The Committee’s first priority was to advise on the use of the atomic bomb. In May 1945, Truman had formed the Interim Committee, a committee to advise the president about matters pertaining to the use of nuclear energy and weapons. More were in production, but, dud or not, was it worth it to expend 50% of the country’s atomic arsenal in a demonstration? What if this “super weapon” didn’t work? Would that encourage Japan to fight harder? Third, there were only two bombs in existence at the time. The world would be watching the demonstration of a new weapon so frightening that an enemy would surrender without a fight. First, who would Japan select to evaluate the demonstration and advise the government? A single scientist? A committee of politicians? How much time would elapse before Japan communicated its decision-and how would that time be used? To prepare for more fighting? Would a nation surrender based on the opinion of a single person or small group? Second, what if the bomb turned out to be a dud? This was a new weapon, not clearly understood. An island target was considered, but it raised several concerns.
Option 3: Demonstration of the Atomic Bomb on an Unpopulated AreaĪnother option was to demonstrate the power of atomic bomb to frighten the Japanese into surrendering. A ground invasion would result in excessive American casualties as well. In August 1945, it appeared inevitable that Japanese civilians would have to suffer more death and casualties before surrender. Truman wrote, “My object is to save as many American lives as possible but I also have a human feeling for the women and children of Japan.” Almost one-quarter million Japanese casualties were expected in the invasion. Despite knowing the cause was hopeless, Japan planned a resistance so ferocious, resulting in costs so appalling, that they hoped that the United States would simply call for a cease fire where each nation would agree to stop fighting and each nation would retain the territory they occupied at the time. Truman and his military advisers assumed that a ground invasion would “be opposed not only by the available organized military forces of the Empire, but also by a fanatically hostile population." Documents discovered after the war indicated that they were right. The price of invasion would be millions of American dead and wounded.Įstimates did not include Japanese casualties. Truman was afraid that an invasion of Japan would look like "Okinawa from one end of Japan to the other." Casualty predictions varied, but all were high. Casualties on Okinawa were 35 percent one out of three US participants was wounded or killed. Later that year, on Okinawa, 13,000 soldiers and sailors were killed. During the battle at Iwo Jima in 1945, 6,200 US soldiers died. They were likely to fight even more fiercely if the United States invaded their homeland. They had been willing to make great sacrifices to defend the smallest islands. However, experience showed that the Japanese did not easily surrender. The United States could launch a traditional ground invasion of the Japanese home islands. Option 1: Conventional Bombing of the Japanese Home Islands
President Truman had four options: 1) continue conventional bombing of Japanese cities 2) invade Japan 3) demonstrate the bomb on an unpopulated island or, 4) drop the bomb on an inhabited Japanese city. “It is an awful responsibility that has come to us,” the president wrote. As president, it was Harry Truman’s decision if the weapon would be used with the goal to end the war. It was created to destroy and kill on a massive scale. This was no theoretical research project. In mid-July, President Harry S Truman was notified of the successful test of the atomic bomb, what he called “the most terrible bomb in the history of the world.” Thousands of hours of research and development as well as billions of dollars had contributed to its production. How long would it be, however, before Japan surrendered? Japan was split between surrender or fighting to the end. Japan and the United States both knew it. Truman Library & Museumīy August, 1945, Japan had lost World War II. Aerial view of Hiroshima depicts the terrific destructive force of the atomic bomb
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