Restricted Data
THE HISTORY OF NUCLEAR SECRECY IN THE UNITED STATES
University of Chicago Press, 2021
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“A MONUMENTAL WORK” — Daniel Ellsberg
The American atomic bomb was born in secrecy. From the moment scientists first conceived of its possibility to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and beyond, there were efforts to control the spread of nuclear information and the newly discovered scientific facts that made such powerful weapons possible. The totalizing scientific secrecy that the atomic bomb appeared to demand was new, unusual, and very nearly unprecedented. It was foreign to both American science and American democracy—and potentially incompatible with both. From the beginning, this secrecy was controversial, and it was always contested. The atomic bomb was not merely the application of science to war, but the result of decades of investment in scientific education, infrastructure, and global collaboration. If secrecy became the norm, how would science survive?
Drawing on troves of declassified files, including records released by the government for the first time through the author’s efforts, Restricted Data traces the complex evolution of the US nuclear secrecy regime from the first whisper of the atomic bomb through the mounting tensions of the Cold War and into the early twenty-first century. A compelling history of powerful ideas at war, it tells a story that feels distinctly American: rich, sprawling, and built on the conflict between high-minded idealism and ugly, fearful power.
Get a signed copy: For a limited time (when it’s over, I’ll remove this notice — I am still honoring this as of spring 2024) I am selling signed and inscribed editions of the book for no additional cost. To get a signed edition, buy the book through my local Hoboken bookstore, Little City Books (hardcover, paperback”) and make sure you indicate in the notes field that you would like it signed. If you would like it inscribed (“To X…”) please also put that in the notes field. You will have to pay for shipping, and if you want it inscribed it will take longer to arrive (they have some pre-signed copies on hand, but to inscribe them requires me to drop by, which is dependent on my availability), but there are no additional fees, and you will also be supporting a local, independent bookstore.