In 1945 Imperial Japan was making every effort to seek an honorable surrender while the United States was trying to decide whether or not to drop the atomic bomb. While the main focus remains on the political aspects of the decision President Harry Truman was about to make, the author also focuses on the logistics and military situation of the United States and Japan during the last year of the war. The Potsdam Conference plays a key role in the unfolding drama of the Imperial decisions that led to Japan's surrender. Dennis D. Wainstock teaches at Salem-Tieyko University in Salem, West Virginia.