Customer Reviews

Danger and Survival: Choices About the Bomb in the First Fifty Years

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McGeorge Bundy depicts an unneccesary race to develop nuclear weapons while emphasizing the mindset of the mid-40s. Many interesting sidelights are exposed such as the first nation to deliberately choose not to pursue nuclear weapons (Canada). Bundy's history is especially important in the light of current thinking that Truman merely wanted to scare the h--l out of the Soviets. The history also stresses that the main concern (ending the Pacific war) overshadowed any thoughts of how to manage the gadget after the war. Although many ideas did come up such as sharing the technology with the world, no set policy was developed. As a result, Bundy (and others) believed much of the cold war arms race accelerated.

McGeorge Bundy is that rare bird: a very well-connected person who is also very, very bright -- and a gifted writer too. An absolutely first-rate book