Dropping the Atomic Bomb on Japan (Outline)
The dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan ended World War II. The decision to do so was solely that of the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Harry S. Truman. As President Truman had to ask himself whether or not it was justifiable to use a weapon of untold destructive force. The answer would change the world.
A. How was the atomic bomb created?
A. How was the atomic bomb created?
- The atomic bomb was created in the south western desert of the United States under top secret conditions. The Manhattan Project was run by Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, a German Jew who had fled the Nazi's.
- The Germans and Americans had been racing to complete the bomb first but with Germany's destruction and the persecution of many of her top scientists who were Jewish the German effort was severely hampered.
- The first atomic bomb was detonated in a test in the New Mexico desert on July 16th 1945. It was considered a spectacular success.
- The army estimated that it would have cost between 500,000 to 1,000,000 soldiers lives to mount a successful full scale invasion of Japan.
- 2. Truman wanted an unconditional surrender of Japan.
- President Truman issued his executive order to drop the bomb on July 26th 1945.
- The Army created a list of 5 military targets and the bomb would be dropped depending on weather conditions. The first available target was the industrial city of Hiroshima.
- The bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th 1945. The bombs nickname was "Little Boy."
- The second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki after the Japanese government failed to offer their unconditional surrender. The bomb, nicknamed "Fat Man" was dropped on August 9th 1945.
- Hiroshima and Nagasaki were utterly destroyed. Over thirty thousand people were killed at Hiroshima when the bomb was exploded. Over twenty thousand were killed at Nagasaki.
- Over the span of four months tens of thousands more died of various illnesses that can be attributed to radiation exposure.
- The day after Nagasaki Japan signaled its unconditional surrender to the United States.
- America sent a strong message to Josef Stalin that we had a weapon that he could not counter. It was a strong signal that we were the worlds only nuclear superpower.
Documents on the Decision to Use the Atomic BombIn recent years historians have questioned President Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan. For Truman, the decision was a clear-cut one. In 1945, America was weary of war. Japan was a hated enemy. The nation feared the cost of invading the Japanese mainland. Documents on the decision to use the atomic bomb are reproduced here in full-text form. Other aspects of the decision are shown from accounts by the participants.
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- International Law - Bombing of Civilians - At the beginning of World War II, the bombing of civilians was regarded as a barbaric act. As the war continued, however, all sides abandoned previous restraints. But international law has always distinguished between civilians and combatants. Legal context to the decision, from a variety of international treaties and the 1996 World Court opinion.
- Target Committee, Los Alamos, May 10-11, 1945 - Minutes of the Target Committee, meeting in the office of J. Robert Oppenheimer, as they decided the best use of the "gadget."
- The Franck Report, June 11, 1945 - The Franck Report, written by a seven-man panel of scientists at the University of Chicago, urged that the bomb be demonstrated "before the eyes of representatives of all United Nations, on the desert or a barren island."
- Scientific Panel, June 16, 1945 - Despite the arguments against using the bomb made by the Franck Report, a panel composed of Oppenheimer, Fermi, Compton, and Lawrence found "no acceptable alternative to direct military use."
- Bard Memorandum, June 27, 1945 - Undersecretary of the Navy Ralph A. Bard wrote that use of the bomb without warning was contrary to "the position of the United States as a great humanitarian nation," especially since Japan seemed close to surrender.
- Setting the Test Date, July 2, 1945 - President Truman had delayed his meeting with Stalin until the atomic bomb could be tested. On July 2, General Groves told Robert Oppenheimer that the test date was being set by "the upper crust."
- Szilard Petition, first version, July 3, 1945 - The first version of Leo Szilard's petition called atomic bombs "a means for the ruthless annihilation of cities." It asked the President "to rule that the United States shall not, in the present phase of the war, resort to the use of atomic bombs."
- Petition cover letter, July 4, 1945 - Szilard sent copies of the July 3 version of his petition to colleagues at Oak Ridge and Los Alamos. This cover letter discussed the need for scientists to take a moral stand on the use of the bomb.
- Groves Seeks Evidence, July 4, 1945 - As Szilard circulated his petition, General Groves sought ways to take action against him. On July 4, 1945, Groves wrote to Lord Cherwell, Winston Churchill's science advisor.
- Oak Ridge petition, July 13, 1945 - The first version of Szilard's petition inspired a similar petition at the Manhattan Project laboratory at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The names of the 18 signers are included.
- Oak Ridge petition, mid-July 1945 - Another petition at Oak Ridge called for the power of the bomb to be "adequately described and demonstrated" before use. The names of the 67 signers are included.
- Trinity Test, July 16, 1945 - Radiation Monitoring - The test of the atomic bomb in the New Mexico desert on July 16 was a spectacular success. This report by Manhattan Project Chief of Medical Section Stafford Warren shows that radioactive fallout from the test was an important concern.
- Trinity Test, July 16, 1945 - Eyewitness Accounts - Even 32 kilometers (20 miles) away, scientists felt the heat of the explosion on exposed skin. Declassified eyewitness accounts of the Trinity test by Luis Alvarez, Enrico Fermi, Philip Morrison, Robert Serber, Victor Weisskopf, and others.
- Szilard Petition, July 17, 1945 - Leo Szilard, and 69 co-signers at the Manhattan Project "Metallurgical Laboratory" in Chicago, petitioned the President of the United States. The names and positions of the signers are included.
- Szilard Petition, July 17, 1945, GIF image - See Szilard's petition. The image is only 38k, but your monitor must support at least 800x600 resolution to view it properly.
- Truman Tells Stalin, July 24, 1945 - At the Potsdam Conference in defeated Germany, President Truman told Stalin only that the U.S. "had a new weapon of unusual destructive force." What did Truman say, and what did Stalin understand? Seven eyewitness accounts.
