Alex Wellerstein
@wellerstein.bsky.social
Nuclear historian. Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology. Visiting researcher at Nuclear Knowledges program, Sciences Po (Paris). Author of THE MOST AWFUL RESPONSIBILITY (2025). Creator of NUKEMAP. Blogging at https://doomsdaymachines.net.
Pinned
‘The Most Awful Responsibility’ Review: Truman and the Nuclear Option
Harry Truman knew little about the plans to use atomic weapons when he took office. By that time there was little he could do but decide where to drop the first bomb.
www.wsj.com
"Wellerstein presents his story in clear, direct prose, ... 'The Most Awful Responsibility' is a well-written opus unpacking Truman’s—and America’s—complicated relationship with nuclear weapons." www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
"Is it progress if a cannibal uses knife and fork?" — Stanisław Jerzy Lec
February 13, 2026 at 12:24 PM
"Is it progress if a cannibal uses knife and fork?" — Stanisław Jerzy Lec
Reposted by Alex Wellerstein
having your city noticed by the president is now a natural disaster on par with a hurricane or major flood
February 11, 2026 at 2:12 PM
having your city noticed by the president is now a natural disaster on par with a hurricane or major flood
Alperovitz's book does a great job of talking about what led to the Stimson article, and its crafting, if that is useful.
February 11, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Alperovitz's book does a great job of talking about what led to the Stimson article, and its crafting, if that is useful.
A related issue (and part of why these articles were written) is the USSBS vol on the end of the war, July 1946, which very strongly downplayed the role of the bomb. But it is one of the few sources I know of tried to get into details about Japanese surrender. www.history.navy.mil/research/lib...
www.history.navy.mil
February 11, 2026 at 4:32 PM
A related issue (and part of why these articles were written) is the USSBS vol on the end of the war, July 1946, which very strongly downplayed the role of the bomb. But it is one of the few sources I know of tried to get into details about Japanese surrender. www.history.navy.mil/research/lib...
There was another article that was making a similar kind of defense of the bomb that was being put forward at nearly the same time by the same people — Karl T. Compton, “If the Atomic Bomb Had Not Been Used,” Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 178, No. 6 (December 1946). It is part of the same counterattack.
February 11, 2026 at 4:29 PM
There was another article that was making a similar kind of defense of the bomb that was being put forward at nearly the same time by the same people — Karl T. Compton, “If the Atomic Bomb Had Not Been Used,” Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 178, No. 6 (December 1946). It is part of the same counterattack.
(They had keenly noted that it was not present in the Target Committee's list of targets and someone asked, and I got say: wait and see, wait and see...!)
February 11, 2026 at 11:50 AM
(They had keenly noted that it was not present in the Target Committee's list of targets and someone asked, and I got say: wait and see, wait and see...!)
Taught about the "decision to use the atomic bomb" a bit today, and the thing the students were audibly the most surprised by was Nagasaki being written in, by hand, on the penultimate draft of the strike order, after Kyoto had been definitely removed from the list for the final time.
February 11, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Taught about the "decision to use the atomic bomb" a bit today, and the thing the students were audibly the most surprised by was Nagasaki being written in, by hand, on the penultimate draft of the strike order, after Kyoto had been definitely removed from the list for the final time.
I do love the diagram genre of classified concepts explained with bad Word clipart. This is illustrating (vaguely) how they change the codes on US nuclear weapons without any one person having the knowledges necessary to set them off while doing so.
February 10, 2026 at 11:50 PM
I do love the diagram genre of classified concepts explained with bad Word clipart. This is illustrating (vaguely) how they change the codes on US nuclear weapons without any one person having the knowledges necessary to set them off while doing so.
Masters in Chronomanipulation (post-dated)
February 10, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Masters in Chronomanipulation (post-dated)
What it really makes me want to do is write a series of letters set in different years from the past and the far future, but, I think, this is not the place to do that...
February 10, 2026 at 6:00 PM
What it really makes me want to do is write a series of letters set in different years from the past and the far future, but, I think, this is not the place to do that...
I just filled out an internal grad admissions recommendation letter for my university, and they required me to put in the current date (I mean, why at all?) and for the year field it is a drop-down box with years listed between 2000 (wow) and 2046 (wow), and I had to fish out 2026 from that. REALLY.
February 10, 2026 at 5:56 PM
I just filled out an internal grad admissions recommendation letter for my university, and they required me to put in the current date (I mean, why at all?) and for the year field it is a drop-down box with years listed between 2000 (wow) and 2046 (wow), and I had to fish out 2026 from that. REALLY.
Thanks, Marty — you are a scholar and a mensch
February 10, 2026 at 5:04 PM
Thanks, Marty — you are a scholar and a mensch
Reposted by Alex Wellerstein
ICYMI, as I re-read the historiography of the atomic bombings & WWII for #DissertationWriting
… @wellerstein.bsky.social’s “The Most Awful Responsibility” is an excellent book and I strongly recommend it (in part as a correction to our nationalist nuclear mythmaking).
I cite it several times.
… @wellerstein.bsky.social’s “The Most Awful Responsibility” is an excellent book and I strongly recommend it (in part as a correction to our nationalist nuclear mythmaking).
I cite it several times.
I have finished reading @wellerstein.bsky.social’s new book which makes NEW ARGUMENTS about Truman & nuclear decision making.
I am a demanding reader (& scholar).
alexwellerstein.com/writing/book...
This = excellent book:
-well written & engaging
-sourced
-accessible
-mostly convincing*
I am a demanding reader (& scholar).
alexwellerstein.com/writing/book...
