War has been a central part of American life in the twentieth century, but paradoxically the historical profession has been deplorably inattentive to its study. Military history is seen as largely a popular genre of history done by amateurs for what academic historians considered an unsophisticated readership. This chapter nevertheless demonstrates the important contributions made by two military historians whose research supported and extended the orthodox interpretation. They showed that American decision makers were influenced by facts on the ground, especially a massive Japanese buildup to defend against an American invasion which helped impel the decision to use the bomb. Military history is increasingly incorporating cultural and social history, recognizing that war embraces much more than politics and is always an expression of culture. We discuss how recent work that integrates military history with cultural and social history has helped it gain more academic respect and has contributed to further understanding of the Hiroshima decision.