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¶ … Biggest Decision" (Hiroshima)
"The Biggest Decision: Why We Had to Drop the Atomic Bomb" presents a number of nuanced reasons as to why President Truman ultimately gave the order for the atomic bombs dropped onto the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945. Robert James Maddox offers a number of persuasive reasons as to how Truman's decision was justified, mostly dealing with an examination of the Japanese side of the evidence. Japanese military policy seems to have necessitated the American military policy, in this case, as various facts on the public record will indicate.
Maddox notes first of all that the Japanese were in a position to continue hostilities for a relatively long time: he notes that in 1945 "the Japanese had more than 2,000,000 troops in the home islands, were training millions of irregulars, and for some time had been conserving aircraft that might have been used to protect Japanese cities against American bombers." In other words, they were preparing for an American invasion which they intended to repel with as much force as could be mustered. On June 8, 1945, a the Japanese government's conference adopted a document entitled "The Fundamental Policy to Be Followed Henceforth in the Conduct of the War" its...
Truman's figures here have been criticized as self-serving, and critics have pointed to a report from the Joint War Plans Committee which estimated a figure around 40,000 potential American deaths (but a total of almost 200,000 "casualties" in the military definition when the wounded and M.I.A. were accounted for). Yet these seems like a mere quibble because, as Maddox notes, "when the bombs were dropped, fighting was still going on in the Philippines, China, and elsewhere." With America war-weary, even the lower estimate may have been too much for Truman to ask the public to bear, especially if he planned to seek re-election.
There was an additional strategic issue to be considered, which would prove to be…
Because, clearly, we committed acts of terrorism in dropping the bombs on Japan. The intent was to create a massive destruction to horrific that the victims could not help but surrender without further fight - which is, of course, what happened. Our new brand of terrorism is, truly, the only effective manner that certain people have of waging a war. When you do not have the technology or the
Galapagos The Dangers of a Self-Aware, Big, Human Brains in Galapagos Kurt Vonnegut is always concerned with humanity's satisfaction with itself. Many of Vonnegut's books center around how humans believe they are the most divine creations in the universe and act from that presumption as well. The arrogance is crippling. This is a main theme in his novel, Galapagos. Yes, the end of the world may be an event that is
) Some even thought (rightly) that it was being spared for something big. However, no one in their wildest imagination was anticipating an atomic bomb attack. Hence, on the morning of the fateful day, the residents of Hiroshima were completely unprepared for an atomic bomb explosion. Painting of Hell": Many survivors of the atomic explosion on Hiroshima have likened the experience of the blast and its immediate aftermath to mankind's common perception
S. during the summer of 1945 had indicated that the Japanese were ready to surrender; that the War could have been ended, if the U.S. had responded by offering the retention of the Japanese Imperial Monarchy instead of insisting on unconditional surrender. Further research on the decoded messages, however, indicate that the militarists still dominated the power hierarchy in Japan and they were willing to fight to the bitter end,
Live Concert Analysis How Doing Good Makes Us Feel Powerful and Powerless at the Same Time Design Activism vs. Design for Social Change The Awakening Consciousness of Designers 1960's Manifesto There has been lukewarm interest in public service design, social impact and design activism. But in most conversations, all other designs work to enhance the standard of living of the people; some of it must be activism. The argument is seldom boosted by the notion
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: Facilitators and Detractors Ever since the first atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world has been polarized into two different groups: one that supports nuclear proliferation, and another that vehemently campaigns against the piling up of nuclear material in the world. Both groups have their own arguments to justify their stand. While those who oppose nuclear weapons argue that nuclear proliferation endangers the very