The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for Control of the Atomic Age

WINNER OF THE 2026 HARRY S. TRUMAN BOOK AWARD

“This is historical research at its best.” — Dan Carlin

"I thought I knew the story but learned much that I didn’t know. Outstanding!"— Richard Rhodes

"A well-written opus." — The Wall Street Journal

President Truman’s choice to drop the atomic bomb is the most debated decision in the 20th Century. But what if Truman’s actual decision wasn’t what everyone thinks it was?

The conventional narrative is that American leaders had a choice: Invade Japan, w...