Research Notes Concerning Hiroshima: The Worlds Bomb by Andrew J.

Rotter This book mainly provided me with information concerning the bombing itself which will help me during my case study. Not much was mentioned about propaganda, but references to censorship and media helped me understand the affect the bomb had on both American and Japanese citizens. The author also made various conjectures concerning what these events mean for our future which helped put things into perspective for me. Introduction: The Worlds Bomb- Page 1 The plane was called the Enola Gay, after its pilots mother; the bomb bore the innocent nickname Little Boy. These are such innocent names for such a complex, disastrous situation! Very ironic.

Introduction: The Worlds Bomb- Page 1 The criminality of the Japanese- all Japanese, without distinction- was to them unquestionable. This generalization concerning Japanese served to justify the use of the bomb at the time. Generalizations concerning the corruption of a specific group of people usually help to morally justify a cause. *Research how this generalization came about. What caused it?*

Introduction: The Worlds Bomb- Page 2 The Japanese had treacherously attacked Pearl Harbor. They had murdered civilians in China and Southeast Asia, tortured and starved their prisoners, and fought remorselessly for their island conquests in the South Pacific. If dropping an atomic bomb above the center of Hiroshima would end the war sooner, the men of the Enola Gay would simply do it, without hesitation and untroubled by pangs of conscience. The events of Pearl Harbor and various battles in the Pacific served to justify any of the prejudice Americans felt towards the Japanese. *Answers the previous question* The bomb was also justified because The American Government stated that it would end the war sooner. In other words, it was supposed that dropping the bomb would save more lives in the long run. It would basically serve as the final blow. But then the bomb was also used in Nagasaki *Analyze how such generalizations are related to human behavior, and how propagandists can use this to their advantage.*

Introduction: The Worlds Bomb- Page 2 Or: The atomic bomb was a weapon so heinous in its composition, so willfully indiscriminate, so simply and obviously aimed at ordinary people, that its use was a moral outrage, even if it might in the end have saved lives. No people, regardless of the behavior of their government, deserves annihilation by a weapon as terrible as a nuclear bomb.

This statement shows the other side of the argument. It strips away the stereotypes and generalizations concerning the Japanese, and presents them as human beings. *Important Point: people cant always be held accountable for the actions of their government. When such ruthless action is to be taken, they must be judged apart from their leaders.

Introduction: The Worlds Bomb- Page 2 critics charged, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were unnecessary to win the war. Japan was near defeat by the summer of 1945 Such studies of the war situation came too late. Maybe if greater care had been taken in analyzing the situation, the use of the bomb might have been avoided. This is a lesson for the future. We have to thoroughly study a situation demanding military attention before any decisions are made.

Introduction: The Worlds Bomb- Page 3 They used the bombs in order to see what their new weapon- $2 billion investment- would do to a city, and especially to end the Pacific War before the Soviet Union could enter it fully, and thereby demand a prominent role in the reconstruction of postwar Japan. The use of the bombs would in addition intimidate potential adversaries Such theories concerning motives behind releasing the bomb are entirely plausible. The Cold War further proves such claims. $2 BILLION INVESTMENT- many could argue that America didnt have this money to spend what with its recent emergence from The Great Depression and its involvement in The Second World War. This money could have very well been used to alleviate many poverty stricken regions in America. These motives were obscured by propaganda circulating the country at the time.

Introduction: The Worlds Bomb- Page 3 questions linger. Were the Japanese on their last legs by the summer 1945? Did their leaders know it? Did the Americans think the Japanese leaders knew it? Was the bomb necessary to end the war? Were both bombs needed? In their absence, or with a decision not to use them, would it have taken a bloody American invasion of Japan itself to achieve surrender? Or would the war have ended, as the US Strategic Bombing Survey concluded in July 1946, certainly before the end of 1945. Would it have been enough for the United States to have modified its demand that Japan surrender unconditionally Was the bomb used chiefly not for military reason but to intimidate the Soviet Union? These are great questions I can use to further guide my research!

Unconditional surrender probably played a great role in deciding the fate of Japan. Was such a demand actually necessary? What message was Truman trying to relay to the rest of the world while making such a demand?

Introduction: The Worlds Bomb- Page 3 For the atomic bombing of Hiroshima was not merely a decision made by US policymakers in order to punish the Japanese, not just an issue in Japan- US relations, but instead the product of years of scientific experimentation, ethical debate within the scientific community, and significant changes in the conduct of war- all undertaken globally. Americans alone did not decide to build the bomb, and neither did they alone actually build it. This is a great point! There is no single person completely responsible for this tragedy. Everyone had a hand in it one way or another, so it became the worlds problem, not just an isolated event. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki hold great significance for all humans, not just Americans and Japanese.

