The Atomic Bombing of Japan - The First Shots of the Cold War? (416)

Today is 80 years since the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki. I talk with Stephen Walker who is the author of Shockwave: Countdown to Hiroshima. He has spent years researching the atomic bombings and highlights how they impacted Soviet/US relations in the early Cold War as well as US relations with their Allies.

We reflect on the decisions made at the time, his interviews with the scientists who worked on them and the last surviving aircrew who dropped the bombs. Many aircrew believed they were participating in a mission that would hasten the end of the war, but the reality of what they witnessed—cities obliterated in an instant—haunted them for the rest of their lives.

The threat of nuclear warfare remains a pressing issue today, and understanding the motivations and decisions that led to Hiroshima and Nagasaki can help inform our current global discussions on security and peace.

Buy the book https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1549/9780008372552

Stephen's Guardian article https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/22/atomic-bomb-hiroshima-nagasaki-author-stephen-walker

Resources from the National Security Archive's Nuclear Documentation Project detailing the available documents of the time https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/project/nuclear-vault

Episode extras ⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/episode415⁠⁠

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