Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World
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- Create Date：2021-06-07 18:31:14
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Chris Wallace
- ISBN：1982143355
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Summary
The #1 national bestselling “riveting” （The New York Times）， “propulsive” （Time） behind-the-scenes account “that reads like a tense thriller” （The Washington Post） of the 116 days leading up to the American attack on Hiroshima by veteran journalist and anchor of Fox News Sunday， Chris Wallace。
April 12， 1945: After years of bloody conflict in Europe and the Pacific， America is stunned by news of President Franklin D。 Roosevelt’s death。 In an instant， Vice President Harry Truman， who has been kept out of war planning and knows nothing of the top-secret Manhattan Project to develop the world’s first atomic bomb， must assume command of a nation at war on multiple continents—and confront one of the most consequential decisions in history。 Countdown 1945 tells the gripping true story of the turbulent days， weeks， and months to follow， leading up to August 6， 1945， when Truman gives the order to drop the bomb on Hiroshima。
In Countdown 1945， Chris Wallace， the veteran journalist and anchor of Fox News Sunday， takes readers inside the minds of the iconic and elusive figures who join the quest for the bomb， each for different reasons: the legendary Albert Einstein， who eventually calls his vocal support for the atomic bomb “the one great mistake in my life”; lead researcher J。 Robert “Oppie” Oppenheimer and the Soviet spies who secretly infiltrate his team; the fiercely competitive pilots of the plane selected to drop the bomb; and many more。
Perhaps most of all， Countdown 1945 is the story of an untested new president confronting a decision that he knows will change the world forever。 But more than a book about the atomic bomb， Countdown 1945 is also an unforgettable account of the lives of ordinary American and Japanese civilians in wartime—from “Calutron Girls” like Ruth Sisson in Oak Ridge， Tennessee， to ten-year-old Hiroshima resident Hideko Tamura， who survives the blast at ground zero but loses her mother and later immigrates to the United States， where she lives to this day—as well as American soldiers fighting in the Pacific， waiting in fear for the order to launch a possible invasion of Japan。 Told with vigor， intelligence， and humanity， Countdown 1945 is the definitive account of one of the most significant moments in history。
April 12， 1945: After years of bloody conflict in Europe and the Pacific， America is stunned by news of President Franklin D。 Roosevelt’s death。 In an instant， Vice President Harry Truman， who has been kept out of war planning and knows nothing of the top-secret Manhattan Project to develop the world’s first atomic bomb， must assume command of a nation at war on multiple continents—and confront one of the most consequential decisions in history。 Countdown 1945 tells the gripping true story of the turbulent days， weeks， and months to follow， leading up to August 6， 1945， when Truman gives the order to drop the bomb on Hiroshima。
In Countdown 1945， Chris Wallace， the veteran journalist and anchor of Fox News Sunday， takes readers inside the minds of the iconic and elusive figures who join the quest for the bomb， each for different reasons: the legendary Albert Einstein， who eventually calls his vocal support for the atomic bomb “the one great mistake in my life”; lead researcher J。 Robert “Oppie” Oppenheimer and the Soviet spies who secretly infiltrate his team; the fiercely competitive pilots of the plane selected to drop the bomb; and many more。
Perhaps most of all， Countdown 1945 is the story of an untested new president confronting a decision that he knows will change the world forever。 But more than a book about the atomic bomb， Countdown 1945 is also an unforgettable account of the lives of ordinary American and Japanese civilians in wartime—from “Calutron Girls” like Ruth Sisson in Oak Ridge， Tennessee， to ten-year-old Hiroshima resident Hideko Tamura， who survives the blast at ground zero but loses her mother and later immigrates to the United States， where she lives to this day—as well as American soldiers fighting in the Pacific， waiting in fear for the order to launch a possible invasion of Japan。 Told with vigor， intelligence， and humanity， Countdown 1945 is the definitive account of one of the most significant moments in history。
Reviews
Alexander Seifert
，
