37th Admiral Nimitz Conference Student Roundtable

Author Leslie R. Schover presents stories from her award-winning historical novel Fission: A Novel of Atomic Heartbreak. Based on her parents’ experiences living and working at Oak Ridge on the Manhattan Project and extensive research, this presentation explores the human impact of the atomic age through deeply personal narratives.

This year’s Admiral Nimitz Conference explored how pop culture, propaganda, and politics have shaped public memory of the Pacific War over the past 80 years. Through discussion of media, cultural narratives, and political discourse, this program reflected on how these forces continue to influence our understanding of the conflict.

If the atomic bombs were meant to "shock and awe" the Japanese into surrender in August 1945, they didn't. Much more was needed to break the political stalemate in Tokyo and allow the Emperor to call it quits.