How Long to Read Counsels of War

How Long Does it Take to Read Counsels of War?

It takes the average reader 7 hours and 3 minutes to read Counsels of War by Gregg Herken

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

Since the first atomic bomb was exploded in 1945, a close community of civilian experts, including scientists, academics, and think-tank intellectuals, has advised the American government on the prospects of nuclear war. Based on interviews with these experts, as well as hundreds of pages of recently declassified documents, Counsels of War is the first book to trace in detail the deliberations and shifting recommendations of the experts on the bomb from Hiroshima to "Star Wars." Gregg Herken writes about the people whose profession it has been to think about the unthinkable—Robert McNamara, Paul Nitze, Herman Kahn, Bernard Brodie—including their intense rivalries, personal animosities, and often contentious relationship with the professional military. He reveals how the influence of the scientist and strategist has extended well beyond the laboratory and the classroom—in the proposal of Kennedy's advisers for a nuclear "demonstration" and even a "clever first-strike" against the Russians, for example. Counsels of War also shatters certain popular assumptions about U.S. nuclear policy. As Herken points out, while American doctrine stresses "retaliation," U.S. strategists have always planned to "pre-empt" a Soviet attack. Herken shows that the lines in the current nuclear debate were actually drawn at the dawn of the atomic age, and that the experts' technically abstruse arguments have only served to hide from the public the fundamental, deeply held—and quite subjective—differences at the heart of the debate. Since Hiroshima, there has been a growing awareness of the peril created by nuclear weapons, yet the crucial questions that were never adequately addressed in 1945 unanswered today. Given the inability of the experts to confront the essential dilemma of the nuclear age, Counsels of War calls for a new nuclear debate, one focused on American rather than Soviet intentions and that seeks an answer to the fundamental, yet still unresolved question: What are these weapons for?

How long is Counsels of War?

Counsels of War by Gregg Herken is 409 pages long, and a total of 105,931 words.

This makes it 138% the length of the average book. It also has 129% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Counsels of War Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 9 hours and 38 minutes to read Counsels of War aloud.

What Reading Level is Counsels of War?

Counsels of War is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Counsels of War?

Counsels of War by Gregg Herken is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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