User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
The 116 days from Truman’s accidental presidency to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
At the center of this story are the uncertainties faced by the scientists and military figures that were involved in the Manhattan Project. And the moral questions related to the use of the bomb in combat. Some had second thoughts already before the dropping of the bomb. Others questioned it afterwards, and still others thought it had always been the right decision. But ultimately it was one that had to be made by Truman, who hadn’t even known of the bomb’s existence, before FDR died and he took over as the President of the United States.
Some interesting figures are involved in this whole affair. But the book sometimes lacks a clear focus. Chapters are mostly short and only briefly introduce new protagonists. This however the book does frequently. You end up with a lot of personnel that you feel you don’t really know all that much about. There are however a few central figures, like Truman, Oppenheimer, Leslie Groves and Paul Tibbets. While you don’t get a particularly detailed backstory of those either, at least their thoughts and contributions during the whole project are clear. We also get the view of one of the Hiroshima survivors, which I appreciated.
The really interesting parts of the book are the developing and testing of the bomb, the secrecy of the whole project (or let’s say the attempted secrecy), the speculation about the consequences (by politicians, military and the scientists alike) and then these last few days when the decision had to be made, and ultimately the dropping of the bomb itself. It was eerie to be aboard the
Enola Gay for her flight into history.
The book also includes, in less detail, the dropping of the second bomb on Nagasaki and Japan’s subsequent capitulation. And then, in more detail again, the aftermath, both on a political and very personal level.
Overall,
3.5 stars.
The last two chapters especially, but also the epilogue and postscript, as well as the chapter about the testing of the bomb make me round up to four stars. Those were hugely interesting and arresting chapters. I’m talking about roughly 20% of the book here. Another 20% are acknowledgements, notes, bibliography and so on. The other 60% were fine, but not a four star read for me, so I’m perhaps a little generous with my rating. But it is an interesting story.
"War, the scourge of human race since time began, now held terrors beyond belief."
Rating: really liked it
While there are more complete books about President Truman (David McCullough's biography), the atomic bomb (Richard Rhodes's Pulitzer Prize winning book) or World War II (too numerous to list), this book by Chris Wallace nicely sums up the days between the inauguration of Truman as President to the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
In between, the book reads like a dramatic novel with brief but terrific portraits of many people who were important in the saga of the atomic bomb. Most important people in the Manhattan Project like Oppenheimer and Groves are included as well as others such as a New York Times reporter who after a long assignment of covering the war in Japan was on the plane that dropped the second bomb at Nagasaki. For a complete but fairly brief World War II book that provides sheer reading pleasure - if one can take pleasure in such a historic yet horrific event - this book is fantastic.
Rating: really liked it
This book was decent. I will say that I got a lot out of it. I learned a lot about the status at the end of WWII that really broadened by knowledge and understanding of the war.
I was weary because Chris Wallace works for Fox News. I read he's a democrat and often an opponent to Trump's rhetoric, which is more important, honestly, than his political party and place of employment. But the book only seemed to try and "convince" me (the reader) that the dropping of the atom bomb was the right decision (from Truman's perspective) in one short passage. Otherwise the book seemed very objective and only wanted to relay information rather than pitch an argument.
It was dry in some parts, but also really intriguing in others. I liked Wallace's inclusion of a wide cast of historic figures from scientists, important military figures, world leaders and ordinary citizens. It was a good source of new information for me of that time. Wallace likes to repeat himself, but it somewhat works as it can get confusing on who is who and a reminder on this person's belief/position. I plan on reading a more in depth novel by Paul Ham that is more specific to the bombings and the civilians affected and the morality of nuclear weapons, but I'm glad I read this first as a good preface.
Overall I give it a 3.5.
Rating: really liked it
From the Fox news host comes this new look at an old story, the development and use of the atomic bombs to end WW2. I found this book to be very readable and entertaining. The writing style is very direct and simple. There is almost no attempt at sugar-coating the story. Just straight on narrative that doesn't pull any punches. An essential entry in the historiography of WW2 and also an insightful look into our 33rd President Harry Truman.
Rating: really liked it
I expected Chris Wallace’s
Countdown 1945 to be informative (it is); I assumed it would be comprehensively researched (it is); and I hoped it would be full of behind-the-scenes details, which it is. What surprised me is how compelling is Wallace’s storytelling; his book is a page turner. I say "surprised" because, like most people, I know the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and because I am generally familiar with the major characters who participated in this part of history. So
Countdown 1945 is informative, comprehensively researched, and surprisingly compelling. It’s a good read.
More specifically, Wallace has made two good decisions. First, he starts not with atomic energy science or with the details of WWII. Instead, he begins with Harry Truman and the awesome, sudden responsibility Truman must assume at FDR’s death. Of course, that responsibility includes deciding whether to use the atomic bomb and its multiple questions—moral, military, and geopolitical. Even the uncertain future of our existence on planet Earth comes into the analysis. By starting with the gravity of Truman’s situation, Wallace took me immediately into the story.
