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In reply to the discussion: The Real Reason We Bombed Japan [View all]Xolodno
(6,443 posts)Way too many taking absolute positions...when the answer is in the middle.
Was Japan about to surrender? Maybe. We do know there was a fight brewing in the Japanese Military brass about fighting to the end vs. surrender. And going by memory, but their was going to be an attempt by the hardliners to kidnap the emperor and force the war on. But a bombing run and subsequent black out on Tokyo prevented that.
If they were successful, I doubt even the A-bomb dropped on every population center would have dissuaded the hardliners.
And there was an offer of conditional surrender on the table, but elements in the allied military wanted unconditional. In the end, it was still a conditional surrender.
Did the bomb end the war? Probably not by itself exclusively. But a combination of other conditions such as the blockade, the Soviet invasion, etc. The blockade was making resources to wage war scarce and seeing how the Soviets took "control" of eastern Europe meant that Soviet control on Japanese soil would likely be a permanent one (and has been proven correct).
One atomic bomb with the threat of more on the way was probably sufficient. There really wasn't a need for one on Nagasaki. After the drop, an ultimatum should have been given to surrender within a week or face another bomb. Two days is hardly enough time when they were still assessing the damage of the first one and aiding the populace. They military was already actively trying to quell rumors of the devastation. If we gave it some time, it would have a larger effect.
And yes the Japanese troops fought to the end on those islands.....due to the propaganda they were being fed on how the allies treated their POW's. Something no one is mentioning.
I also think its disgusting that people justifying the bomb due to the atrocities the Japanese army were committing. That doesn't make it "ok", it just shows just how immoral your thinking is.
Was the atomic bomb used to make a statement to the Soviets? Yes. But that statement backfired and only drove Stalin to ramp up their research. And thus a few short years later, detonated their own.
We can probably state dropping one was justified, but two, that's a bit harder to sell.