- Truman Diary, July 25, 1945 - President Truman told his diary that he had ordered the bomb dropped on a "purely military" target, so that "military objectives and soldiers and sailors are the target and not women and children."
- Official Bombing Order, July 25, 1945 - The bombing order issued to General Spaatz made no mention of targetting military objectives or sparing civilians. The cities themselves were the targets.
- Groves-Oppenheimer transcript, August 6, 1945 - General Groves informed Robert Oppenheimer of the Hiroshima bombing. Transcript of telephone conversation.
- Truman radio speech, August 9, 1945 (excerpt) - In his radio speech to the nation on August 9, President Truman called Hiroshima "a military base." This is a 50k (.AU format) audio file. Hear Truman say it. Or read the full text of that paragraph.
- Leo Szilard, Interview: "President Truman Did Not Understand" - A 1960 interview with Leo Szilard about the use of the bomb, reprinted by permission from U.S. News & World Report.
- Correspondence between Richard Russell and Harry S. Truman, August 7 and 9, 1945, regarding the situation with Japan. Papers of Harry S. Truman: Official File.
- Correspondence between Samuel M. Cavert and Harry S. Truman, August 9 and 11, 1945, regarding the situation with Japan. Papers of Harry S. Truman: Official File.
- Correspondence between Irv Kupcinet and Harry S. Truman, July 30 and August 5, 1963, responding to Mr. Kupcinet's column in the Chicago Sun-Times about the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan. Papers of Harry S. Truman: Post-Presidential Files.
I lay there buried alive under our house when the bomb hit our city. The bomb started great fires. The fires came nearer and nearer to us as workers tried to reach us. "Hurry!" they cried to one another as the flames came nearer. At last the workers reached us and pulled me and my mother out from under everything, before the flames reached us.
Now later, as I thought of the pilot of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on our city, I cried, "I hate him. I hate him." The people with marked faces from the effects of the bomb made me cry, "I hate him." I saw people suffering a terrible, slow death. Again and again I cried, as I saw these people, "I hate that pilot, I hate him!"
I HATED HIM
Now some time later I was in USA and that pilot appeared in a meeting I attended. As I looked at him, I hated him with a bitter hatred.
But then I listened to what he told us of his experience the day when he dropped the bomb on our city. I heard him say, "When I flew over the city after we dropped the bomb, I cried, 'O God, what have I done'." I realised he found it difficult to speak of that day. He could hardly speak for tears.
As this happened I suddenly realised my hatred of him was wrong. It only made me unhappy also. As I did this, it was as if a heavy load fell off my shoulders. I cried, "God, help me to forgive him. Please God, forgive my wrong feelings towards him. Please give me Your Spirit to control my thoughts."
I also told God, "I am sorry for all my wrong thoughts." I believe Jesus Christ died for my sin. As I did this my life was changed.
I now help people that suffer from hating other people. I seek to help them to love everyone, as I am now able to do.
Now later, as I thought of the pilot of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on our city, I cried, "I hate him. I hate him." The people with marked faces from the effects of the bomb made me cry, "I hate him." I saw people suffering a terrible, slow death. Again and again I cried, as I saw these people, "I hate that pilot, I hate him!"
I HATED HIM
Now some time later I was in USA and that pilot appeared in a meeting I attended. As I looked at him, I hated him with a bitter hatred.
But then I listened to what he told us of his experience the day when he dropped the bomb on our city. I heard him say, "When I flew over the city after we dropped the bomb, I cried, 'O God, what have I done'." I realised he found it difficult to speak of that day. He could hardly speak for tears.
As this happened I suddenly realised my hatred of him was wrong. It only made me unhappy also. As I did this, it was as if a heavy load fell off my shoulders. I cried, "God, help me to forgive him. Please God, forgive my wrong feelings towards him. Please give me Your Spirit to control my thoughts."
I also told God, "I am sorry for all my wrong thoughts." I believe Jesus Christ died for my sin. As I did this my life was changed.
I now help people that suffer from hating other people. I seek to help them to love everyone, as I am now able to do.
Using the Atomic Bomb...Justifiable or Criminal?
Task: Write a two page research paper that answers whether the usage of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were justified?
Considerations: Think about the reasons the United States justified its use of the Atomic bomb.
Important Points to Remember:
Considerations: Think about the reasons the United States justified its use of the Atomic bomb.
- Reflect on the effects of an atomic bomb. Do the ends justify the means; meaning…are the negative effects (thousands dead, years of radiation sickness, mass destruction, etc.) worth the positive outcome (Japan avoided “total destruction” at the hands of the US military, US desire for revenge over Pearl Harbor, the life’s of American not at risk from a full scale invasion, etc.)?
- The US government decided to surprise the Japanese instead of warning them about the massive destruction that would result. Why?
- Could the US have used the bomb on an uninhibited island, demonstrating the massive and destructive nature of the bomb, which might have been enough to cause Japan to surrender without actually dropping the bomb on a city itself? Or was it necessary to actually use the bomb on Japan itself?
- Was there a political reason behind using the bomb, perhaps showing the world what we had as well as stopping the Soviet Union from claiming more land now that they had declared war on Japan?
- Would we have been able to force Japan to surrender some other way?
Important Points to Remember:
- You will need to use both primary and secondary sources in order to complete this paper.
- Consider using sources from both perspectives. What are the American views both before and after the bombings? What was the Japanese’s reaction after the blasts, not just in the days after, but years later?
- You must include in-text citations and a bibliography or else your paper will not be accepted; thus, resulting in a zero.
- You should follow GENBIT, CEDA, and TRAMS. If you choose not to your run the risk of a impacted grade if not written correctly.
- You will be graded via the 6+1 Writing Rubric. You can locate this on the Internet or my Web site.