Publisher Description

Holding Their Breath uncovers just how close Britain, the United States, and Canada came to crossing the red line that restrained chemical weapon use during World War II. Unlike in World War I, belligerents did not release poison gas regularly during the Second World War. Yet, the looming threat of chemical warfare significantly affected the actions and attitudes of these three nations as they prepared their populations for war, mediated their diplomatic and military alliances, and attempted to defend their national identities and sovereignty.The story of chemical weapons and World War II begins in the interwar period as politicians and citizens alike advocated to ban, to resist, and eventually to prepare for gas use in the next war. M. Girard Dorsey reveals, through extensive research in multinational archives and historical literature, that although poison gas was rarely released on the battlefield in World War II, experts as well as lay people dedicated significant time and energy to the weapon's potential use; they did not view chemical warfare as obsolete or taboo. Poison gas was an influential weapon in World War II, even if not deployed in a traditional way, and arms control, for various reasons, worked. Thus, what did not happen is just as important as what did. Holding Their Breath provides insight into these potentialities by untangling World War II diplomacy and chemical weapons use in a new way.

Author Biography

M. Girard Dorsey is Professor of History, Program Coordinator of Justice Studies, and core faculty of Medical Humanities, Society, & Ethics at the University of New Hampshire, focusing on military and medical history. Under the name Marion Girard, she is author of A Strange and Formidable Weapon.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Where the Story of Chemical Warfare and World War II Began
1. Chain, Tool, Shield: The Role of an International Treaty in Chemical Weapons Arms Control before World War II
2. Is There Any Hope? Defensive Preparations against the Dreaded and Expected Gas War
3. The Sole Exception to the Rule: There Will Be No Chemical Conflicts, but Just in Case...
4. The Limits of Friendship: The Influence of Chemical Weapons on Alliances as World War II Expanded
5. Rolling the Dice: Risking Gas Warfare in Europe
6. Critical Timing: The Increasing Likelihood of Chemical Warfare in the Pacific
Epilogue: "I Am Fear": Legacies of Silent Chemical Warfare

Review

M. Girard Dorsey reminds us that this odious weapon has been around for a long time, and will always be there in the background. Still, under the planning, cooperation, and care of the international community, we can sigh in relief that the use of gassing, at least in a major war, may now reside in the dustbin of history. At least we can hope. * Metascience *

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