About the book: 2023 / The book by historian and diplomat Lester Brooks is dedicated to the dramatic events of August 1945 that preceded the surrender of Japan. Based on intercepted intelligence reports, interrogation protocols of war criminals, materials from the Tokyo Trial and the memories of participants in the events, the author comprehensively analyzes and documents the internal political conflict that escalated after the destruction of Hiroshima. In his research, Brooks points out that the samurai mentality of military elites, unwillingness to retreat and the desire to fight to the last soldier led to Japan's crushing defeat in World War II and the collapse of the empire.