ABSTRACT
Historians have spent a lot of time studying the short-term diplomatic implications of using atomic weapons against Japan. They have spent less time exploring the subsequent relationship between strategy and diplomacy. The declassification of documents pertaining to atomic weaponry has been relatively slow, but since the late 1970s some scholars like David Alan Rosenberg have done a remarkable job outlining the trajectory of American strategic programs and examining the buildup of the atomic arsenal.* But they have not really considered the extent to which strategic and budgetary decisions were related to foreign policy goals or the extent to which perceptions of the military and strategic balance actually affected the conduct of diplomacy.
