Countdown 1945

The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World

By: Chris Wallace, Mitch Weiss

Narrated by: Chris Wallace

The #1 national bestselling “riveting” (The New York Times), “propulsive” (Time) behind-the-scenes account “that reads like a tense thriller” (The Washington Post) of the 116 days leading up to the American attack on Hiroshima, by Chris Wallace, veteran journalist and CNN anchor and Max host.

April 12, 1945: After years of bloody conflict in Europe and the Pacific, America is stunned by news of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s death. In an instant, Vice President Harry Truman, who has been kept out of war planning and knows nothing of the top-secret Manhattan Project to develop the world’s first atomic bomb, must assume command of a nation at war on multiple continents—and confront one of the most consequential decisions in history. Countdown 1945 tells the gripping true story of the turbulent days, weeks, and months to follow, leading up to August 6, 1945, when Truman gives the order to drop the bomb on Hiroshima.

In Countdown 1945, Chris Wallace, the veteran journalist and CNN anchor and Max host, takes readers inside the minds of the iconic and elusive figures who join the quest for the bomb, each for different reasons: the legendary Albert Einstein, who eventually calls his vocal support for the atomic bomb “the one great mistake in my life”; lead researcher J. Robert “Oppie” Oppenheimer and the Soviet spies who secretly infiltrate his team; the fiercely competitive pilots of the plane selected to drop the bomb; and many more.

Perhaps most of all, Countdown 1945 is the story of an untested new president confronting a decision that he knows will change the world forever. But more than a book about the atomic bomb, Countdown 1945 is also an unforgettable account of the lives of ordinary American and Japanese civilians in wartime—from “Calutron Girls” like Ruth Sisson in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to ten-year-old Hiroshima resident Hideko Tamura, who survives the blast at ground zero but loses her mother and later immigrates to the United States, where she lives to this day—as well as American soldiers fighting in the Pacific, waiting in fear for the order to launch a possible invasion of Japan. Told with vigor, intelligence, and humanity, Countdown 1945 is the definitive account of one of the most significant moments in history.

Phenomenal work, Mr. Wallace!

Top shelf research and writing. Chris Wallace's narration - voice and pace - is excellent. I have more than 460 titles accumulated in 18 years of Audible membership. This is a top 5 production!

Absolutely amazing!

I listened to this book while I was working and it was amazing. I was worried with having to work and trying to listen to the story I would get lost and it never happened, easy to follow and kept my attention all day.

Great book.

Great depiction of the difficulties personal and technical and developing they world's most powerful weapon.

Better than the movie

Great presentation, and the numerous stories were interesting. It’s great that there are numerous accounts and perspectives given.

Well researched

Wallace has produced a work of nonfiction that gives the reader a remarkably detailed account of the history of the development and use of the atomic bomb and of the people involved.