At the Borderline of Armageddon: How American Presidents Managed the Atom Bomb (Hardcover)

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Product Description

Since the time of President Roosevelt, American Presidents have been forced to assume the responsibility of confronting this matter. In his book, "At the Border Line of Armageddon", James E. Goodby examines the choices each president made in handling the threats posed by nuclear weapons. Spanning the entire nuclear era, Goodby cites specific case studies to illustrate the decision making, simultaneously offering personal insight gained from his own involvement in these discussions.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (June 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742550753
• ISBN-13: 978-0742550759
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,975,878 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Avoiding Armageddon, September 25, 2006

By	John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: At the Borderline of Armageddon: How American Presidents Managed the Atom Bomb (Paperback)

The people assuming the role of the presidency in the United States are faced with a different set of challenges than anything they have faced before. One of the biggest is making decisions regarding the use of nuclear weapons. Being the governor of a small southern state, working in Congress, movie acting -- none of these, or any other profession really prepares one to make decisions of such importance to not only this country but to the entire world.

James Goodby has been involved with the study of nuclear weapons, their use, and the various negeotiations concerning them for many years. In this book he examines the outlook of the presidents beginning with Roosevelt through each holder of the office down to George W. Bush.

To quote from his Preface: 'Were presidential decisions invariably wise and skillfully executed? No, but nuclear weapons were never exploded over any city anywhere in the world after 1945. That wa sa major achievement. Things could have turned out far differently. That they did not, we shuld be thankful and should take pride in the statecraft that so far has avoided Armageddon.'

Regardless of how one views the various presidents, this has been an amazing and enduring achievement. This book talks about the turns and twists in American and world policies that made this possible.