In August 1945,atomic bombs were dropped on two Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Why did the American Government carry out these attacks? Explain your answer

SHEHZAD ILYAS 02/05/07

The American Government decided to carry out these attacks on Japan because of four reasons that they thought were of great magnitude these were: to justify the Manhattan Project, to counter the existing threat from the U.S.S.R, to save American and Japanese lives and simply because they wanted revenge for several other things such as the Japanese war crimes and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.

The first reason I am going to evaluate is the simple fact for America wanting retribution. The U.S Government had organized a parade at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, all was going well just a few hours earlier the Japanese Admiral, Admiral Yamamoto had ordered his troops to attack and bomb Pearl Harbour.

This attack carried out by the Japanese would prove to be very costly, in spite of this, this was the worst military attack on the United States of America ever carried out.

This embarrassed America deeply, the U.S thought that this was not fair because the so called ‘war rules’ had been broken there had been no declaration of war and it had caught America totally off guard. America’s super power strength was being questioned by every single country the nickname super power did not match up with what had just happened to the Americans it was as if they had never had the name super power, the U.S had to maintain its dignity and pride America was feeling Japans wrath.

The destruction of Pearl Harbour by the Japanese who were considered to be a small power was very destructive and damaging: 200 aircraft were destroyed, 5 battleships sunk, 3 further put out of action and the thing that the American Government resented was that 2 350 American soldiers were killed, The Government claimed that these soldiers were not given a chance to fight. The pressure was on from the soldier’s families and the press at the time. Right through the war a momentum for revenge built up and as the war progressed the Americans wanted to do more and more damage to the Japanese, this was what Professor Fussell thought when he heard that the bomb was being dropped on the Japanese:

“Immense delight in revenge ………… very excited”

This was also thought to be what most of the other soldiers were feeling when they heard of the news.

America wanted some payback for the humiliation that the Japanese had caused them. They wanted to teach the Japanese a lesson that they would not forget. So when the bomb was ready, the United States of America’s Government made an unambiguous decision to use it.

America also wanted revenge for the war crimes that the Japanese committed on the British and American soldiers. The Japanese treated all their prisoners very badly. They beat, tortured or made them work to death. Many of these soldiers died of disease or hunger. 40 000 allied soldiers that were held hostage by the Japanese died within three months.

The Japanese soldier’s motto was thought to be:

“Burn all – Kill all – Steal all”

The Japanese were thought to have competitions with the Allied soldiers bodies. They would have contests. To see who could chop off their heads of a certain number of the oppositions soldiers in a limited time. As trophies they would keep their ears or sometimes pull out their eyeballs. Once again, the U.S Government may have used propaganda to get the American civilians behind them so they could drop the bomb. They may have been scapegoating the Japanese.

The Japanese were ...

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The Japanese soldier’s motto was thought to be:

“Burn all – Kill all – Steal all”

The Japanese were thought to play games with the Chinese soldiers that they had captured; they would often rape the women and hold mass executions. It was thought that the Japanese were killing up to 50 000 Chinese men, women and children a week.

This was the impression given to the Americans by the Japanese:

“They loved killing westerners………….. Considered us savages”

America wanted to end the way in which it satisfied them. It did not want the war to end without them getting some retribution. They wanted “revenge in the manner they chose.” Japan had started the War and now America wanted to finish it in the way that suited them.

I think that the most important reason for America dropping the bomb was because they wanted to save lives. One of the many reasons that contributed to America in to dropping the bomb was the nature of the Japanese. This was Japans position in July 1945 just before the bomb was dropped:

-A shortage of iron, coal and oil

-Very little food

-Cities constantly bombed by the Americans

-Japanese armies driven back

-Commanders refusing to surrender

-Soldiers prepared to fight to the death

-Japanese pilots flying on suicide missions

This was what the Japanese were facing and every day although they were being attacked and their armies were being driven back the Japanese pilots decided to go on Kamikaze missions, they would pack their planes with bombs and fly into the side of American ships hoping to sink them.