Introduction: The Worlds Bomb- Page 4 The bomb killed mostly Japanese, of course, but also many Koreans and Chinese, and (indirectly) a few Americans, none of whom was in Hiroshima that dreadful morning by choice. The generalization that all Japanese, without distinction, were enemies did not help save innocent Korean, Chinese, and American citizens. These unfortunate deaths were sacrifices made for the greater good.

Introduction: The Worlds Bomb- Page 4 When the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin heard about Hiroshima, he called in his scientists and declared himself fully for a crash program to build a Soviet atomic bomb. The British decided nonetheless to build their own bombs. So, ultimately, did the governments of France, Israel, China, South Africa, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and possibly Iran. The arms race started; this shows how drastically certain events can affect the future.

Introduction: The Worlds Bomb- Page 5 The uranium-based bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima was thus the worlds bomb. While it was an Americans hand that released the bomb from the belly of the Enola Gay, and while Japanese died in droves that morning as a result, the atomic bomb was in a meaningful sense everyones offspring and certainly thereafter everyones problem No ones hands were entirely clean This puts the event into perspective. No one can point fingers towards the guilty parties because they themselves arent entirely innocent.

Looking to the future, the bomb and its continued presence in society is everyones problem and we have to come together to solve the issue and save our world from another nuclear catastrophe.

4. Mission No. 13- Japan- Page 193 Truman announced to the crew that an atomic bomb had been dropped on a Japanese city We won the gamble! In the meantime Leslie Groveshad released an official presidential assessment described Hiroshima as an important Japanese Army base. Trumans identification of the bomb as a gamble puts into perspective the fragility of the situation; no one actually knew what the overall effects of the bomb would be. Grovess identification of Hiroshima as an important military base is not only misleading, it is entirely false. Only a small fraction of the people who died in Hiroshima were directly involved in the Japanese military. This makes me think that American leaders were trying to save face. In other words, they were trying to further justify the use of the bomb. (Related to propaganda use)

5. The Bombed City- Japan- Page 194 Some two dozen [American] prisoners of war were locked away in the city, their existence either unknown, ignored, or denied by American military officials. The fact that the lives of American citizens were sacrificed in the bombings is usually accredited to serving the greater cause. But why was the existence of POWs ignored and in some cases denied? Could it be that American leaders didnt want the existence of the POWs to effect the overall support the public had for the use of the atomic bomb?

5. The Bombed City- Japan- Page 194 In this section, Rotter explains how a decoy was sent ahead of the Enola Gay so that air raid sirens wouldnt be sounded when the actual mission planes flew over the city. Reading about such tactics can only lead me to believe that one of the objectives of their mission was to kill as many people as possible. If this were not true, the crew would not have sent ahead a decoy. Allowing air raid sirens to go off would have allowed people to take cover and would have in turn saved many lives. The bombing would not have had such a disastrous effect on the people of Japan. However, such was not the case, and hundreds of thousands of innocent people died during the bombing.

6. The Bombed People- Japan- Page 199 [Dr. Michihiko] Hachiya was buoyed by rumors that Japan had retaliated for the bombing of Hiroshima, annihilating, with the same mysterious weapon, the major cities of California.

Such rumors shows that the need for revenge plays a central role in politics and administrative motivation. If the Japanese government had been capable of launching a similar attack, most Japanese citizens wouldnt have hesitated to support the cause. This highlights the danger of nuclear war, because revenge clouds our judegement.

9. Soviet Entry and the Bombing of Nagasaki- Japan- Page 211 Only a few hundred of the Nagasaki Dead were military men. Between 60 and 80 American POWs died, their presence in Nagasaki known in advance to US officials, who nevertheless judged their sacrifice necessary for the greater good of ending the war more quickly. This fact further puts into questions the motives American leaders had for releasing the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Attacking military bases and army squadrons is somehow justifiable, but most of the citizens were not involved in the Japanese military. Such figures serve to further support claims that America released the bombs to intimidate adversaries and show military strength. In the end propaganda played a major role in justifying the release of the atomic bombs because all of the Japanese were viewed as enemies.

12. Assessing the Damage in Hiroshima and Nagasaki- Japan- Page 223 The occupation authority, headed by the Supreme Commander by the Allies in the Pacific (SCAP), General Douglas McArthur, attempted to censor materials that concerned the bomb, though it did so with an inconsistencyAt the end of the interview, the officer told Ota: I want you to forget your memories of the atomic bomb. America wont use the atomic bomb again, so I want you to forget the events in Hiroshima. Why were accounts of the bomb censored? Does this mean that American officials hadnt entirely understood the effects of the bomb and therefore regretted their involvement in the event? Censoring materials also plays a role in propaganda and manipulating the masses. Leaders want to be able to control what their citizens see and read, so that they might instill in them only a certain version of events. Maybe allowing certain personal accounts of the bombings to reach American citizens would have broken the spell propagandists had placed on the public. (Japanese would no longer all be evil) *We cant forget Hiroshima! Its a lesson for the future! We have to learn from it! Such a mentality is probably why we are still facing the possibility of nuclear crises today.

