His full-scale investigation of the historical dispute results in a compelling story of how and why our views about the bombing of Japan have evolved since its occurrence. Newman explores the tremendous challenges that NASM faced when trying to construct a narrative that would satisfy American veterans and the Japanese, as well as accurately reflect the current historical research on both the period and the bomb. Newman’s argument centers on the controversy that erupted around the National Air and Space Museum’s (NASM) exhibit of Enola Gay in 1995.
Newman offers a fresh perspective on the dispute over President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan in World War II. In this hard-hitting, thoroughly researched, and crisply argued book, award-winning historian Robert P.
