Red Cloud at Dawn: Truman, Stalin, and the End of the Atomic Monopoly

A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE

Following the trail of espionage and technological innovation, and making use of newly opened archives, Michael D. Gordin provides a new understanding of the origins of the nuclear arms race and fresh insight into the problem of proliferation.

On August 29, 1949, the first Soviet test bomb, dubbed First Lightning, exploded in the deserts of Kazakhstan. This surprising international event marked the beginning of an arms race that would ultimately lead to nuclear proliferation beyond the two superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States.

With the use of newly opened archives, Michael D. Gordin folows a trail of espionage, secrecy, deception, political brinksmanship, and technical innovation to provide a fresh understanding of the nuclear arms race.

Author: Michael D. Gordin
Publisher: Picador USA
Published: 11/23/2010
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780312655426

Review Citation(s):
New York Times Book Review 01/16/2011 pg. 20

About the Author

Michael D. Gordin is an associate professor of the history of science at Princeton University. He is the author of Five Days in August: How World War II Became a Nuclear War.

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