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20th Century Shen Name: _________________________________ 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.