Download 20th Century Name: Shen The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb

20th Century
Shen
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The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb
Atomic Bomb Chronology
August 2, 1939
Albert Einstein letter to FDR suggesting that an incredibly powerful new type of bomb could be
built by the Germans. This led to the development of the top secret Manhattan Project in August
1942 (it was unofficially begun in 1939.)
September 1, 1939
WWII begins when England & France declare war on Germany, a decision prompted by the German
invasion of Poland.
October 9, 1941
FDR gives approval for the development of an atomic weapon.
April 1945
U.S. troops seized control of Germany’s atomic research site, discovering that German scientists had
not yet succeeded in developing the bomb.
April 12, 1945
President Roosevelt dies and Vice President Truman is sworn in as president. He is quickly told of
the atomic bomb project.
April 27, 1945
The Target Committee of the Manhattan Project selects four Japanese cities as possible targets for
the atomic bomb. They are: Kyoto, Hiroshima, Kokura, and Niigata.
May 1945
An advisory group of scientists, military leaders, and government officials, called the Interim
Committee, was established to debate the decision and make a recommendation.
May 8, 1945
Germany surrenders and the war ends in Europe.
July 16, 1945
The first atomic test bomb, code-named “Trinity,” was successfully detonated in a desert in New
Mexico. After twelve years of research and more than $2 billion in expenditures, President Truman
set about the task of deciding if and how the atomic bomb would be used.
July 26, 1945
Potsdam Declaration is issued by the Allies demanding the unconditional surrender of Japan. It was
presented as an ultimatum and stated that without a surrender, the Allies would attack Japan,
resulting in "the inevitable and complete destruction of the Japanese armed forces and just as
inevitably the utter devastation of the Japanese homeland". The atomic bomb is not explicitly
mentioned. Two days later, the Japanese govt. rejects the demand.
The Setting: It is late July 1945. Nazi Germany has surrendered and Japan’s island empire in the Pacific has been smashed.
A few days ago, scientists in New Mexico successfully tested a powerful new weapon—an atomic bomb—to further
strengthen our country’s arsenal. Given the unprecedented destructive power of this new weapon, President Truman created
an Interim Committee in May 1945 to advise him on atomic matters.
Task: As a member of the Interim Committee, your task is to advise the President on whether or not to use the atomic
bomb on Japan. To help you come up with your recommendation, please read the following table. After you read all of the
factors, rank them in order of importance to you (1-6, with one being the strongest and 6 being the weakest). After you have
weighed the factors carefully you are ready to make a recommendation and defend your position.
Factor (and Rank):
U.S. Military Casualties—By July 1945, U.S. forces had already suffered more than one
million casualties. American POWs in Japan are dying of starvation. Some have been
tortured and others publicly executed. The Japanese Government has announced that it
will execute Allied pilots captured over Japan.
Justifies/Does Not Justify
Use of the Bomb because…
Factor (and Rank):
Unconditional surrender. The U.S. and the Allies agreed that the Axis powers must
surrender unconditionally (meaning they must surrender without the ability to maintain
their govt., military, or emperor.) On May 7, 1945, the German armed forces were forced
to surrender unconditionally, after Adolf Hitler committed suicide.
Justifies/Does Not Justify
Use of the Bomb because…
Problems with the Soviet Union. The wartime alliance with the USSR has begun to
unravel. In Europe, U.S. and Soviet officials are arguing about the political future of
Eastern Europe, particularly of Poland, as well as Germany. U.S. officials are also
concerned about the Soviet position in East Asia. Stalin had agreed that the USSR would
enter the war against Japan three months after the defeat of Germany. The Truman
administration is afraid that Soviet involvement in the war would lead to demands for
territory in Asia and lead to a stronger Soviet power in the region in the post-war era.
The Destructive Power of the atomic bomb. The atomic bomb was known to be able to
wipe out an entire city at once. The radiation emitted from the explosion permeates the
landscape; the bomb not only destroys people and buildings on impact, but its effects
continue to harm the environment for many years. Scientists at the time were aware of the
dangers of radiation, but did not fully understand its potential.
Preservation of U.S. Values. The U.S. did not choose to fight World War II. Throughout
the war, U.S. leaders insisted they were fighting to defend against aggression, preserve
freedom and defend the dignity and the rights of the individual. The atomic bomb gave
the U.S. the means to bring about the quick conclusion to a war fought by an enemy in
ways that U.S. policymakers (and the public) considered barbaric and uncivilized.
Possibility of Japanese Surrender. The war had taken a huge toll on Japan. The Allied sea
blockade of Japan had cut supplies of food and war materials. Japanese oil shipments—
critical to the war effort—had been reduced by 85 percent. The Japanese people were
facing the prospect of slow starvation. In addition, the blockade prevented Japan from
transporting 3 million Japanese soldiers in China back to the their homeland. U.S. air
strikes on Japanese cities had cut Japan’s industrial production to 40% of its wartime peak
and killed thousands of Japanese civilians. Allied bombing had destroyed 180 square miles
of Japanese urban areas, and military planners believed they would run out of targets within
several months.
U.S. intelligence also knew that Japan secretly approached the Soviets in May 1945 for help
ending the war. After the Allies called on Japan to surrender in July 1945, Japanese
diplomats indicated that they wanted an impartial third party to mediate their surrender.
Policy Options: Please select ONE of the following three options. Circle your choice and be prepared to defend your choice.
