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!!! Truman considers use of powerful new

weapon (a-bomb)

Next day

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

Little boy

Nagasaki- August 9, 1945 ‘fat man’ dropped, killing 35,000

Estimated 240,000 eventually die (total) due to initial bomb blast and after effects

Fat man

Hiroshima

Nagasaki

Nagasaki

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

Hiroshima one year later