Jerome Beser

Atomic Warfare 1945 Jerome Beser

Atomic Warfare 1945 chronicles through the eyes of Lt. Jacob Beser a brief history of World War II with Japan, his personal participation in the Manhattan Project and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Beser enlisted in the Army Air Corps the day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Because of his technical expertise and military training he was assigned to the Manhattan Project to help develop the atomic bomb. In this assignment he helped develop and test a mission critical bomb component and provided technical support to the Target Selection Committee. Later he was the only man to fly as a crewmember on the strike aircraft for both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki missions. This book addresses not only Beser's participation in the war but also the meteoric rise of Japanese imperialism and other issues of historical significance that preceded the war. Also included is a discussion of pro and con issues of why the bombs were used; President Truman's controversial decision to use the bombs; and the Japanese leaders painful decision to surrender. Other topics include a discussion of the emergence of a new Japan under the guidance of General MacArthur; the Tokyo war crime trials; and how Japanese industry standards were redefined to erase the prewar reputation of cheap inferior copies of items produced elsewhere. This book utilizes data from Beser's personal archive as well as government documents relating to the development of the atomic bomb. Other sources include declassified intelligence information, transcripts of intercepted Japanese diplomatic and military communications and postwar interrogation reports of members of the Japanese Supreme War Guidance Council