This book is a more intimate look into the personal lives of the various ‘actors’ involved with the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan。 As is common with more widely distributed historical books， the narrative within “Countdown 1945” is told through the perspective of a wide range of individuals that run the gamut from your average joe to the President of the United States。 The subtitle of the book， ‘The Extraordinary Story of the 116 Days that Changed the World’， should key any aspiring This book is a more intimate look into the personal lives of the various ‘actors’ involved with the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan。 As is common with more widely distributed historical books， the narrative within “Countdown 1945” is told through the perspective of a wide range of individuals that run the gamut from your average joe to the President of the United States。 The subtitle of the book， ‘The Extraordinary Story of the 116 Days that Changed the World’， should key any aspiring historian into the idea that the book if focused in on Harry S Truman’s entry to the Presidency， with the book beginning with the death of FDR， climaxing with the dropping of the first bomb， and then providing a falling action that details the subsequent bombing of Nagasaki， the Japanese surrender， and lastly attempts to put some bows on some of the personal narratives。By my own ‘standards’， the book isn’t terribly long， and it helps that it reads very quickly， more so like a fiction book than a historical text （and trust me， they read differently！）。 Rather than have images set aside in a central collection， black and white pictures are scattered through the book。 Having consumed various books that use the two ‘tropes’， I’m not sure which one I prefer。 Sometimes it can be nice to see visuals when the book is discussing a specific object， place， or person， but with other stuff， it can be fun to get to that section in the middle of the book and take a break to look through all the color images。Anyway， to get back to the central point of all of this: I did like the book， even if I thought it had some clear faults。 For one， I felt like the packaging/marketing of the book was a bit too much。 The time framing of the ‘116 days’ and the book’s use of a countdown for chapters felt somewhat cheesy。 After all， it wasn’t like there was a lot going on for much of the time period this book covers。 In-between the Trinity Test and the actual bombing， you have a lot of dead time where Truman is just suffering through meetings with Churchill and Stalin in Germany。 Prior to the Trinity Test， there’s just a lot of vague talking about who thinks the bomb will work and who does not。 Given it’s designed for popular consumption， the book also does little more than a surface dive into its source material or the characters。 Yes， the author （hi， Chris Wallace and friend） takes some time to dip into the morality of the bombing， and the end of the book touches heavily on Truman’s decision to use the weapon and how it weighed （and did not weigh） on the man， both personally， publicly， and academically。 That said， the book does offer that there were likely alternatives， which I thought was a nice offering given the author is one of the most recognizable faces on America’s most conservative news station。If anything， reading this book provided me with some nice， surface-level insight into the ‘players’ involved in the atomic bomb。 The book left me wanting to seek out a ‘more serious’ academic analysis about the Manhattan Project and Truman。 After all， one of the things that I found most fascinating in the book is how much it mentions how the same scientists who pushed for the program were ultimately the first ones to regret it （feels par the course for scientists， if I’m being honest）。 。。。more
William
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Fantastic book。 This book gives excellent background and personal information on key individuals involved in the project。 It was an easy read and difficult to put down。
Gregory Howe
，
This is the story of a bunch of folks whose lives were altered in one way， shape， or form by the creation of the atomic bomb。 It starts one hundred and sixteen days before the bomb is dropped on Hiroshima and continues sequentially until that fateful day。 If you've done any reading about this subject before all the major players are presented。 Certain facets of their personal thoughts and recollections are revealed in this work。 I don't know whether to believe them or not because the author is a This is the story of a bunch of folks whose lives were altered in one way， shape， or form by the creation of the atomic bomb。 It starts one hundred and sixteen days before the bomb is dropped on Hiroshima and continues sequentially until that fateful day。 If you've done any reading about this subject before all the major players are presented。 Certain facets of their personal thoughts and recollections are revealed in this work。 I don't know whether to believe them or not because the author is a failed "journalist" named Chris Wallace。 I hadn't read much about the crew of the Enola Gay so that part of the book was most interesting to me。 I hadn't realized that some of America's top brass were against it's use either。 Of course at the end there's a harangue about whether or not the bomb should have ever been dropped。 Whatever。 Maybe we shouldn't have basically tried to exterminate the aboriginal inhabitants of North America either。 It's in the past。 There's nothing one can do about it now except pray for the souls who were lost and that this terrible weapon of war will never be used again。 。。。more
Bill Hart
，
