The Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
Bombing of Hiroshima: Monday, August 6, 1945 at 2:45 a.m.
Bombing of Nagasaki: Thursday, August 9th, 1945 at 11:02 a.m.
The United States used two mass destructive, atomic weapons to invade Hiroshima, Japan & Nagasaki, Japan.
Inquiry Question: How should we remember the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
Claim: We should remember the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the end of the a bloody, drawn out war. We shouldn't remember the dropping of the bombs as a cruel act against Japan, but the quickest and most necessary way to end the Second World War.
Evidence: Shown below.
Reasoning: The reasoning is shown below the evidence.
Bombing of Hiroshima: Monday, August 6, 1945 at 2:45 a.m.
Bombing of Nagasaki: Thursday, August 9th, 1945 at 11:02 a.m.
The United States used two mass destructive, atomic weapons to invade Hiroshima, Japan & Nagasaki, Japan.
Inquiry Question: How should we remember the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
Claim: We should remember the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the end of the a bloody, drawn out war. We shouldn't remember the dropping of the bombs as a cruel act against Japan, but the quickest and most necessary way to end the Second World War.
Evidence: Shown below.
Reasoning: The reasoning is shown below the evidence.
The LeMay Bombing Leaflet
General Curtis E. LeMay requested that this leaflet be dropped over 35 cities, including Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 1st, 1945.
“Read this carefully as it may save your life or the life of a relative or friend. In the next few days, some or all of the cities named on the reverse side will be destroyed by American bombs. These cities contain military installations and workshops or factories which produce military goods. We are determined to destroy all of the tools of the military clique which they are using to prolong this useless war. But, unfortunately, bombs have no eyes. So, in accordance with America’s humanitarian policies, the American Air Force, which does not wish to injure innocent people, now gives you warning to evacuate the cities named and save your lives. America is not fighting the Japanese people but is fighting the military clique which has enslaved the Japanese people. The peace which America will bring will free the people from the oppression of the military clique and mean the emergence of a new and better Japan. You can restore peace by demanding new and good leaders who will end the war. We cannot promise that only these cities will be among those attacked but some or all of them will be, so heed this warning and evacuate these cities immediately”.
Reasoning: The attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were no surprise. They were warned days before. The U.S had no intentions on killing the great number that died during the dropping of the bombs, but it was us or them. And if Japan had gotten a hold of the bombs, whose to say they wouldn't have used them on us?
General Curtis E. LeMay requested that this leaflet be dropped over 35 cities, including Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 1st, 1945.
“Read this carefully as it may save your life or the life of a relative or friend. In the next few days, some or all of the cities named on the reverse side will be destroyed by American bombs. These cities contain military installations and workshops or factories which produce military goods. We are determined to destroy all of the tools of the military clique which they are using to prolong this useless war. But, unfortunately, bombs have no eyes. So, in accordance with America’s humanitarian policies, the American Air Force, which does not wish to injure innocent people, now gives you warning to evacuate the cities named and save your lives. America is not fighting the Japanese people but is fighting the military clique which has enslaved the Japanese people. The peace which America will bring will free the people from the oppression of the military clique and mean the emergence of a new and better Japan. You can restore peace by demanding new and good leaders who will end the war. We cannot promise that only these cities will be among those attacked but some or all of them will be, so heed this warning and evacuate these cities immediately”.
Reasoning: The attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were no surprise. They were warned days before. The U.S had no intentions on killing the great number that died during the dropping of the bombs, but it was us or them. And if Japan had gotten a hold of the bombs, whose to say they wouldn't have used them on us?
Potsdam Declaration
A statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese Armed Forces during World War II. It was issued on July 26, 1945, by Truman, Churchill, and Chiang Kai-shek.
“We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction.”
Reasoning: Yet, another warning. No, it was not implied that the U.S would use an atomic bomb as a war weapon. However, who warns their enemy during a war that they're going to attack them?
A statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese Armed Forces during World War II. It was issued on July 26, 1945, by Truman, Churchill, and Chiang Kai-shek.
“We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction.”
Reasoning: Yet, another warning. No, it was not implied that the U.S would use an atomic bomb as a war weapon. However, who warns their enemy during a war that they're going to attack them?
Truman's Decision of Dropping the Bomb
Truman stated that his decision to drop the bomb was "purely military." A Normandy-type amphibious landing would have cost an estimated million casualties. Truman believed that the bombs saved Japanese lives as well. Prolonging the war was not an option for the President. Over 3,500 Japanese kamikaze raids had already wrought great destruction and loss of American lives.
"I realize the tragic significance of the atom bomb, but 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." -Harry Truman
Reasoning: If the atomic bombs hadn't been dropped, many more lives would've been lost and the war would've continued.
Truman stated that his decision to drop the bomb was "purely military." A Normandy-type amphibious landing would have cost an estimated million casualties. Truman believed that the bombs saved Japanese lives as well. Prolonging the war was not an option for the President. Over 3,500 Japanese kamikaze raids had already wrought great destruction and loss of American lives.
"I realize the tragic significance of the atom bomb, but 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." -Harry Truman
Reasoning: If the atomic bombs hadn't been dropped, many more lives would've been lost and the war would've continued.
If the Bomb Hadn't Been Dropped
In September 1945, nuclear physicist Karl T. Compton, who himself took part in the Manhattan Project, wrote in an article:
If the atomic bomb had not been used, evidence like that I have cited points to the practical certainty that there would have been many more months of death and destruction on an enormous scale.
Philippine Justice Delfin Jaranilla, member of the Tokyo tribunal, wrote:
If a means is justified by an end, the use of the atomic bomb was justified; for it brought Japan to her knees and ended the horrible war. If the war had gone longer, without the use of the atomic bomb, how many thousands and thousands of helpless men, women and children would have needlessly died and suffered?
Lee Kuan Yew, the Former Prime Minister of Singapore stated, "I have no doubts about whether the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary. Without them, hundreds of thousands of civilians in Malaya and Singapore, and millions in Japan itself, would have perished."
Reasoning: As I said before, if the bombs hadn't been dropped, there would've been many more casualties and the war would've continued for much longer.
In September 1945, nuclear physicist Karl T. Compton, who himself took part in the Manhattan Project, wrote in an article:
If the atomic bomb had not been used, evidence like that I have cited points to the practical certainty that there would have been many more months of death and destruction on an enormous scale.
Philippine Justice Delfin Jaranilla, member of the Tokyo tribunal, wrote:
If a means is justified by an end, the use of the atomic bomb was justified; for it brought Japan to her knees and ended the horrible war. If the war had gone longer, without the use of the atomic bomb, how many thousands and thousands of helpless men, women and children would have needlessly died and suffered?
Lee Kuan Yew, the Former Prime Minister of Singapore stated, "I have no doubts about whether the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary. Without them, hundreds of thousands of civilians in Malaya and Singapore, and millions in Japan itself, would have perished."
Reasoning: As I said before, if the bombs hadn't been dropped, there would've been many more casualties and the war would've continued for much longer.
Sourcing:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debate_over_the_atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki#Speedy_end_of_war_saved_civilian_lives
- http://www.smv.org/blog/2011-01-12/lemay-bombing-leaflet
- http://www.ushistory.org/us/51g.asp
- http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-second-atomic-bomb-that-ended-the-war.htm