PLEASE WATCH THE SHORT POWERPOINT AUDIO ON THE DROPPING OF THE BOMB
When the United States successfully detonated the first atomic bomb in July 1945 at a test site in New Mexico, President Harry S. Truman was faced with the decision of whether to use the bomb to end the war in the Pacific against Japan. There has been a long, ongoing argument about President Truman's motivations for dropping two atomic bombs on Japan--on the city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. Various reasons given for Truman's choice to drop the bomb include: the desire to save American lives; to intimidate the Russians with a show of American nuclear power; as retribution against the Japanese for their attack on Pearl Harbor, the brutal atrocities they committed during the war in the Pacific, and even racial hatred.
In order to come up with an interpretative response to the question of President Truman's use of the atomic bomb, a historian would have to look at the full record of Truman's correspondence and even look back into his life for predispositions.
Below are excerpts from a limited amount of that correspondence, which may give some insight into Truman's motivations.
July 25, 1945—President Harry Truman, diary entry
We met at 11 A.M. today. That is Stalin, Churchill and the U.S. President [Truman refers to himself.]. But I had a most important session with Lord Mountbattan & General Marshall before than. We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world. It may be the fire destruction prophesied in the Euphrates Valley Era, after Noah and his fabulous Ark.
Anyway we 'think' we have found the way to cause a disintegration of the atom. An experiment in the New Mexican desert was startling - to put it mildly. Thirteen pounds of the explosive caused the complete disintegration of a steel tower 60 feet high, created a crater 6 feet deep and 1,200 feet in diameter, knocked over a steel tower 1/2 mile away and knocked men down 10,000 yards away. The explosion was visible for more than 200 miles and audible for 40 miles and more.
The weapon is to be used against Japan between now andAugust 10th.I have told the Sec. of War, Mr. Stimson, to use it so that military objectives and soldiers and sailors are the target and not women and children. Even if the Japs are savages, ruthless, merciless and fanatic, we as the leader of the world for the common welfare cannot drop this terrible bomb on the old capital or the new [Kyoto or Tokyo].
He [Stimson] and I are in accord. The target will be a purely military one and we will issue a warning statement [known as the Potsdam Proclamation] asking the Japs to surrender and save lives. I'm sure they will not do that, but we will have given them the chance. It is certainly a good thing for the world that Hitler's crowd or Stalin's did not discover this atomic bomb. It seems to be the most terrible thing ever discovered, but it can be made the most useful.
July 31, 1945—President Harry Truman, letter to Bess Truman.
He [Stalin] doesn't know it but I have an ace in the hole and another one showing--so unless he has threes or two pair (and I know he has not) we are sitting all right. [A possible reference to the atomic bomb, possessed at the time by the U.S. but not by Russia.]
August 6, 1945: Atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima.
President Harry Truman—excerpt from 1st public statement about the bomb.
The Japanese began the war from the air at Pearl Harbor. They have been repaid many fold.…If they do not now accept our terms they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth.
August 8, 1945—Russia declares war on Japan.
August 9, 1945—Atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki.
President Truman, excerpt from 2nd public statement about the bomb.
The world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was because we wished in this first attack to avoid, insofar as possible, the killing of civilians. But that attack is only a warning of things to come. If Japan does not surrender, bombs will have to be dropped on her war industries and, unfortunately, thousands of civilian lives will be lost.…Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans.…We shall continue to use it until we completely destroy Japan's power to make war. Only a Japanese surrender will stop us.
President Harry Truman, letter to Senator Richard Russell,
who had asked for more atomic bombs to be dropped on Japan.
I know that Japan is a terribly cruel and uncivilized nation in warfare but I can't bring myself to believe that, because they are beasts, we should ourselves act in the same manner.…For myself, I certainly regret the necessity of wiping out whole populations because of the 'pigheadedness' of the leaders of a nation and, for your information, I am not going to do it until it is absolutely necessary.…My object is to save as many American lives as possible but I also have a humane feeling for the women and children in Japan.
August 10, 1945—Japan makes a surrender offer to the Allies and
Truman halts all bombing after receiving a report
about the effects of the Hiroshima bomb.
Secretary of Commerce Henry Wallace, diary entry.
Truman said he had given orders to stop atomic bombing. He said the thought of wiping out another 100,000 people was too horrible. He didn't like the idea of killing, as he said, 'all those kids'.
President Harry Truman, diary entry.
Ate lunch at my desk and discussed the Jap offer to surrender which came in a couple of hours earlier. They wanted to make a condition precedent to the surrender. Our terms are 'unconditional'. They wanted to keep the Emperor. We told 'em we'd tell 'em how to keep him, but we'd make the terms.
August 11, 1945
President Harry Truman to Samuel McCrea Cavert,
General Secretary of the Federal Council of Churches.
Nobody is more disturbed over the use of Atomic bombs than I am but I was greatly disturbed over the unwarranted attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor and their murder of our prisoners of war. The only language they seem to understand is the one we have been using to bombard them.…When you have to deal with a beast you have to treat him as a beast. It is most regrettable but nevertheless true.
President Harry Truman, diary entry,
concerning counter-surrender offer of US to Japan.
We are all on edge waiting for the Japs to answer. Have had a hell of a day.
August 14, 1945
Japan accepts the counter-surrender terms.
EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT
Taking into consideration the information gained from the shortaudio Power point lecture,your text book,as well as the above correspondence, answer the following questions:
- What do you believe was Truman’s main motive for dropping two atomic bombs on Japan? Was it simply to end the war with Japan, or do you believe he dropped the bombs to intimidate the Soviet Union whose military had already taken control of several Eastern European countries and were now moving into east Asia?
- Was it necessary to drop the second bomb on Nagasaki only two days later? Why didn’t Truman give the Japanese more time to surrender?
- There was almost no opposition to Truman’s decision at the time by Americans, despite the deaths of so many Japanese civilians. There was tremendous anti-Japanese sentiment following Pearl Harbor, and Japanese-Americans were the only group singled out for mass “re-location” during the war. Do you believe that racism was involved in the decision to drop the bomb, or was it simply the quickest way to end the war with the fewest overall deaths?
Your answers should be at least 300 words (cumulative for all three questions), typed on aWord document, 12-point font with 1-inch borders on each side. Download your assignment to theTurnitin.comtab, found at the bottom of the assignment.