The Secretary of War Who Feared the Bomb

The Secretary of War Who Feared the Bomb

Author: The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios May 25, 2026 Duration: 34:00
HISTORY This Week
HistoryCultureEducationSocietySociety & Culture
May 30, 1945. In Washington, Secretary of War Henry Stimson calls General Leslie Groves to his office and demands answers: which Japanese cities are about to become targets for the atomic bomb? What follows will pull Stimson—a deeply religious statesman who believed in restraint, but also in overwhelming force—into a profound crisis over morality, destruction, and what modern war is becoming.  How did Henry Stimson grapple with the bomb? And after helping usher in the atomic age, how did he reckon with what he’d done? Special thanks to Evan Thomas, journalist and New York Times bestselling author of Road to Surrender: Three Men and the Countdown to the End of World War II. You can find the rest of the books we used to research this episode at historythisweekpodcast.com. Get in touch: historythisweek@history.com  Follow on Instagram: @historythisweekpodcast Follow on Facebook: ⁠HISTORY This Week Podcast⁠ To stay updated: http://historythisweekpodcast.com

This week, something big happened. You might have never heard of it, but this moment changed the course of history. A HISTORY Channel original podcast, HISTORY This Week gives you insight into the people—both famous and unknown—whose decisions reshaped the world we live in today. Through interviews with experts and eyewitnesses, each episode will give you a new perspective on how history is written. Stay up-to-date at historythisweekpodcast.com and to get in touch, email us at historythisweek@history.com.HISTORY This Week is a production of Back Pocket Studios in partnership with the History Channel.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Official website RSS
HISTORY This Week
Podcast Episodes
How to Stop an Avalanche? Blow Up a Mountain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:53
January 15, 1939. It's finally working! After countless mechanical issues, the first operational ski lift in the state of Utah is taking people up the mountain so they can glide down its slopes. Skiing conditions are ide…
Declaring War on Poverty (feat. Doris Kearns Goodwin) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:33
January 8, 1964. In his State of the Union address, Lyndon Johnson unveils his War on Poverty, an effort to tackle subpar living conditions and create jobs across the United States. Johnson discovers that declaring war—e…
A New Year, A New Cuba [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:14
New Year's Eve, 1958. Cuba's president, Fulgencio Batista, is throwing his annual New Year's Eve party at his home in Havana. It's usually a blowout. But this year, the vibes... aren't so great. Government officials and…
The Surprising History of Christmas Gifts (HTW Classic) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:44
Christmas Eve, 1913. For months, newspapers have been trumpeting an urgent message: Do your Christmas shopping early. It would be easy to assume this was the work of greedy department stores and slick ad companies. But i…
Nosferatu Rises Again (feat. Robert Eggers) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:30
**For this HTW special feature, Sally interviews director Robert Eggers about his new historically inspired film, Nosferatu.**Winter, 1476. Vlad III is a prince in Wallachia, in present-day Romania. He is a violent man,…
The President and the King [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:16
December 21, 1970. Elvis has entered the building. And today, that building is the White House. He's brought a gift for President Nixon, a framed Colt .45 pistol, which White House security won't be thrilled with. But he…
Bill W.'s Last Drink and the Birth of Alcoholics Anonymous [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:48
December 11, 1934. Bill Wilson is on the subway, working his way through his third beer, heading to Towns Hospital. He isn’t injured, and he isn’t what would be traditionally classified as “sick.” But he knows he has a p…
How the Vietnam War Broke Our Trust in Government [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:56
December 1, 1969. Millions across America are tuned in to the same TV broadcast. They see a bland stage with some government workers behind desks. But there's also a large, plastic container filled with small blue capsul…
A Toxic Turkey Day [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:40
For this Thanksgiving, we're re-airing an HTW classic. This episode originally premiered November 23, 2020.November 24, 1966. Millions of spectators flood Broadway in New York City to watch the Macy’s Day Parade on Thank…

«1...678910