Wilson D. Miscamble's The Most Controversial Decision Making

The choice to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States remains one of the most controversial decisions made in history. In Wilson D. Miscamble’s book, The Most Controversial Decision, he writes about the history of the atomic bomb and attempts to answer some of the most contentious questions surrounding the event. In an attempt to understand what happened and to find the truth, Miscamble leads the reader through a documented history of the bombing. In this essay, I will analyze the structure, thesis, and the contents of the book while assessing its strengths and weaknesses. Further, I will share my own views on the book and other views on the questions addressed.

The atomic bomb was the main focus of The Most Controversial Decision. A majority of the book is spent looking at the history of the atomic bomb and answering the questions surrounding the history of Truman’s decision. Many books have attempted to answer the questions concerning the atomic bombing in Japan: “[A] bevy of books appeared wrestling with questions concerning the necessity, the

He talked about Truman taking office, his circumstances, and difficulties with the atomic bomb as well as important figures such as Henry Stimson and James F. Byrnes. He wrote about the Potsdam Conference, which discussed Japan’s unconditional surrender featuring President Harry Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. Other events that came up were the Trinity Test, and the act of dropping the atomic bombs on Japan on August 6th and 9th, 1945. After Japan's continued refusal of ‘ultimate surrender’, the United States dropped ‘Little Boy’ on Hiroshima and a few days later ‘Fat Man’ was dropped on Nagasaki. Miscamble explains the aftermath of the bombing and its effects, especially in regard to ‘the race for arms’ and the future of nuclear