ROAD TO SURRENDER

ROAD TO SURRENDER
by Evan Thomas.


My first book by the author who has had access to previously unseen diaries written by some of the most important figures involved, on both the US & Japanese sides.

We will meet US Secretary of War, Henry Stimpson. A close acquaintance of President Roosevelt, who following the Presidents death, had a much cooler relationship with Trueman.

General Carl Spaatz was the US Air Commander. Like Stimson,  he was against the bombing of civilians.

On the Japanese side was Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo,
one of the 'Big Six', the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War'. I found him to be a really interesting figure. He opposed the war with the US & wanted to end it as soon as possible, but he could not say this publicly. 

Readers will learn the thoughts of many of the political leaders & commanders on both sides, including Emperor Hirohito. What was discussed, who wanted peace & who where those amongst the 'Big Six' who wanted to fight to the death. 

As we now know. On the 6th July 1945, as terms for peace could not be agreed, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, followed just days later by Russia declaring war on Japan & invading Manchuria, the Japanese controlled area of NW China. 
The Japanese were now on the brink of surrendering, but not quickly enough. A second bomb was soon dropped on Nagasaki.
Hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians had now been killed in total. This was now too much for the Emperor who called an extraordinary meeting. He had made the decision to surrender. 
But this is not yet the end. 
There is now much talk of a Japanese military coup, to take charge & continue the war. In the US, plans are discussed for a third bomb to be dropped.
Thankfully it wasn't & the war would soon be at an end with Japan's surrender. 

This is a book where every chapter compels you to want to read on. Evan Thomas has put together a fast paced narrative, worthy of any fictional thriller. 
We must not forget that the results of the atom bomb attacks were devastating, with horrendous civilian fatalities on the ground. This book covers the many days & weeks surrounding those terrible events. It has provided a far better understanding of what happened behind closed doors & how the second world war would finally end. It deserves great praise & I highly recommend it to you. 

The new paperback version of the book is out in early July.
I thank the publishers Elliott & Thompson, for this review copy.






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