The soldiers preferred to die for their country and in particular they’re Emperor Hirohito. It was considered an honour on your family if you died for your country and this would bring great honour on your family. On the other hand if you were caught and you were killed then this would bring great dishonour on to your family so the Japanese soldiers preferred to die rather than be captured.

The Japanese Emperor Hirohito was considered to be God to the Japanese they were willing to die for him and that is what they ended up doing in the end. The Japanese had imperialist aims they wanted to rule the world, the Japanese had never been defeated before and they had a great desire for an all Japanese empire also the Japanese had an immeasurable amount of pride for their country and their Emperor.

America knew that because of the culture of the Japanese they would not give up unless they were told to do so by their Emperor. The Japanese would not even stop fighting if they were greatly outnumbered also even if they were under equipped greatly they would charge knowing that they stood no chance.

Above all America did not want any casualties at all. They were giving their soldiers the priority if it came down to even one soldier’s life being threatened then they would drop the bomb.

America was worried about the future costs of land invasion. Whilst America was conquering the small islands just around the Japanese border many American soldiers lost their lives.

The Island Hopping campaign turned out to be a disaster for the U.S Government whilst attacking ‘Iwo Jima’ there were 6 000 dead American soldiers and whilst attacking Okinawa 12 500 American soldiers were killed and the Americans killed 100 000 Japanese. These results were very worrying for the American Government. If there were so many casualties whilst taking a few islands back, then what will the fatalities be like when they attacked Japan? The Americans predicted that 1 million soldiers would die whilst attacking the Japanese and they also predicted that there would be 2-3 million Japanese dead. The bomb would, the Americans hoped would bring to a swift end the war, which was against fanatically determined enemies.

America wanted to end the Second World War quickly and get their soldiers back home.

America also wanted to retreat to traditional U.S isolationism, they did not want to be in a war or sorting other countries war’s out. People moved to America in the first place to get away from the world’s problems and Americans wanted to get on with normal life again.

It has been indicated that the bomb was dropped to boost Truman’s election campaign, if he could say to the people that he was the one that got the soldiers home with out too many casualties then obviously the citizens are going to support him for his correct decision and for the man who ended World War Two.

It was said, by President Truman that the bomb would ‘save lives.’ How could this be? When the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima at 8.15am on 6th August 1945 where 70 000 people died instantly and a further 100 000 died as a result of being injured by the initial blast. Three days later on the 9th August America dropped another bomb this time on a city called Nagasaki. This resulted in the death of 80 000 Japanese civilians. By dropping the bomb a total of 250 000 innocent Japanese people were killed this included women and children and in particular workers homes and factories were targeted.

Now moving on to Russia, the Americans felt like they had something to prove to the Russians. America wanted to scare them off although they had been Allies during World War Two against the Nazi’s. Russia was becoming a threat because as America was progressing in its war against Japan, Russia was conquering large areas of China. Also this was a serious problem. The U.S.S.R was climbing its way up in trying to become a superpower just like America and this bothered them they did not want some one to gain the strength that the U.S had.

After the first atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima the Russians declared war on the Japanese the Russians saw their opportunity to grasp some land and they seized their opportunity. Even though the Russians were at war with the Japanese the new Japanese Government tried to make peace with the Americans through Russia, they tried to make an indirect peace statement because the Japanese did not want their pride to be damaged. Russia may not have passed on these peace agreements because they wanted more land but the Americans had cracked the code and they knew what was going on.

America wanted to end the war swiftly and stop Russia in their tracks and keep to them out of the War. America wanted to prove that they were the only real superpower and Russia stood no chance with the might of the American army.

