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Atom Bomb. After Okinawa, a land invasion of Japan in next-Tokyo and other major cities being bombed Decision needs to be made on how to end war against Japan. Military experts estimate a possible million casualties Japan threatens to arm everyone!!!
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After Okinawa, a land invasion of Japan in next-Tokyo and other major cities being bombed • Decision needs to be made on how to end war against Japan
Military experts estimate a possible million casualties • Japan threatens to arm everyone!!! • Truman considers use of powerful new weapon (a-bomb)
Potsdam Declaration- President Truman warns Japan of “prompt and utter” destruction if no surrender (late July, 1945)
No response • Enola Gay- airplane piloted by Paul Tibbets- Hiroshima • Hiroshima- August 6, 1945 • ‘little boy’ dropped, killing 75,000
Nagasaki- August 9, 1945 • ‘fat man’ dropped, killing 35,000 • Estimated 240,000 eventually die (total) due to initial bomb blast and after effects
Why Hiroshima? • Hiroshima was chosen as the primary target since it had remained largely untouched by bombing raids, and the bomb's effects could be clearly measured. While President Truman had hoped for a purely military target, some advisers believed that bombing an urban area might break the fighting will of the Japanese people. Hiroshima was a major port and a military headquarters, and therefore a strategic target. Also, visual bombing, rather than radar, would be used so that photographs of the damage could be taken. Since Hiroshima had not been seriously harmed by bombing raids, these photographs could present a fairly clear picture of the bomb's damage.
After effects • (scientists estimate only .1 percent of capabilities!!!) • Japan surrenders on August 14, 1945