Why did the USA drop two

Atomic Bombs on Japan in

1945?
GCSE History Coursework
2003
By Mr RJ Huggins

The Atomic Bombing of Japan

On 6th August 1945 the Americans dropped
the worlds first atomic bomb on
Hiroshima, a military base.
Three days later they dropped another bomb
on Nagasaki, the planned landing point for
the US invasion of Japan.
On 10th August 1945, the day after the
bombing of Nagasaki, Japan surrendered.

Terror Bombing
Terror bombing was used by both sides during the
Second World War.
The tactic was first perfected by the Germans who
used it as a key part of their Blitzkrieg attacks in
both Europe & Russia/.Both the RAF & USAF
bombed Germany throughout the war.
The main aim of terror bombing was to destroy
key industrial and military centres and their
workers in the hope of destroying morale.

The Fire Bombing of Tokyo

The capture of Iwo Jima and
the total destruction of the
Japanese air force meant that
the USA could now bomb
every major Japanese city.
In May 1945, the USA
decided to firebomb the
capital city Tokyo.
It was hoped that the massive
civilian casualties would
break Japanese morale and
force them to surrender.

Enola Gay B 29 Superfortress

Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese

city of Hiroshima. It was flown by Paul Tibbets on the right

The A-Bombs used over Japan;

Little Boy (left) and Fat Man (right)

Hiroshima

Nagasak

Map Showing the Damage Done to

Hiroshima

The centre of
the explosion
was hotter than
the surface of
the sun!

Photograph of Hiroshima

Survivors from Hiroshima

These victims are covered in

blisters created by radioactivity

Photo of atomic bomb exploding over

Nagasaki (9 August 1945)

Burnt remains of the

victims of Nagasaki

Casualties from the US bombing

of Japanese cities in 1945
140000
120000
100000
80000
60000
40000
20000
0

Killed

Fire Bombing of
Tokyo

140000

Hiroshima

100000

Nagasaki

81000

Different Interpretations
To frighten the
Russians so that they
wouldnt confront the
West.
Eastern Europe

To test the weapon on

live human beings to
see what affect it had.

A military weapon to end

the war quickly, save lives
and keep the Russians out
of the war.

Why did the USA drop

The Atomic Bombs on
Japan?
Revenge for Pearl
Harbor and Japanese
war crimes against Allied
prisoners of war

Interpretation 1: Military Weapon

US Government
estimated that
both Japan & the USA
would each lose
250,000 soldiers during
the invasion of
Japan!

The war in the Pacific was

expensive for the USA.
For example, on Iwo Jima it
took five weeks of bitter
fighting at a cost of more than
24,000 casualties before the
USA took the island.
In taking another island,
Okinawa, the US incurred a
further 20,195 dead and 55,162
wounded.

Interpretation 1:Military Weapon

..it was done to save

125,000 youngsters on
the American side and
125,000 on the Japanese
side from getting killed
and that is what it did. It
probably also saved a half
million youngsters on
both sides from being
maimed for life.
Harry Truman, 1963

Casualty Figures for 1945

150,000
100,000
USA

50,000
0

Japanese
Iwo Jima

Luzon

Okinawa

USA

6,800

3,793

20,162

Japanese

22,000

113,593

98,654

The Japanese government threatened to put to death 400,000

Allied prisoners of war if the USA invaded Japan!

Interpretation 2: Revenge
On 7th December 1941, 2400
American servicemen, six
battleships and ten other
ships were destroyed during
a surprise attack by the
Japanese.
Roosevelt described the
Japanese attack as a day
that shall live on in infamy
because the Japanese didnt
declare war on the USA or
give any warning that they
were about to go to war.

Revenge for Pearl Harbor

Harry Truman, 1963

Pearl Harbor was done while

we were at peace with Japan
and trying our best to negotiate
a treaty with them All you
have to do is to go out and
stand on the keel of the
Battleship in Pearl Harbor with
the 3,000 youngsters
underneath it who had no
chance whatever of saving their
lives.. It was plain murder!

Interpretation 2: Revenge POWs

The Japanese religion Bushido
believed that people who surrendered
were cowards and should be
mistreated.
Allied prisoners of war were beaten,
deliberately starved, tortured,
worked to death and even
experimented on with chemical &
biological weapons by the Japanese.
Some were even crucified on trees
and beheaded by their captors!
There was a strong feeling in both the USA & Europe that
the Japanese should be taught a lesson!

Interpretation 3: Frighten the Russians

RIP

At the Yalta Conference in March

1945, the big three agreed that
there should be early free
elections in Eastern European
countries like Poland as soon as
the war was over.
With the death of Roosevelt in
April 1945, Harry Truman
became the President of the USA.
Truman did not trust Stalin to
keep his promises.

Interpretation 3: Frighten the Russians

He is trying to spread
Communism!

We have been attacked

twice in less than 25 years!

The USA
dropped the first
atomic bomb
14 days later!

By the time the big three met

again at Potsdam on 23rd July
1945, Stalin did not trust the
Americans.
He wanted to create a buffer
between USSR (Russia) and
Western Europe to protect her
from future invasions.
He started putting his Communist
supporters into power in the
Eastern European countries that
he controlled.

Interpretation 3: Frighten the Russians

Officially the Americans
claimed that the bombings on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki was
aimed at bringing the end of the
war nearer and avoiding
unnecessary bloodshed and
casualties. But they had entirely
different objectives. The
purpose of the bombings was to
intimidate other countries,
above all the Soviet Union.

Russian Historian: Vadim

Nekrasov, 1984

Interpretation 3: Frighten the Russians

The use of this barbarous weapon
was of no assistance to our war
against Japan. The Japanese were
already defeated.
By October 1944 the Japanese had
been cut off from 80% of their oil
supplies.
The US secret service had cracked
the Japanese diplomatic codes and
knew that they wanted to surrender
before they dropped the bomb!

Admiral Leahy, 1950

Interpretation 4: To Test the Weapon

The Atomic Bomb cost $2,000
million to develop!
Many of the Scientist &
military advisors were keen to
test the atomic bomb to sell
what affect it would have on
human beings.
No one knew about the affects
of radiation from a nuclear
explosion.
Later many US & British
troops were exposed to
radiation from the testing of
nuclear weapons.

Interpretation 4: To Test the Weapon

A demonstration of the bomb

might best be made on the
desert or on a barren island.
Japan could then be asked to
surrender.
Robert Oppenheimer, June 1945

Interpretation 4: To Test the Weapon

A demonstration in an
uninhabited area was not
regarded as likely to make
Japan surrender. There was
the danger of the test being
a dud. Also we had no
bombs to waste

Henry Stimson, American Secretary for War, 1945

Conclusion: Now You Decide!

To frighten the
Russians so that they
wouldnt confront the
West.
Eastern Europe

To test the weapon on

live human beings to
see what affect it had.

A military weapon to end

the war quickly, save lives
and keep the Russians out
of the war.

Why did the USA drop

The Atomic Bombs on
Japan?
Revenge for Pearl
Harbor and Japanese
war crimes against Allied
prisoners of war

Counting the Cost

POWs 400,000
US
250,000
Japanese 250,000

Hiroshima 100,000
Nagasaki 81,000

US Invasion of Japan

Use the Bomb

What would you do?