And then there is the countdown framework, which can be a cliché, but here it works extraordinarily well. The countdown maintains a clear chronology while allowing Wallace to describe multiple characters in multiple situations in numerous places around the world. Using a countdown frame, Wallace creates a sense of drama even when the basics are well known because the structure holds the subject together so well.
Are there negatives? Nothing significant. The prose is direct and workmanlike, but there are no soaring passages, no paragraphs to savor. The drama comes, as I say, from the countdown structure and the focus on Truman (and many other key figures), not from Wallace’s way with words. But who needs an impressive way with words when the subject is one of the most important events of the 20th century and the author has handled that subject remarkably well? Not me. I’ll take
Countdown 1945 just as is.
Rating: really liked it
The story had a chance to be intense and interesting. The writing... left me bored at times. Which is horrible considering how important the events were and how tragic the results impacted people.
For instance. Dr. Bla Bla came out in a white lab coat. He graduated from bla bla school in the year bla bla. He told the president... -who cares what year or what school he graduated from. Of course his lab coat would be white. There is no reason to specify the color unless it is a color other than white. I don’t know...it seemed like a lot of filler descriptions were added in. Every general’s or cop’s
Wife and children and neighborhood of where they live were mentioned that had absolutely no relevance to the story!!
“FDR, the man who led the nation over the past twelve years, through the Depression and Pearl Harbor and now to the verge of victory in Europe in the Second World War, had died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of sixty-three”
“Congress declared war on Japan after the Pearl Harbor attack. Four days later, Germany declared war on the United States. The nation mobilized. For many Americans, FDR was the only commander in chief they had ever known. He was elected president ‘four times’, and almost three and a half years into World War II, just as the Allies neared victory in Europe—and the war in the Pacific reached a bloody climax—Roosevelt had suddenly died.”
“it was Roosevelt who authorized the atomic bomb research and development project, bringing together the brightest scientific minds for an operation he hoped would one day end the war”
“Roosevelt was a great architect,” Oppenheimer said. “Perhaps Truman will be a good carpenter.”
It started as an interesting story ‘concept.’ Then it became a history book from the 1940’s. Even the pictures were redundant. I dnf at 50% . I don’t even know how I made it that far. I was so bored!!! The few moments where gunshots, explosions or attacks were mentioned...my mind’s shoulders shrugged like Meh... such a same.
Hear Chris’s Wallace talk about his book had me on the edge of my seat researching where to get the cheapest priced copy. And now I’m just confused.
Rating: really liked it
Everyone has heard about these events before but this book delves into the behind the scenes and deeper issues from Pearl Harbor to the release of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. I loved the beginning chapters started with a lot of conflict with FDR dying and a reluctant but ready Harry S Truman becoming the 33rd President of the United States. He wanted to follow through with FDR's plans during war against Germany and Japan exactly as it was laid out. Truman obviously had big shoes to full and a lot of quick learning to do.
The details and narrative in this book was exceptional. Any seasoned nonfiction reader can tell many hours of careful research and passion went into writing this book. The result is something that is easier and more interesting to understand about a sensitive period in American history. Definitely a new to me favorite nonfiction writer. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in WWII history, American history events, etc. A must read and definitely one I will add to be library as a hardcover.
Thanks to Netgalley, Chris Wallace and Avid Reader Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Available: 6/9/20
Rating: really liked it
"Countdown 1945" explores the timetable of the 116 days leading up to the testing of, and the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan which finally ended the 2nd world war in 1945. How the "Manhattan Project"remained top secret without leaks, or as they are called today..."Whistleblowers", is mind blowing to me. Would never happen in today's United States. "Countdown 1945" also includes several pictures of the bombs, "Little Boy" and "Fat Man", and the men who made it all possible.
Agree or disagree with the horrific outcome, this is the fascinating true story of how it all happened. My favorite non fiction book so far this year. Chris Wallace and collaborator Mitch Weiss did a fantastic job fact finding. Recommended.
Rating: really liked it
Rated: C+
Loved the "countdown" aspect of the book. Not much new. Timely publication given that we commemorate the 75 year of the first atomic bomb. Praise God that the USA is the only country that has used atomic energy as a weapon. It helped end a war that would have cost more loss of life than through conventional means of warfare.
"It's really hard to talk about morality and war in the same sentence." (Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk, navigator on the Enola Gay)
"Humane warfare is an oxymoran. War by definition is barbaric. To try and distinguish between an acceptable method of killing and an unacceptable method is ludicrous". (Jason Beser, radar specialist on the Enola Gay)
Rating: really liked it
This is an insightful and interesting look into the days leading up to the use of the Atomic Bomb in Japan. It is interesting to see all of the small details and decisions that lead up to an event that changed warfare forever.
I really enjoyed learning more about this truly historic event. It wasn't a decision that came lightly, but it was a decisive end to a war that had lasted for far too long. I'm glad I read this, I learned a lot and I've always been interested in WWII so I'm looking forward to seeing what else I can learn from behind the scenes books like this.
