The Bomb - review

Our review of The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War, by Fred Kaplan, first published in January 2020. The Bomb is a page-turner. It’s interesting on several levels: as an account of nuclear strategy, as a case study in bureaucratic politics, and as an exploration of game theory applied in real-world scenarios. I have no particular interest in military history, but this didn‘t stop me enjoying it a lot. ★★★★☆ This book was a birthday present from site contributor Maddox von Ranke, our very own Dr Strangelove. I confess to having reservations about whether I would enjoy it: the intricacies of twentieth-century American nuclear bureaucracy, with its endless acronyms and committee meetings, didn’t inspire me. In some respects, my expectations were vindicated – there are an awful lot of acronyms and meetings. Yet, somehow, American journalist and author Fred Kaplan manages to marshal these into a story which is utterly gripping. Bureaucratic politics And so,…