the Emperor that surrender was the best option for Hirohito, and for Japan"-- Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)940.5312History and Geography Europe Europe 1918- World War II Social, political, economic history; HolocaustClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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