This = excellent book:
-well written & engaging
-sourced
-accessible
-mostly convincing*
The Most Awful Responsibility – Alex Wellerstein
alexwellerstein.com
February 10, 2026 at 2:30 PM
ICYMI, as I re-read the historiography of the atomic bombings & WWII for #DissertationWriting
… @wellerstein.bsky.social’s “The Most Awful Responsibility” is an excellent book and I strongly recommend it (in part as a correction to our nationalist nuclear mythmaking).
I cite it several times.
… @wellerstein.bsky.social’s “The Most Awful Responsibility” is an excellent book and I strongly recommend it (in part as a correction to our nationalist nuclear mythmaking).
I cite it several times.
As part of an effort to hold myself externally accountable for making upgrades to the NUKEMAP, and also to make "visible" some of the work I've been doing on it over the last few years, I wrote up an ambitious plan for what I intend to do for the site in 2026: blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2026/02/10/n...
NUKEMAP roadmap
I've been working on upgrades to the NUKEMAP for several years now, but I actually would like to get them implemented this year. I figured that one way to...
blog.nuclearsecrecy.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:25 PM
As part of an effort to hold myself externally accountable for making upgrades to the NUKEMAP, and also to make "visible" some of the work I've been doing on it over the last few years, I wrote up an ambitious plan for what I intend to do for the site in 2026: blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2026/02/10/n...
They also rob one of the experience of being a programmer.
I am not opposed to using AI to write well-defined functions, anymore than I am opposed to looking them up on Stack Overflow. But, you know, I enjoy the work, right? And the experience I gain from it?
I am not opposed to using AI to write well-defined functions, anymore than I am opposed to looking them up on Stack Overflow. But, you know, I enjoy the work, right? And the experience I gain from it?
February 9, 2026 at 9:36 PM
They also rob one of the experience of being a programmer.
I am not opposed to using AI to write well-defined functions, anymore than I am opposed to looking them up on Stack Overflow. But, you know, I enjoy the work, right? And the experience I gain from it?
I am not opposed to using AI to write well-defined functions, anymore than I am opposed to looking them up on Stack Overflow. But, you know, I enjoy the work, right? And the experience I gain from it?
eeny weeny teeny weeny tiny tacnuke bikini (atoll)
February 9, 2026 at 9:28 PM
eeny weeny teeny weeny tiny tacnuke bikini (atoll)
If I hadn't been writing my own code for the last 10 years I wouldn't be a better programmer than I was 10 years ago. It's also important to me to understand it all on a deep level.
February 9, 2026 at 9:24 PM
If I hadn't been writing my own code for the last 10 years I wouldn't be a better programmer than I was 10 years ago. It's also important to me to understand it all on a deep level.
Also going over this code is so, sooooo painful. I am in the process of re-coding pretty much all of this from scratch, because it turns out that my +10 year old Javascript is really idiotic in places. At least I can say I've learned a lot since I first made it...
February 9, 2026 at 8:10 PM
Also going over this code is so, sooooo painful. I am in the process of re-coding pretty much all of this from scratch, because it turns out that my +10 year old Javascript is really idiotic in places. At least I can say I've learned a lot since I first made it...
Rolled out a few bug fixes and stylesheet issues with NUKEMAP today. Also added a new function for my "heavy users" — the ability to quickly export/import detonation sets in CSV format. If you are the kind of person who would find this useful... I hope you do!
February 9, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Rolled out a few bug fixes and stylesheet issues with NUKEMAP today. Also added a new function for my "heavy users" — the ability to quickly export/import detonation sets in CSV format. If you are the kind of person who would find this useful... I hope you do!
☑️ Verify that you are Human, All Too Human
February 9, 2026 at 7:49 PM
☑️ Verify that you are Human, All Too Human
He doesn't really specify the time-scale, to be fair...
February 8, 2026 at 9:31 PM
He doesn't really specify the time-scale, to be fair...
"Truth is on the march and nothing will stop it. He who suffers for truth and justice becomes august and sacred. ...There is no justice but in truth; there is no happiness but in justice." – Émile Zola
February 8, 2026 at 6:52 PM
"Truth is on the march and nothing will stop it. He who suffers for truth and justice becomes august and sacred. ...There is no justice but in truth; there is no happiness but in justice." – Émile Zola
Reposted by Alex Wellerstein
My view has started to become that the Internet has sort of bifurcated, so that you have the whole universe of constant soulless branding and "content" churn, but there are lots of places where insight, art, and community are still valued.
February 8, 2026 at 3:38 PM
My view has started to become that the Internet has sort of bifurcated, so that you have the whole universe of constant soulless branding and "content" churn, but there are lots of places where insight, art, and community are still valued.
DC is routinely seeing people get into accidents right in front of you. DC is seeing people do things in car that seem utterly insane. The Beltway is a mix of bad infrastructure — too many lanes, always shifting — poor decisions, and people trying to drive as fast as possible. Hated it.
February 7, 2026 at 10:24 PM
DC is routinely seeing people get into accidents right in front of you. DC is seeing people do things in car that seem utterly insane. The Beltway is a mix of bad infrastructure — too many lanes, always shifting — poor decisions, and people trying to drive as fast as possible. Hated it.
I've tried to really put my finger on what the issue was. In Boston, the infrastructure is bad and the drivers are jerks. In the Bay Area there are just too many people for the infrastructure. In NYC it is slow with lots of honking and sometimes just stops — frustrating but easy. But DC...
February 7, 2026 at 10:24 PM
I've tried to really put my finger on what the issue was. In Boston, the infrastructure is bad and the drivers are jerks. In the Bay Area there are just too many people for the infrastructure. In NYC it is slow with lots of honking and sometimes just stops — frustrating but easy. But DC...