During this time of constant battling with the Japanese and the political war with Russia, America may have dropped the bomb to send a message to the Russian soldiers, as a message to the U.S.S.R, President Truman said on camera:

“If the bomb explodes, I’ll have a hammer on those boys”

An indirect political message was sent to Russia:

“We don’t hesitate to use the big stuff”

America wanted to make it crystal clear to the U.S.S.R that it was picking a fight it could not possibly win. Also Russia claimed that world communism was inevitable and that war with capitalism was also inevitable. America was very keen to show that they did not want communism to spread world - wide. Communists believed in dictatorship, they had few rights, no free elections, a state run economy and they were atheist they did not believe in god, America did not want communism because everything the U.S stood for was the complete opposite, America believed in capitalism when Russia was run by communists The U.S felt morally obliged to check communism power.

The two bombs that America dropped on Japan were meant to be because they wanted to save lives. This may have been the case for the first one but I think that the second bomb was an indirect threat to Russia. It was almost as if America was saying if you start I will have the same punishment for you too. I think that even though the Americans knew that the Japanese were trying to make peace through they Russians they dropped the bomb to put a stop to Russia stealing any more land.

I think that the second pivotal point, which led to the bomb being dropped, was the Manhattan project. This was a top-secret plan, to make the atom bomb in New Mexico.

It was said that Truman was ignorant of the bomb the U.S Government claimed that Truman did not know the full extent of the damage and what the aftermath would be. Historians argue that he just thought that it was a big bomb and it would end the war.

Even though some Historians thought that he had no idea of the bombs real damage, I think he knew very well what he was doing. When Roosevelt was taking care of the war effort, Truman may not have known about it, when he came into power then he obviously would have got to know much more about the real damage that the bomb would cause and its effects. Many billions of dollars had gone in to this project it could be said that the Government was justifying the huge costs and making sure that all that money did not go to waste. The bomb was also dropped to measure the effects of the bomb for future development. The bomb was ready and America wanted to end the war quickly. They had a weapon that could do that, so they used it.

America new of the peace talks that the Japanese were making through the Russians but still the bomb was dropped this could have meant that the U.S Government wanted to win in a manner that suited them they did not want to let the Japanese get away with it that easily.

The bombs may have been dropped to also embarrass the Japanese just like they had done to them with the Pearl Harbour attack in mind. The Government knew that the soldiers would not give in because they would consider surrender as an embarrassment on their family. They wanted to send a message to the Japanese Emperor Hirohito he could only get the soldiers to stop fighting.

This was what the Supreme Allied Commander thought of the bomb:

“It was not necessary to drop that awful thing on them”

America wanted to prove the Japanese army wrong and teach them that they were the real super power and they would remain to be the only super power in the whole world also they were sending a political message to the world and in particular the Russians and Stalin who were on the brink of also becoming a super power.

This was a main chorus in an American song and it went like this:

“We’ll have to slap them back, those dirty little Japs”

When the bombs were dropped the main targets were workers homes and factories to stop the production of vital war items.

This was what Truman Thought of the bombs:

“This is the greatest thing in History”

“New and revolutionary”

In a Gallup poll in the streets of America people were asked if they approved of the bomb being dropped and 85% of the interviewees were with this and they wanted the bomb to be dropped on Japan.

The first bomb was called ‘Little Boy’ The second bomb was called ‘Fat man’ the second bomb was much more powerful that the first one and this bomb may not have been dropped to win the war but it may have been dropped to send a message to the Russians. Whilst this bomb was being loaded on to the aeroplane the Americans had the nerve to sign it to the Japanese Emperor and they were autographing it concluding this it is thought that the first bomb was to win the war and the second bomb was to send a message to the Russian Government.

Overall it is clear that the United States of America decided to drop the bomb on Japan because of the points that I have mentioned above but I think that the most important reason was that Truman wanted to save lives he made it clear if he had to save one soldiers life at the expense of dropping the bomb then he would do it. Maybe Truman was told to win the war by the former President Roosevelt; he might of asked Truman to win the war for him because Roosevelt made this statement in 1942:

“Win through to absolute victory”