Nonfiction Book Review: The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War by Fred Kaplan

By David Ryan | Central Library

Since 1945 the ominous mushroom-shaped shadow of nuclear weapons has only occasionally lurched to the front of our national psyche. Rare incidents like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the 1983 downing of Korean airlines flight 007, and North Korea’s nuclear program have reminded us of the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, for presidents, generals and admirals this shadow has been ubiquitous, a daily pall spawning a host of devilish catch-22s that haunt their work and dreams.

In The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Fred Kaplan reveals the lethal evolution of nuclear weapons, and how these technical advances have forced our military leaders, politicians, and scholars to change how they answer the most basic of questions: When, if ever, is it strategically necessary to launch a nuclear attack? The strategic contradictions brought about by technical, nuclear advances such as submarine-based missiles, MIRV (Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles), enhanced radiation warheads (neutron bombs), and the Star Wars program are staggering. Moreover, each upgrade on our part has given birth to an equal or greater upgrade on the part of our enemies, adding yet another layer of difficulty to our leadership’s most momentous decision.

The most fascinating aspect of this book is the examples of how some of our presidents and military leaders have initially regarded the nuclear bomb, only to change their mind once they take command. President Truman used nuclear bombs to end a war. His SAC commander, General Curtis Le May, never comprehended the long-term effects of nuclear weapons. Perhaps as a consequence of his mindset, President Truman declared the bomb fundamentally different “from rifles and cannons,” and insisted that control and usage of the bomb be placed in the hands of civilians. President Carter, a former nuclear engineer, found the concept of nuclear war abhorrent, but introduced new nuclear weapons systems to the arms race. President Reagan began his first term by publicly stating that America could win a nuclear exchange with Russia, but by his second term was desperate to sign an all-encompassing nuclear treaty with Russia.

And what is the possibility for the future abolition of nuclear weapons? After reading The Bomb, you will realize that it’s far easier to open Robert Oppenheimer’s box than to close it. Civilian analysts, military officers, and academics have spent decades grappling with the mushroom cloud, trying desperately to squeeze that lethal knowledge back into the box. The reality is there are still world leaders who ask why they can’t use the bomb.