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What was Truman's alternative to using the atomic bomb?
President Truman had four options: 1) continue conventional bombing of Japanese cities; 2) invade Japan; 3) demonstrate the bomb on an unpopulated island; or, 4) drop the bomb on an inhabited Japanese city.
Was the atomic bomb the only option?
“No. And it wasn't necessary either. Militarily Japan was finished (as the Soviet invasion of Manchuria that August showed). Further blockade and urban destruction would have produced a surrender in August or September at the latest, without the need for the costly anticipated invasion or the atomic bomb.
Which president decided or not to use the atomic bomb?
For Truman, the choice whether or not to use the atomic bomb was the most difficult decision of his life. First, an Allied demand for an immediate unconditional surrender was made to the leadership in Japan.
Why did Truman chose to use the atomic bomb instead of conventional warfare?
In the years that followed, President Truman steadfastly defended his decision to use the atomic bombs. He argued that the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced the Japanese to surrender quickly, thus avoiding an invasion that would have cost the lives of thousands of Americans.
Was dropping the atomic bomb a war crime?
Hiroshima: Atomic Blast That Changed The World Turns 75 The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were said at the time to be justified as the only way to end World War II. Seventy-five years later, legal experts say they would now be war crimes.
Is Hiroshima still radioactive?
The radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki today is on a par with the extremely low levels of background radiation (natural radioactivity) present anywhere on Earth. It has no effect on human bodies.
How did the US keep the atomic bomb a secret?
A key component of keeping the Manhattan Project secret was making sure Project sites were secret and secure. One obvious reason the Manhattan Engineers District selected Los Alamos, NM, Oak Ridge, TN, and Hanford, WA as project sites was their geographic isolation.
Which bomb was fat man?
This implosion-type plutonium bomb, nicknamed Fat Man, weighed 10,800 pounds. The bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, August 9, 1945, at 11:01 AM. The B-29 Bock's Car (named after Frederick Bock, who was the usual pilot), dropped the bomb from 29,000 feet.
Was Japan warned about the atomic bomb?
Leaflets dropped on cities in Japan warning civilians about the atomic bomb, dropped c. August 6, 1945. TO THE JAPANESE PEOPLE: America asks that you take immediate heed of what we say on this leaflet.
Which of the following would President Truman have found a valid reason to forego using atomic weapons on Japan?
Which of the following would President Truman have found a valid reason to forego using atomic weapons on Japan? It would anger the Soviet Union.
How would ww2 end without the atomic bomb?
The US Strategic Bombing Survey concluded that, even without the use of the atomic bombs, without the Soviet Union entering the war and without an Allied invasion of Japan, the war would have ended before December 31, 1945 and, in all likelihood, before November 1, 1945.
Was dropping the atomic bomb necessary?
Combined with the Soviet entry into the conflict, the atom bombs brought about Japan's surrender within a few days. The bomb was necessary to accomplish Truman's primary objectives of forcing a prompt Japanese surrender and saving American lives, perhaps thousands of them.
Would Japan have surrendered without the atomic bombings?
However, the overwhelming historical evidence from American and Japanese archives indicates that Japan would have surrendered that August, even if atomic bombs had not been used — and documents prove that President Truman and his closest advisors knew it.
Why was Nagasaki chosen to be bombed?
However, Nagasaki was originally chosen as the third target for atomic bombing because its population was much smaller than those of Hiroshima and Kokura, which was the second target. Also, a prisoner of war camp was there.
What were the alternatives to war with Japan?
President Truman had four options:Continue conventional bombing of Japanese cities.Land invasion of Japan.Demonstrate the bomb on an unpopulated island.Drop the bomb on an inhabited Japanese city.
Which bomb was fat man?
This implosion-type plutonium bomb, nicknamed Fat Man, weighed 10,800 pounds. The bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, August 9, 1945, at 11:01 AM. The B-29 Bock's Car (named after Frederick Bock, who was the usual pilot), dropped the bomb from 29,000 feet.
What organization was established to advise the manner in which the nuclear weapons should be deployed against Japan?
The decision to drop the atomic bomb was not taken lightly. All possibilities were laid out and discussed by the Interim Committee, an organization established to advise the manner in which the nuclear weapons should be deployed against Japan. Three alternatives were discussed:
What were the alternatives to the Japanese surrender?
Three alternatives were discussed: The first alternative discussed was to intensify the conventional bombing already taking place, as well as naval blockade in an attempt to force the Japanese to surrender. General MacArthur felt that air power alone would suffice to force a Japanese surrender in under 6 months, with few American casualties.
What was the third option analyzed by the Interim Committee?
The third and final option analyzed by the Interim Committee, was for the U.S. to wait for the Soviet Union to enter the war. This had been one of President Truman's main objectives during the Yalta Conference, but thus far, had been ineffective.
How long did it take for the Japanese to surrender?
