An archival military historian of the Pacific War
Richard B. Frank is an American lawyer and military historian of the Pacific War in World War II. His work follows operations, policy, and the decisions of Japanese leaders from Guadalcanal to the end of the Japanese Empire. Downfall is especially important for its analysis of Japan’s surrender as a contested outcome shaped by military collapse, the atomic bombings, and the Soviet entry into the war.
Career Timeline
- 1969Graduated from the University of Missouri
- 1969–1973Served in the U.S. Army, including Vietnam service as a platoon leader in the 101st Airborne Division
- 1976Graduated from Georgetown University Law Center
- 1990Published Guadalcanal, recipient of the U.S. Marine Corps General Wallace M. Greene Award
- 1999Published Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire
- 2007Published MacArthur
- 2020Published Tower of Skulls, the first volume of a history of the Asia-Pacific War