The winning weapon

the long version

An account of the evolution of U.S. diplomacy and strategy regarding nuclear weapons in the early cold war, based on the files of the Manhattan Project, the AEC, the FBI and private papers. In view of the growing conflict with the USSR Herken discusses the intragovernment conflict over going international or keeping the atomic bomb's alleged secrets. Examining how dependence on the bomb gradually shaped American military strategy, he wonders whether it is imperative to consider assumptions, conclusions and alternatives, especially at a time of impasse over arms limitation and prospect of a renewed arms race.