General MacArthur felt that air power alone would suffice to force a Japanese surrender in under 6 months, with few American casualties. This idea was eventually disregarded, as the length of time it would take to obtain a Japanese surrender was deemed to long for the Americans.
When did the Interim Committee recommend the use of the bomb?
After five meetings between May 9 and June 1, it recommended use of the bomb against Japan as soon as possible and rejected arguments for advance warning. Clearly in line with Truman’s inclinations, the recommendations of the Interim Committee amounted to a prepackaged decision.
Who was Truman's foreign secretary?
A skilled politician who knew when to compromise, Truman respected decisiveness. Meeting with Anthony Eden , the British foreign secretary, in early May, he declared: “I am here to make decisions, and whether they prove right or wrong I am going to make them,” an attitude that implied neither impulsiveness nor solitude.
What was the first phase of the Okinawa invasion?
The first phase, code-named Olympic, was scheduled for late October 1945, with a landing on Kyushu, defended by an estimated 350,000 Japanese troops backed by at least 1,000 kamikaze planes. Olympic entailed the use of nearly 800,000 American assault troops and an enormous naval fleet. The scale of the operation was to be similar to that of the Normandy invasion in France in June 1944, which involved 156,000 Allied troops in the first 24 hours and approximately 850,000 others by the end of the first week of July. Estimates of casualties from an invasion of Japan varied, but nearly everyone involved in the planning assumed that they would be substantial; mid-range estimates projected 132,000 American casualties, with 40,000 deaths. Truman told his military advisers that he hoped “there was a possibility of preventing an Okinawa from one end of Japan to another.”
Why did Americans want Hirohito removed?
Americans viewed Hirohito as the symbol of the forces that had driven Japan to launch an aggressive, imperialistic war. Most Americans wanted him removed; many assumed he would be hanged. Few imagined that the institution he embodied would be allowed to continue after the war. Private discussions among State Department officials and Truman’s advisers achieved no consensus. Although some thought it necessary to keep Hirohito on the throne in order to prevent mass popular resistance against the American occupation, others wanted him arrested and tried as a necessary first step in the eradication of Japanese militarism. American propaganda broadcasts beamed at Japan hinted that he might be kept on the throne, but Truman was unwilling to give an open guarantee.
What was the military situation in the Pacific?
The military situation in the Pacific. When Truman became president, a long and bitter military campaign in the Pacific, marked by fanatical Japanese resistance and strongly held racial and cultural hostilities on both sides, was nearing its conclusion.
What was the most tangled problem in this conflict of national perspectives?
The most tangled problem in this conflict of national perspectives was the future of the Japanese emperor, Hirohito. Americans viewed Hirohito as the symbol of the forces that had driven Japan to launch an aggressive, imperialistic war. Most Americans wanted him removed; many assumed he would be hanged.
How many troops were involved in the Normandy invasion?
The scale of the operation was to be similar to that of the Normandy invasion in France in June 1944, which involved 156,000 Allied troops in the first 24 hours and approximately 850,000 others by the end of the first week of July.
When did Truman drop the atomic bomb?
Read the press release from President Truman on August 6, 1945 following the dropping of the atomic bomb noting important details about its production and the rhetoric used.
What did Eisenhower say about the atomic bomb?
President Eisenhower, in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, on December 8, 1953, stated, "Even a vast superiority in numbers of weapons, and a consequent capability of devastating material retaliation, is no preventive, of itself, against the fearful material damage and toll of human lives that would be inflicted by surprise aggression." Analyze this statement. What does it mean? Chart the line of events and personalities of atomic military buildup from President Truman to the present. What trends do you see? What do you think the future of atomic weaponry is?
How did Japan's resolve to fight be hampered?
The Japanese resolve to fight had been seriously hampered in the preceding months. Their losses at Iwo Jima and Okinawa had been staggering. Their navy had ceased to exist as an effective fighting force and the air corps had been decimated. American B-29's made bombing runs over military targets on the Japanese mainland an integral part of their air campaign. Japan's lack of air power hindered their ability to fight. The imprecision of bombing and the use of devastating city bombing in Europe eventually swayed United States Pacific theater military leaders to authorize bombing of Japanese mainland cities. Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe all were decimated by incendiary and other bombs.
What was the incendiary bomb?
Vocabulary. incendiary bomb. The incendiary bomb was a mixture of thermite and oxidizing agents employed by the Allies and Axis powers after 1943. Sometimes incorporating napalm, these bombs were responsible for burning over 41.5 square miles of Tokyo by the United States in March 1945. unconditional surrender.
How many people died in the first atomic bomb?
Three days later, on August 9, a second bomb, Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki. Over 20,000 people died instantly.
What cities were bombed by incendiary bombs?
Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe all were decimated by incendiary and other bombs. In all, hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed in these air strikes meant to deter the resolve of the Japanese people.
Why did the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor?
The bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese to initiate United States entrance into the war, just four years before, was still fresh on the minds of many Americans. A feeling of vindication and a desire to end the war strengthened the resolve of the United States to quickly and decisively conclude it.