Very well done.
Rating: really liked it
I liked this close look at the few months after Truman became President and the day the atomic bombs were dropped. Wallace made this sound like a thriller while also making the listener think of all the implications associated with wmds.
Rating: really liked it
This is a short (275 pages of text with lots of photos) book that attempts to provide an examination of the development, planning, decision-making, and the key individuals involved in the dropping of the two atomic bombs that ended World War II. While the book provides some interesting details and stories, in attempting to do so much, it ends up doing nothing particularly well. And it really glosses over some of the more controversial parts of the story. The format of the book is reflected in its title "Countdown," as it takes the reader through the time leading up to August 6, 1945, i.e. 116 days away, 91 days away, 7 days away, etc. The book's strength is providing a look at the key individuals: the Big Three at Potsdam and the members of the crew of the Enola Gay. It provides a little bit of explanation of the science (and the technology) behind the bomb, but not much; it teases the idea that the use of the bomb might have been aimed at the USSR, but doesn't really explore it very thoroughly, and its description of the impact on Hiroshima is illustrated by the story of one girl (who ended up moving to the U.S. and marrying an American- not exactly a random sample). For me, the most interesting story was about the mission's bomb technician, who decided that taking off with the bomb fully armed was too dangerous and thus figured out (in 24 hours) how to arm the bomb in midair, dangling over the bomb bay door. But I was disappointed that the book's analysis of the decision did not delve more deeply in the refusal to offer the Japanese the right to keep the emperor on his throne. The author recounts that we announced many times that we would accept nothing less than unconditional surrender, but in the end we DID offer the Japanese the opportunity to keep the emperor. Why could Harry Truman have justified this action in the fall of 1945, but not in the summer? The book does not say. And it does not even raise the question of why the second bomb was used so quickly after the first bomb. The Japanese announced their surrender five days after the Nagasaki bomb, but we only gave them two days to act after the Hiroshima bomb. There is a contention that the second bomb was used so quickly because the Soviets had entered the war two days after Hiroshima and we did not want them to contribute so much to the war effort that they could demand big territorial concessions in Asia. Or that we used the second bomb so quickly to see if the plutonium bomb worked as well as the uranium bomb. But the book completely avoids these issues. In short, the book is a quick read and it has some interesting sections. But I would recommend that as soon as one finishes this book, John Hersey's book "Hiroshima," which follows six people who were in that city on August 6, 1945, should be read immediately. Chris Wallace's book mentions Hersey's book, but its analysis of the morality basically relies on the traditional notion that the use of the bombs saved lives. For my money, Peter Wyden's book "Day One" is a more complete analysis of the event.
Rating: really liked it
I've read much on Truman's role as president and his decisive action, criticized by many, in dropping the atomic bombs in Japan. I believe Truman was in the right place at the right time. His acumen in discarding persuasive political rhetoric and thus enabling pertinent facts revealed to support his decisions in keeping with his own morality. Was he perfect? No, like all of us imperfect, but he was the man for the decisions that needed to be made in 1945. I also had many questions about decisions made that laid the foundation of the Cold Was which were explained to my understanding. A good book. Good history and fairly told.
Rating: really liked it
Interesting story told with lots of good detail
Rating: really liked it
This is a gripping book, well researched (maybe a little lean on the Japanese perspective from people "there") and well done. I can't recommend this highly enough. The view of the decision to drop two atomic bombs within a few days is pretty well supported by Chris Wallace, although some of the advice at the time from Senior military people (Eisenhower and another four-star general) were not supportive. President Truman comes across as a man who was up to the job, an almost impossible task as he was handed the presidency upon the surprise heart attack death of FDR only a short time into Roosevelt's fourth team. Truman grabbed the reins and was terse and direct, seeking advice but at no time giving any indication he was not ready for the job.
The sections of the book about the Potsdam Conference in Post-WW2 Germany, while an invasion of Japan was being planned and coordinated, is riveting. Truman's ability to "accept the leadership position" accorded to the US President, while Stalin and Churchill were veterans in that triumvirate, was fascinating. He appears, not for a minute, to not be up to the job.
Details of the planning of the mission itself are incredible. Seven planes in all took part, with some checking on weather, one a backup, and two with duties of radar and photography. All this was in addition to Tibbets' Enola Gay with the payload- "the gadget." The stories of the massive multi-faceted secret development programs are incredible. The mission itself, including the actual take-off, which required every inch of the runway on Tinian Island, and nearly resulted in the plane splashing into the ocean with a payload heavier than any previous, is covered in hair-raising detail. The decision selecting the actual "X" site, a central bridge, for the bomb delivery over Hiroshima is described in gruesomely dispassionate fashion. Perhaps most of this information would be available if one were to spend his/her life seeking it from all various sources, but Wallace and his team did a first class job and it is laid out for the reader. This book brings real life history to life, in terms of people and searing details, in a brilliant and shocking way.
