"It might seem quaint today, but that distant 'air atomic age' of Truman and Eisenhower's day planted and sprouted the seeds of the nuclear reign of terror. Sean Maloney renders an exhaustive account of how atomic penury morphed into nuclear plenty, and how war plans--including British offensive and Soviet defensive ones--changed in response. Along the way, Emergency War Plan presents a fresh picture of bombs, bombers, and groups matched to prospective targets, in a much more sophisticated fashion than in our received history of 'massive retaliation.' This book helps us understand Cold War history in a new way."--John Prados, author of The Soviet Estimate.