13. Nothing, Nothing: Memories of Hiroshima- Japan- Page 223-224 self-censorship surrounding the surviving victims of the bombs. Few wished to be reminded of the terrible day The victims vulnerability seemed to embarrass them. They also felt ashamed of their appearance and for the burden they placed on friends and family for their medical care Occupation censorship and Japanese self-censorship concerning the bombs thus

worked in tandem to the probable satisfaction of all parties; there existed a guilt-induced conspiracy of silence This is one of the main reasons that the general public doesnt understand how incredibly disastrous the bombing of Hiroshima was! People are unwilling to talk! This brings to mind the saying out of sight, out of mind. Maybe such shame and embarrassment and unwillingness to seek help has cultural roots? (Like how sexual harassment is shameful and never discussed in the Middle East~ it ruins a girls reputation) Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the only examples we have concerning the effects of atomic bombs on society; we have to understand their effects and appreciate their destructiveness so that we can prevent such nuclear catastrophes from happening in the future.

13. Nothing, Nothing: Memories of Hiroshima- Japan- Page 227 By using the bombs, the Truman admiration had exacted from the people of Japan a terrible price and had comprised Americas moral standing in the world. Americans had inherited the mantle of Genghis Khan and those of past history who have justified the use of utter ruthlessness in war, and were now branded with the mark of the beast. Equally troubling was the precedent the bombs established of Total War. By unleashing on the defenseless citizens the power of the nucleus, the United States had removed the final restriction on the conduct of war There are certain restrictions that apply during war- America demolished them The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki helped establish Americas reputation as a super power, but it also destroyed its moral standing in the world.

The Soviet Union: The Bomb and the Cold War- Page 230 President Harry S. Truman had first exulted when he heard of the Hiroshima bombing- the greatest thing in history, he had called it- but his tone was different three days later, prior to the Japanese surrender, when wrote to a belligerent senator: I certainly regret the necessity of wiping out whole populations because of the pigheadedness of the leaders of a nation and, for you information, I am not going to do it unless it is absolutely necessary. The bombing lashed back at Truman and he was under a lot scrutiny both inside and outside the country. Showing remorse helped highlight the fact that many innocent people had in fact died in the attacks. However, he justified it as being absolutely necessary.

1. The American Response- The Soviet Union- Page 234 all agreed with Eleanor Roosevelt , who several days after Hiroshima told a radio audience that the bomb had been made by many minds belonging to different races and different religions, a fact that sets the pattern for the way in which in the future we may be able to work out our difficulties.

Really important point for my essay! (How did propaganda and its use in supporting certain actions such as the use of the atomic bomb affect our future?) Everyone played a role in the bombing of Hiroshima, and it is up to all of us to work together and solve the issue of nuclear war once and for all.

1. The American Response- The Soviet Union- Page 235 A Gallup poll in late August 1945 found 85 percent approval for the use of the bombs; that fall, a Roper poll indicated that 53.5 percent of those questioned thought the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been just right, while nearly 23 percent more wished the military had dropped more atomic bombs before the Japanese had a chance to surrender. (Doubt and even disapproval of the bombings rose over the next two years). American culture did what cultures do when they feel nervous or threatened: it incorporated the bomb into its language and forms, demystifying and co-opting and even making fun of it. (Bikinis got their name from the atoll where atomic bomb tests took place.) The widespread support for the use of the bombs proves the effectiveness of propaganda in war! What does this say about human behavior and our society?! We deal with things by ridiculing them and incorporating them into pop culture. It helps us deal with the magnanimity of the issue.

Epilogue: Nightmares and hopes- Page 306 It would be pleasant to think that governments and terrorist organizations acknowledge limits to the kinds of attacks they can make, the kinds of weapons they might use. Not since Nagasaki has anyone dropped an atomic bomb on a city, and the energy with which nations have condemned the use of biological or chemical weapons inspires hope that the world regards this sort of attack as unacceptable. That such weapons continue to exist, however, and are used at all, suggests a more sobering reality. Where enemies can be totalized and demonized as readily as they are in the contemporary world, restraint is a virtue out of season. Did the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki actually teach leaders a lesson? The fact that no one has instigated a nuclear war proves such. But maybe no one has attacked out of fear that they themselves might be nuked? Still, doesnt this signify a general fear of nuclear war? It is therefore crucial to understand the implications of nuclear war on society.