Summary

Chapter 26 opens in Mutanchiang, China, where the Soviet army bears down on the Japanese military on August 13. Outnumbered almost five-to-one, and with their men near starvation and nearly out of weapons, the Japanese military are all but helpless to stop the Soviet advance. The Russians, who earned a reputation for aggression and barbarity in the areas of Europe they conquered as the Nazis retreated, also “[left] behind scenes of gross violence” in Manchuria, the book states.

In Washington, Truman continues to wait for an answer from the Japanese. On August 13 he finally authorizes additional B-29 bombing raids, and begins discussions both for a potential invasion and for MacArthur to take charge of Japan’s reconstruction after the war. All the while, Truman’s outward demeanor betrays little of his inward deliberations, with reporters using words like “cool” and “matter-of-factness” (247) to describe him.

On...