The origins of U.S. nuclear strategy, 1945-1953

While the Cold War is over, many of the problems it spawned live on. One of the worst of these is the continued presence of vast nuclear arsenals in the United States and Russia. How did the thousands of American bombs come into existence and how did they so rapidly become the United States' first line of defense? Drawing extensively on previously classified material, Samuel R. Williamson, Jr. and Steven L. Rearden have written the definitive history of this crucial period. They clearly show how American policymakers certainly including President Truman, never expected nuclear weapons to play such a major strategic role. And yet, by relying on the atomic bomb time and again to shore up U.S. defenses in the face of worsening relations with the Soviet Union, Truman found himself ultimately with no other choice. The authors not only document and analyze the origins and early evolution of U.S. nuclear strategy, they also clearly demonstrate the close relationship between decisions affecting such diverse matters as foreign policy, new technologies, and the budgetary process. The result is a fresh analysis containing many new insights and timely reminders of the myriad complications created by reliance on nuclear weapons.