Very Well Done！A very enjoyable discussion of the political and military climate leading up to the development and use of the first atomic bombs。 The inside information and questions that arose is interesting to see in here as a first person account！
Molly Jean
，
I'm really on the fence with this book， between two and three stars。 It is an important story but I think it could have been told better。 It reads like a book aimed at high schoolers。 The book certainly needed to be better organized; it's kind of a mess。 I know the authors were trying for a countdown but there are too many storylines （and players） for them to coherently weave together; they only succeeded at the end of the book。 In fact， the book in general was better in its final third than the I'm really on the fence with this book， between two and three stars。 It is an important story but I think it could have been told better。 It reads like a book aimed at high schoolers。 The book certainly needed to be better organized; it's kind of a mess。 I know the authors were trying for a countdown but there are too many storylines （and players） for them to coherently weave together; they only succeeded at the end of the book。 In fact， the book in general was better in its final third than the first two thirds。 A lot of the story is not new to me but there were occasional tidbits （I always thought Tibbets named his airplane for his wife） that were interesting。 But a lot of the story got glossed over （e。g。， the fate of the USS Indianapolis could have received more detail）。 I did enjoy reading about Truman， though。 Quite remarkable how he quickly shouldered his responsibilities。 And he always put the best interests of the country ahead of any personal or political party interest。 The best and most interesting parts of the book were when many of the scientists realized the destructive potential of what they were building and tried to stop it。 The Epilogue does a nice job of telling what happened to some， but not all， of the players as time wore on。 Wikipedia came in handy and filled in the gaps for me。I'm giving it two stars because， perhaps in error since I have never read anything of his before， I expected better writing from Chris Wallace。 。。。more
Kevin
，
This book covers the details of the events that culminated in the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan， but was not written in a compelling style。 You will need to be a history buffer in order to enjoy this one。
Roger Smitter
，
Author Chris Wallace uses his TV news skills to deliver what he know can know about。 Of course it's about one of the most important events of the 20th century。 The book mixes scientists and soldiers （all at the highest level）。 Much of the information comes from what the major people said in the public world。 Of course there's plenty of info about the bomb itself。 The author does a good job of showing us the power of the bombs。 There's not much about how the physics operated。 Maybe we didn't need Author Chris Wallace uses his TV news skills to deliver what he know can know about。 Of course it's about one of the most important events of the 20th century。 The book mixes scientists and soldiers （all at the highest level）。 Much of the information comes from what the major people said in the public world。 Of course there's plenty of info about the bomb itself。 The author does a good job of showing us the power of the bombs。 There's not much about how the physics operated。 Maybe we didn't need to know how it works？ Despite this TV news model of information （that would come along in a few years after the bomb）， the story is a good read for a start in understanding the 1950's and beyond as our country lived with the "bomb。" 。。。more
Annie
，
Loved the writing style。 Entertaining way to tell the history of the events。 Love reading books like this as it gives me education I didn’t receive in school。 Interesting to see the nuances of how decisions are made。
Annie Goldman
，
Detailed accounts leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the people behind the creation of the bombs。
Stephanie Cassidy
，
I’m not really a history buff， but I found this book to be quite informative。 It gave me a new perspective on the bombing of Hiroshima。
Bob
，
Interesting story about the atomic bomb but I didn't need the background information of every person involved， including wives， girlfriends， parents。。。。 Interesting story about the atomic bomb but I didn't need the background information of every person involved， including wives， girlfriends， parents。。。。 。。。more
Sharon K F
，
I found this audio book read by the author fascinating in the extra information about the building， testing and use of the atomic bomb at the end of WW2， the indepth look into the people involved， and the reasons behind the decision to actually use the bomb。 No one went into the decision lightly。 They realized that using the bomb would cause tens of thousands of deaths， but the hope was that the use of it would also save hundreds of thousands of lives。 It was not an easy decision。 There is plent I found this audio book read by the author fascinating in the extra information about the building， testing and use of the atomic bomb at the end of WW2， the indepth look into the people involved， and the reasons behind the decision to actually use the bomb。 No one went into the decision lightly。 They realized that using the bomb would cause tens of thousands of deaths， but the hope was that the use of it would also save hundreds of thousands of lives。 It was not an easy decision。 There is plenty of information for the reader to come to their own conclusion， but 60+ years later， it is easy for us to sit in judgment。 。。。more
