140 Days to Hiroshima

The Story of Japan’s Last Chance to Avert Armageddon

De: David Dean Barrett

Narrado por: Stephen Graybill

On the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki comes this heart-pounding account of the war-room drama inside the cabinets of the United States and Japan that led to Armageddon on August 6, 1945.

Here are the secret strategy sessions, fierce debates, looming assassinations, and planned invasions that resulted in history’s first use of nuclear weapons in combat, and the ensuing chaotic days as the Japanese government struggled to respond to the reality of nuclear war.

During the closing months of World War II, as America’s strategic bombing campaign incinerated Japan’s cities, two military giants locked in a death embrace of cultural differences and diplomatic intransigence. The leaders of the United States called for the “unconditional surrender” of the Japanese Empire while developing history’s deadliest weapon and weighing an invasion that would have dwarfed D-Day. Their enemy responded with a last-ditch plan termed Ketsu Go, which called for the suicidal resistance of every able-bodied man and woman in the “Decisive Battle” for the homeland. But had Emperor Hirohito’s generals miscalculated how far the Americans had come in developing the atomic bomb? How close did President Harry Truman come to ordering the invasion of Japan?

Within the Japanese Supreme Council at the Direction of War, a.k.a. the "Big Six", Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo risked assassination in his crusade to convince his dysfunctional government, dominated by militarist fanatics, to save his country from annihilation.

Despite Allied warnings of Japan’s “prompt and utter destruction” and that the Allies would “brook no delay”, the Big Six remained defiant. They refused to surrender even after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

How did Japanese leaders come to this impasse? The answers lie in this nearly day-by-day account of the struggle to end the most destructive conflict in history.

©2020 David Dean Barrett (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

An Insider's View

Truly vivid description of the inner workings of the Japanese High command in response to the pending American Invasion and the impact of the atomic bomb The Listener is left to realize there was no alternative but to drop the bomb and even then how difficult it was for the Japanese to accept the surrender terms.

one of best

Unbelievably great.
Counting down the days format helps in understanding the complexity of that war.
I have read a lot of books on this particular topic but never felt the clarity that this author has given it.
Spacestationark ARK

Excellent

I learned a lot about the end of this war. And I had thought that I was very well read before. Recommend!

Interesting

This is a good history and it is also trying to make an argument, that the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was the right decision. So it is not a detached history, rather falls in the “traditionalist” camp, as the author calls it, and a counter argument to the “revisionists.” Nevertheless, the arguments made are well informed and cogent. You will learn a lot, especially about the Japanese leaders making the decisions.

Best explanation of the bombings from both sides

This book is the story told from both sides of the conflict. I found the book very informative and entertaining.

Excellent

This is one of the best history books I’ve listened to recently. It’s also a convenient length. Riveting!

Excellent author and narrator

This book was a most pleasant surprise; the writing was detailed, cogent and compelling. I thought the narrator was excellent and was perfect for this book. Written with great detail but in a manner that really was engaging and thought provoking. Highly recommended!

This one stands out

Fantastic overview of the final days before the A Bomb was dropped. A must read before forming any opinions about the US dropping the atomic bombs. Dives deep inside the inner workings and meetings of both the Americans and the Japanese before this fateful decision.

Excellent work of history.

This is a tremendous and illuminating history of the final days of WWII in the Pacific as it pertains to the use of the two atomic bombs. It discusses in detail the Japanese and the American behind the scenes maneuvers that resulted at last in the Japanese surrender. I highly recommend this eye opening book.

Very info, but

Good information about what was going on in the decision-makers minds and meetings, but the narrator’s mispronunciations annoyed me.