Option 1 – A Time for Peace
Japan is defeated. Japan’s top military officials have undoubtedly recognized the hopelessness of their position. The main
stumbling block to Japan’s acceptance of an unconditional surrender is the confusion surrounding what would happen to the
Japanese emperor. The U.S. must now step forward and assure the Japanese that we do not intend to put their emperor on
trial as a war criminal. To unleash the power of the atomic bomb against a desperate, defeated people would damage our
position as a moral leader in the world. Once the war is over, we will need all the goodwill we have earned to build a world of
peace and democracy. In the name of American values and honor, we should clear away the last obstacles to Japan’s surrender
peacefully.
Option 2 – Taking Responsibility for a New Era
The atomic bomb must be used as a force to end the war and strengthen the peace. The U.S. should demonstrate the power
of the atomic bomb to the world by staging an explosion on a deserted island in the Pacific. Americans have paid too high of
a price to accept anything less than Japan’s unconditional surrender. However, how our country ends the war against Japan
will have an enormous impact on the postwar world. By demonstrating the atomic bomb, we can begin the process of
building a postwar world based on peace and respect for human rights. Inevitably, other nations will learn the secrets of
atomic energy and before long, humanity will possess the power to destroy the entire planet. How the U.S. uses these first
products of the atomic age will serve as an example for the rest of the world. Let us act firmly and responsibly.
Option 3 – Push Ahead to Final Victory
For four years, Americans have willingly sacrificed their lives and their resources to overcome the evil forces of fascism and
militarism. Now, with final victory within reach, we owe it to our troops to end the war as quickly and decisively as possible.
Dropping atomic weapons without warning on Japan’s cities, at reasonable intervals, is the surest method of ending the war on
our terms and preventing further American casualties. We must not deceive ourselves. The Japanese will admit defeat only in
the face of an overwhelming military force. Victory over fascism and militarism has not been achieved through hesitation and
halfway measures. As the defenders of democracy and freedom, we must remain strong and confident in our convictions.
Atomic Bomb Chronology (cont.)
August 6, 1945
The Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Hiroshima was described as
"an important army depot and port of embarkation in the middle of an urban industrial area. It is a
good radar target and it is such a size that a large part of the city could be extensively damaged.” An
estimated 80,000 people (more than 30% of the population of Hiroshima) died and at least as many
were injured by fire, radiation sickness, or the force of the explosion. At least 90% of the city’s
buildings were damaged or destroyed.
August 7, 1945
U.S. decides to drop warning pamphlets on Japanese cities.
August 9, 1945
“Fat Man” was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, one of the largest seaports in Japan and a center of
much of their industrial activity. It is estimated that somewhere between 40,000-75,000 people were
immediate killed and by the end of 1945, the death toll had reached 80,000.
August 10, 1945
U.S. drops more warning pamphlets on Nagasaki.
August 14, 1945
The Japanese govt. officially surrendered.
September 2, 1945
A formal agreement was signed aboard the USS Missouri detailing the Japanese govt.’s unconditional
surrender.
Questions for “Atomic Cafe”
1. Describe the scenes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the bombing.
2. What indications does the interview with Col. Tibbetts offer that postwar generations had doubts about whether the
bomb should have been used?
Albert Camus:
[I]n such a world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, it is the job of thinking people, not to be on the side
of the executioners.
Aftermath of the bomb:
Within the first 2-4 months of the bombings, 90,000-166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000-80,000 people were killed in
Nagasaki. Roughly half of those deaths in each city occurred on the first day. In the months after the bomb was dropped,
large numbers of people died from the effects of flash or flame burns (20-30%), radiation sickness (15-20%), and other injuries
compounded by illness (50-60%). Since then, more have died from leukemia and cancer attributed to exposure to radiation
released by the bombs.
Survivors of the bombings are called “hibakusha,” a Japanese word that literally means “explosion affected people.” As of
March 2009, 235,569 hibakusha were recognized by the Japanese govt.
There are believed to be more than 100 people who are known to have been affected by both bombings.
There was one officially recognized double hibakusha, Tsutomu Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi was 3 kilometers from ground zero
in Hiroshima on a business trip when the first bomb exploded. The explosion ruptured his eardrums, blinded him
temporarily, and left him with serious burns on his left side. He spent the night in an air-raid shelter in Hiroshima. He got
back to his home city of Nagasaki on August 8th, the day before the second bomb was dropped, where he received medical
treatment for his wounds before returning to work heavily bandaged on August 9th, the day of the second bombing. He was 3
kilometers from the Nagasaki blast and was unhurt by the second explosion.
In the book The Last Train From Hiroshima, Charles Pellegrino writes about an interview with Yamaguchi in which
Yamaguchi described injured survivors in the aftermath of the atomic bombs. Yamaguchi called the victims "ant-walking
alligators" who "were now eyeless and faceless—with their heads transformed into blackened alligator hides displaying red
holes, indicating mouths. [...] The alligator people did not scream. Their mouths could not form the sounds. The noise they
made was worse than screaming. They uttered a continuous murmur—like locusts on a midsummer night. One man,
staggering on charred stumps of legs, was carrying a dead baby upside down."
Yamaguchi is the first and only officially recognized survivor of both bombings. He suffered a number of health problems in
the years after the bombings, including a loss of hearing in his left ear, temporary baldness, and radiation-related ailments like
cataracts and acute leukemia. His wife also suffered radiation poisoning from the Nagasaki explosion. She died at the age of
88 from kidney and liver cancer after a lifetime of illness. All 3 of Yamaguchi’s children report that they suffered from health
problems that they thought were inherited from their parents’ exposure. Yamaguchi died on Jan. 4, 2010 after a battle with
stomach cancer at the age of 93.