Jeanette
，
This was a brilliant read。 Thought provoking， eye opening， and very sad。 I read the second half of this book in just one day。 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark sang ‘ Enola Gay， you should have stayed at home yesterday。 This kiss you give， is never ever going to fade away’。 Says it all。
Charles E。
，
I cannot possibly praise this book highly enough。 Chris Wallace takes the reader day-by-day from the 116-days from the day FDR died and Truman ascended to the presidency， to the dropping of the Hiroshima bomb。 The reader has the feeling of "being there" from Washington D。C。， Potsdam Germany， Los Alamos New Mexico， Oakridge Tennessee， Tinian Island， and Hiroshima。 You learn about the main players like Truman， Oppenheimer， and Szilard as well as unknown people behind the scenes and in Hiroshima。 W I cannot possibly praise this book highly enough。 Chris Wallace takes the reader day-by-day from the 116-days from the day FDR died and Truman ascended to the presidency， to the dropping of the Hiroshima bomb。 The reader has the feeling of "being there" from Washington D。C。， Potsdam Germany， Los Alamos New Mexico， Oakridge Tennessee， Tinian Island， and Hiroshima。 You learn about the main players like Truman， Oppenheimer， and Szilard as well as unknown people behind the scenes and in Hiroshima。 While the book is， of course， non-fiction， one feels like you reading a gripping thriller with each chapter building the tension and excitement。 I also listened to the audiobook version which is excellently narrated by Chris Wallace， the author。Very highly recommended。 。。。more
Kathleen Brandt
，
I have read books about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan since I was in Jr。 Hi。 Anything from "The Day of the Bomb" about the girl trying to make 1000 cranes in order to get well， to "The Flowers of Hiroshima" to John Hersey's "Hiroshima"。 This book was a very good book with insight into the who's， why's and wherefores of dropping the bombs and helps put the other stories into perspective in the history of events。 I have read books about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan since I was in Jr。 Hi。 Anything from "The Day of the Bomb" about the girl trying to make 1000 cranes in order to get well， to "The Flowers of Hiroshima" to John Hersey's "Hiroshima"。 This book was a very good book with insight into the who's， why's and wherefores of dropping the bombs and helps put the other stories into perspective in the history of events。 。。。more
David Rough
，
Written and read by Chris Wallace， the veteran journalist and anchor of Fox News， this historical account of the events leading up to the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan provides an insightful look into the many perspectives of this controversial decision that ended World War 2。 I did not realize the role thrust upon Harry Truman in this series of events。 This book covers the 116 days from the death of FDR （4/12/1945） to the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima on August 6m 1945。 I am not a g Written and read by Chris Wallace， the veteran journalist and anchor of Fox News， this historical account of the events leading up to the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan provides an insightful look into the many perspectives of this controversial decision that ended World War 2。 I did not realize the role thrust upon Harry Truman in this series of events。 This book covers the 116 days from the death of FDR （4/12/1945） to the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima on August 6m 1945。 I am not a great history buff， but I found this account to be interesting and sobering。 。。。more
Kristine Moore
，
A day-by-countdown to the day that changed the world forever。 This book will take you through the days before the atomic bomb forever altered the arms race， told through the perspective of military personnel， scientists， and President Truman himself。 The book covers the development of weapons of mass destruction and the moral struggles of all those involved over the use of such a deadly， destructive option。
Bill Nielsen
，
Riveting history of the lead up to dropping the bomb。 Truman comes off as wise despite being a diplomatic newb。 Sped thru this and it got me curious to learn more！ Especially intrigued to hear the Japanese side of this and the impact on the people， cities and culture。
Paul
，
Goed geschreven， leest makkelijk。 Focust op de 116 dagen tussen begin presidentschap Truman en de val van de eerste atoombom op Hiroshima。 Als aanvulling op de biografie over Truman van David McCullough is dit een aanrader。
Jerry Rehkemper
，
A very interesting book of the 116 days leading up to the dropping of the 1st atomic bomb that changed the whole world。
