[The authors] effectively show the differing purposes of and attitudes toward testing that prevailed during the administrations of Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy. . . .Blades and Siracusa’s book is a useful guide to nuclear testing during a crucial period of the Cold War and the arms race.

Journal of American History

Nuclear weapons have not been used in war since the United States dropped atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Since that time, however, there have been over 1,900 nuclear tests. What was the purpose and consequences of nuclear testing on national and international security? In this engaging and deeply researched book, David Blades and Joseph Siracusa explore how nuclear testing influenced nuclear thinking in the United States. While recognizing the horror of these weapons and the dangerous effects of testing, the authors reveal how these tests had an enormous influence, not simply on how the weapons and their delivery systems were developed, but also on the strategies for their use. This is an important book, absolutely required reading for anyone interested in how testing affected our policies, strategies, and thinking about nuclear weapons.

Francis J. Gavin, Frank Stanton Chair in Nuclear Security Policy Studies, MIT