ENG BONUS "The army did not understand the atomic bomb, but it understood bombing," says Michael D. Gordin, historian at Princeton University.

Why it was unlikely that the Americans would merely demonstrate the destructive power of nuclear bombs to the Japanese.Why scientists were at a disadvantage from the outset in their dispute with the military, arguing that the new weapons were so different that they deserved to be treated differently. And why it is sometimes impossible to understand the decisions made at the time in their proper context - answers science historian and writer Michael D. Gordin from Princeton University.