George Weller (1) (1907–2002)

This is a book about military censorship. MacArthur and the US government did not want any reportage of any lingering or long-term radiation affects of the bomb. That is why Weller's dispatches were suppressed. Interestingly, Hiroshima was much more destructive because its topography was flat, whereas Nagasaki's was much more hilly. But Nagasaki reportage was just 20% or so of the book. Most of the book was about his reports of the Japanese POW camps, and the atrocities done there. I was show more most impressed by the quality of his dispatches: the facts and just the facts. There is relative little spin. Very, very different from the reporting done by "embedded" reporters during the Iraq War. Here is an example of "objective" reporting, that I miss from any journalist in any media today. Raw history. Recommended. show less

Uneven but interesting account of the days following the Nagasaki nuclear attack. The part about the American prisoners in the Philippines is actually better.

This book is mistitled. Very little of it is about Nagasaki. Almost all of it is about the POWs in Japan and on the way to Japan in aptly described “death ships.” It has so little about Nagasaki, it is almost false advertising.

The death ship narrative is a feat of exceptional journalism and told with gruesome, but respectful detail.

A strong book, but the misleading title is an annoyance.

Excellent addition to anyone reading about WWII, Japan, atomic bombs, Gen MacArthur, prisoners of war. There will never be a definitive answer to the question of should we have dropped the bombs, but this adds info about the question of the character of the Japanese at war. They would never have stopped fighting until the Emperor told them to. Their treatment of prisoners reveals what they would have been like as conquerors and masters. Have they ever accepted responsibility for their part show more in starting the war? The hell they put the pows through... no words are good enough to describe it. Talks about the propaganda presented after the war by both sides. Does not attempt to give a final answer, but does present more information that should be considered... show less