LESSON 8: THE ATOMIC BOMB Student Handout 8

I DECISION 2 (U.S.)

AUGUST 3, 1945

You are President Harry Truman. On July 26th, you issued the Potsdam Declaration, in which the U.S. threatened the Japanese with utter destruction. You did not add an assurance that the Japanese could retain their emperor. Japanese newspapers shrugged off the warning, calling it a "laughable matter." Prime Minister Suzuki stated, "The government does not regard [the Potsdam Declaration] as a thing of any value; the government will just ignore [mokusatsu: "kill with silence"] it. We will press forward resolutely to carry the war to a successful conclusion."

You now face the question of whether to use the atomic bomb on a Japanese city, as a demonstration on an uninhabited island, or not at all. All of your top advisors recommend that you drop the bomb on a city. Destroying a whole city with just one bomb will shock the Japanese into a quick surrender. On the other hand, some scientists propose that you invite the Japanese leaders to witness a demonstration of the bomb. The U.S would drop it on an uninhabited islana to show its destructive power without inflicting civilian casualties. You set up the Interim Committee to study this debate on how best to use the bomb. The committee recommended in June that you bomb a Japanese city.

Now it is early August. The U.S. has intercepted more messages between Japan and Russia. These messages indicate that the Japanese government is debating surrender and that the Japanese ambassador to Moscow is again trying to approach the Russians about mediating the negotiations. At the same time, the Russian army is preparing to attack the Japanese in Manchuria on August 15th. When the Russians attack, the Japanese will likely realize that their situation is hopeless and surrender unconditionally. However, you have a new concern: Stalin has caused problems in Europe, imposing communism on lands now under Russian control. If the Russians attack in Asia, they will end up controlling parts of China and Korea, and perhaps even part of Japan. This will probably mean that Stalin will then install communist governments in those countries. You could avoid several future problems with Russia if you manage to end the war before the Russians can attack the Japanese on August 15th.

Intelligence services report that the Japanese have gathered an even greater force on the island of Kyushu, where the U.S. plans to invade. Japan has almost four times as many soldiers on Kyushu as it did six months ago, and the Japanese. Some of your advisors predict 175,000 American casualties if the U.S. invades Kyushu.

Meanwhile, a report on the effectiveness of bombing (conventional, not atomic) has suggested a new strategy, which the military plans to implement next week. The U.S. will

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LESSON 8: Handout 8, Page 2

concentrate all of its bombing on railroads. bridges, and ferries, bringing a halt to all transportation within Japan. This will prevent almost all forms of production, and will effectively make the distribution of food all but impossible. Starvation will become widespread throughout the country, and Japanese society will likely break down.

I DECISION 2

Will you use the atomic bomb to end the war? If so, will you order the military to drop the bomb on a Japanese city or to merely conduct a demonstration on an uninhabited island?

Permission granled 10 reproduce for classroom use only. (1 2007 Social Sludies School Service. (800) 421-4246. hllp :!!s()cialsludi~s.c()1Il

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