No Sacrifice Too Great: The Life of Lewis L. Strauss

This biography of Admiral Lewis L. Strauss recalls the professional life of the man who "dominated U.S. atomic policy more than any other man in the formative years of the Atomic age, 1946-58" (preface). In his depiction of this apolitical figure, the author focuses on his hard-nosed professional life, therefore excluding his familial and personal relationships. The book tells of his rejection by the senate, the effects of atom bombs on the Japanese, his decision to excommunicate Robert Oppenheimer from decision making, his part in nuclear weapons testing, and his relationship with president Eisenhower. During the course of the work, the author makes it clear that Strauss labored diligently to save the world from nuclear catastrophe; he even opposed the atomic attack on Nagasaki.