This week's episode is brought to you by Audible.

Audible has over 180,000 titles to choose from, all compatible with iPhone, Android, Kindle, or your MP3 player of choice.

For listeners of the show, Audible is offering a free 30-day trial membership, complete with credit for a free audiobook of your choice.

You can cancel any time and keep the free book, or keep going with one of Audible's subscription offers.

Go to audibletrial.com slash Japan to claim your offer.

This week, I'm going to recommend First Into Nagasaki by George Weller. Weller was the first

Western reporter allowed into the city on September 6th, just about one month after the fateful

morning of August 9, 1945. His account of the city is fascinating, even if it never sparked

the same popular interest as John Hersey's more famous account of Hiroshima.

It's well worth your time. Go to audible trial.com slash Japan to claim your copy. Hello and welcome to the History of Japan podcast, episode 119, The Fall of the Samurai, Part 3.

It was 1851, and President of the United States, Millard Fillmore, had a problem.

Well, actually, that understates the issue a little bit.

The United States had a crisis, as it was facing arguably its most serious internal dispute in its history over the issue of slavery.

Fillmore, an anti-slavery moderate, was trying his best to keep the country from splitting over the issue,

in particular its current incarnation over whether to incorporate the territory gained in the recent war against

Mexico as slave states or freed states. The issue was ripping apart both the Union and

Fillmore's own Whig Party, something of a deep concern to the president, and while he was stuck

trying to pick up the pieces, it must have occurred to him that this was not supposed to be his problem.

Fillmore had been elected vice president.

He'd only picked up the top job when his running mate,

Zachary Taylor, had suddenly died in office.

So Philmore saw himself as trapped in a bad spot.

...