Few aspects of American military history have been as vigorously debated as Harry Truman's decision to use atomic bombs against Japan. In this carefully crafted volume, Michael Kort describes the wartime circumstances and thinking that form the context for the decision to use these weapons, surveys the major debates related to that decision, and provides a comprehensive collection of key primary source documents that illuminate the behavior of the United States and Japan during the closing days of World War II. (...) Kort opens with a summary of the debate over Hiroshima as it has evolved since 1945. He then provides a historical overview of thye events in question, beginning with the decision and program to build the atomic bomb. Detailing the sequence of events leading to Japan's surrender, he revisits the decisive battles of the Pacific War and the motivations of American and Japanese leaders. Finally, Kort examines ten key issues in the discussion of Hiroshima and guides readers to relevant primary source documents, scholarly books, and articles. (shrink)

An aging Albanian Little Red Riding-Hood finds herself a lonely widow after having married and then divorced, one after another, the Yugoslax Wolf, the Soviet Bear and the Chinese Dragon. Each divorce entailed a thorough housecleaning, to make sure that the new partner, upon waking in the morning, would not risk stepping into the slippers of the preceding husband. Partial housecleanings have also occurred, involving removal of furniture and other belongings which, upon closer inspection, were identified as magic objects furtively (...) introduced by the Western Ogre, lurking in die distance and waiting for his turn. We can thus speak of purges related to four basic heresies: Titoism, Soviet social-imperialism, Maoism and Eurocommunism. (shrink)

The year is 1777, and the action takes place in Crimea. He is the son of the Grand Vizier, she a beautiful rayah. The young prince falls in love with the girl and begins to court her — the citizens begin to gossip. In vain the Grand Vizier tries to dissuade his son from wooing the maiden. In the meantime the Khan of Crimea has discovered that his vizier, during a diplomatic trip to Paris, has paid a secret visit to (...) Diderot. The Khan suspects his vizier to be contaminated by republican ideas. And when he learns that the vizier's son intends to marry the rayah girl, he has the vizier arrested as an agent of the Encyclopédic The evidence of his high treason: the projected marriage of his son to the despicable rayah. (shrink)