Why The Destruction Of Japan - 1693 Words

Brittney Herrera Professor Smith History 118 06 December 2014 Why the Destruction of Japan, Through the Use of the Atom Bomb, Was Unnecessary Much controversy comes to mind when thinking about the events of World War II. Maybe one of the most controversial topics surrounding World War II is that of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, Japan. Many historians and scholars have spent much time researching this topic and, through the examination of numerous records and manuscripts, have been able to answer many of the questions surrounding this topic; like why President Truman, and his administration, chose to use atomic weapons against Japan. While many experts can agree on his reason, they still disagree on the†¦show more content†¦This compilation was called the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey. Once completed the Survey turned to the Pacific campaign. In 1946 the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey’s report, Japan s Struggle to End the War, established that, â€Å"†¦certainly prior to 31 December 1945, and in all probability prior to 1 November 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated.† (U.S. Gov.) This quote, which was said to be impartial, shows that there was no need to drop the bombs on Japan in order to prevent an invasion because, there was no need for an invasion; Japan would have surrendered without it. This would have been true even if Russia had not entered into the war. Additionally, in a top-secret War Department Study, declassified in the 1970’s, titled Use of the Atomic Bomb on Japan found that â€Å"†¦the Japanese leaders had decided to surrender and were merely looking for sufficient pretext to convince the die-hard Army Group that Japan had lost the war and must capitulate to the Allies†¦.† (Alperovitz) Furthermore it states that Russia’s entry into the war â€Å"†¦would almost certainly have furnished this pretext, and would have been sufficient to convince all respo nsible leaders that surrender was unavoidable†¦.†