A Difference in Magnitude uses selected government documents, radio and newsreel broadcasts, and eyewitness accounts to tell the story of the atomic bomb and the nuclear attacks on Japan. Letters, official memos, and diary entries describe the Trinity Test in White Sands, New Mexico; recount President Truman's thoughts before the attacks; tell of the opposition of scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project; and give Japan's response to the devastation. Extensive and well-written reports detail and quantify the destruction and casualties. Included are information on how the atomic bomb works and how it compares to conventional weapons, the reasons for the attacks and how the targets were selected.