Arsenals of Folly or Truman and MacArthur

Arsenals of Folly: The Making of the Nuclear Arms Race

Author: Richard Rhodes

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Rhodes delivers a riveting account of the nuclear arms race and the Cold War.

In the Reagan-Gorbachev era, the United States and the Soviet Union came within minutes of nuclear war, until Gorbachev boldly launched a campaign to eliminate nuclear weapons, setting the stage for the 1986 Reykjavik summit and the incredible events that followed. In this thrilling, authoritative narrative, Richard Rhodes draws on personal interviews with both Soviet and U.S. participants and a wealth of new documentation to unravel the compelling, shocking story behind this monumental time in human history—its beginnings, its nearly chilling consequences, and its effects on global politics today.

The New York Times - Martin Walker

Rhodes focuses on three topics: Gorbachev and the dramatic psychological impact of the Chernobyl nuclear accident; the hardline cold warriors who gathered around the Reagan White House; and the pivotal encounter at the Reykjavik summit of 1986, when Gorbachev and Reagan seriously discussed getting rid of all nuclear weapons…It is a familiar tale, but Rhodes tells it well, and his artful narrative contains some real gems.

Jenny Emanuel - Library Journal

Pulitzer Prize winner Rhodes (Ctr. for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford Univ.) completes his third volume of works related to the Cold War nuclear buildup (following The Making of the Atomic Bomband Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb). Combining a riveting narrative with historical data, his work reads like a novel but chronicles the truth of the U.S. and Soviet Union buildup and ultimate takedown of nuclear arms. Detailing the professional careers of Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan, and many other Soviet and American officials, Rhodes takes us to the pivotal Reykjavík Summit in 1986 and the ensuing drama, leading ultimately to the end of the arms buildup and the end of the Cold War détente between the two superpowers. This historical record, drawing upon many firsthand accounts and interviews, details pivotal events in world history and should be necessary reading for anyone interested in 20th-century history. Recommended, particularly for academic libraries, but also for larger public libraries.

Table of Contents:

A Rigid System
To the Chernobyl Sarcophagus     3
Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears     27
A Hierarchy of Vassals and Chiefs     46
Apes on a Treadmill
"The Bomber Will Always Get Through" (I)     69
"The Bomber Will Always Get Through" (II)     84
The Sorcerer's Apprentices (I)     102
The Sorcerer's Apprentices (II)     118
Decapitation     138
Rehearsing Armageddon     154
The Warheads Will Always Get Through     168
Common Security
Going Around in Circles     187
Naysayers Hard at Work     212
Looking Over the Horizon     236
The Sovereign Right to Choose     271
The Little Suitcase     290
Notes     311
Bibliography     343
Acknowledgments     359
Permissions Acknowledgments     361
Index     363

Interesting book: Cold War or The Challenge

Truman and MacArthur: Policy, Politics, and the Hunger for Honor and Renown

Author: Michael D Pearlman

A timely account of an explosive conflict over civil-military relations and the conduct of American foreign policy.

Armchair General

[This] meticulously documented, painstakingly researched book removes the shroud of folklore that has clouded the controversy for decades and shatters long held myths . . .