Emily
，
Just like a conversation with Mr Wallace。 He hooks you at the very beginning。 Well worth the read。
Sue Roselle
，
History of the development and use of the Atomic Bomb。 Countdown by months， weeks， and days leading to bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki。 Includes profile of many of the persons involved in the project。 Fascinating。 Highly recommend！
Pbloom
，
I didn't learn anything new abut WW2 but the narrative of focusing on specific people for each seminal event is fascinating。 The book is written in a breezy style that I don't usually like in works of serious history， but in this case it works and makes the book harder to put down。If you're a serious student of WW2 I think you'll enjoy the small blanks that get filled in on a number of critically important episodes。 I didn't learn anything new abut WW2 but the narrative of focusing on specific people for each seminal event is fascinating。 The book is written in a breezy style that I don't usually like in works of serious history， but in this case it works and makes the book harder to put down。If you're a serious student of WW2 I think you'll enjoy the small blanks that get filled in on a number of critically important episodes。 。。。more
Paula Cribb
，
The book read like a thriller， even though I knew the eventual outcome， it kept me eagerly turning the pages; the insight into the lives of the players of the whole event， made it very real to me， not just an event that happened in history。
Stephen Imbeau
，
Great job and reporting ， maybe a bit breezy
Steve Sarner
，
A very interesting account of the 116 days from Harry Truman’s unlikely Presidency， after the death of FDR， through the first and only use of atomic weapons in warfare， followed by worthwhile and thought provoking epilogues as well。 Wallace’s writing reminds me of Erik Larson’s narrative history style which I find highly engaging and easy to read。 As with Larson’s narrative history approach， I particularly enjoyed the stories and details with important but secondary players in the science， desig A very interesting account of the 116 days from Harry Truman’s unlikely Presidency， after the death of FDR， through the first and only use of atomic weapons in warfare， followed by worthwhile and thought provoking epilogues as well。 Wallace’s writing reminds me of Erik Larson’s narrative history style which I find highly engaging and easy to read。 As with Larson’s narrative history approach， I particularly enjoyed the stories and details with important but secondary players in the science， design， manufacture， ethical debates and other elements of this horrific time and weapon。 While plenty has been written about Truman， Oppenheimer， and Tibbets， it was interesting to learn more about these lesser known and even obscure people and contributors。 This included various government officials， other B29 crew members， front line support workers with The Manhattan Project and a Hiroshima survivor as well。 Of particular interest， and new learning for me， was about Harry Truman。 He seems to have been a man of high integrity but， also a failed business person without a college degree and a product of a corrupt Midwest political machine who， by essentially happenstance， ended up in the White House。 How unexpected and random it was that Truman， by most measures unqualified to be a US Senator much less POTUS， found himself as the person to make this pivotal and grave historic decision。 Final note， I also discovered Wallace's co-author Mitch Weiss and I am looking forward to reading some of his other books that look fascinating。 。。。more
Gonzaga Escauriaza
，
Es un tema muy interesante， porque supongo que para un Presidente recién llegado a la Casa Blanca y sin ninguna experiencia política de alto nivel， no sería fácil tomar la decisión de tirar la Bomba Atómica。 Cuenta muy bien el montaje en los Alamos y lo que piensan los distintos personajes que intervinieron en la preparación del lanzamiento。 Merece la pena leerlo。
Andrea Engle
，
Beginning with April 12， 1945， when Harry Truman became President at the death of FDR， up to August 6， 1945， when the Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima， this well-written book charts the details of the start of the Atomic Age 。。。 includes an excellent Bibliography 。。。
Jeryl Smith
，
Chris Wallace & Mitch Weiss did a fabulous job of bringing the 116 day Countdown to the dropping atomic bomb to life。 Written in language the average reader can understand， the details leading up to the bomb are mind boggling & riveting。 There's no doubt of accuracy & emotion on the part of the authors。 This book will leave the reader feeling as if they're in the thick of decisions & action。 Chris Wallace & Mitch Weiss did a fabulous job of bringing the 116 day Countdown to the dropping atomic bomb to life。 Written in language the average reader can understand， the details leading up to the bomb are mind boggling & riveting。 There's no doubt of accuracy & emotion on the part of the authors。 This book will leave the reader feeling as if they're in the thick of decisions & action。 。。。more
MJ
，