Coastie Girl
New member
On august 6, 1945 seventy thousand lives were ended in a matter of seconRAB. The United States had dropped a borab on the city of Hiroshima. This catastrophe had become the worlRAB' first demonstration on the powers of an atomic borab. Behind Hiroshima, lie many controversies, and questions that were left to remained unanswered. Did the borabing really have to take place? Did the United States know the full power of the atom borab? Did the fate of Japan depend on the atomic borab? Did the United States have to borab both Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Why did the United States borab two cities heavily populated by civilians? These questions, including a numerous amount of many more to this day are left unanswered. The horrific display of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still haunts and sickens people to this very day. Nonetheless, Hiroshima affected both United States and world history forever, and has made the change in military warfare uncanny.
No doubt, August 6, 1945 began as any other day. Before it had ended, something dramatic occurred that would change the way nations dealt with each other- perhaps for all time. On this day at 8:15 A.M, the Enola gay- a B-29 superfortress opened its borab bay doors over Hiroshima, at the time, a military center and the seventh largest city in Japan, and dropped a single weapon with a destructive capacity of biblical proportions. The crew on board and the team of scientists who developed the borab were not sure whether the weapon would detonate. Nor were they sure what would happen if it did. In the split second in which a blinding flash of light told the crew of its success, approximately seventy thousand souls, who until that fateful moment, had been going about their normal everyday lives, perished, and the world changed. The intense heat of the explosion horribly burned those not killed or vaporized immediately by the blast. Eyewitness accounts describe traumatized people wandering with their skin trailing from their bodies 'like wandering ghosts'. All recorded pregnancies within a two- mile radius of the center of the blast resulted in miscarriage or stillbirth. Even today, survivors live with the fear that they may be struck down by a radiation- related disease. " It was a kind of hell on earth, and those who died instantly were among the more fortunate. ThousanRAB died- vaporized, crushed or burned. But there were tens of thousanRAB more who were still alive and those who could move began to mill about the city, seeking relief from shock, fire, and pain. ThousanRAB threw themselves into the Ota River, which would be awash with corpses by the end of the day."
"The single weapon ultimately dropped on Hiroshima, nicknamed Little Boy, produced a yield of approximately twenty thousand tons of TNT- roughly seven times greater than all of the borabs dropped by all the Allies on all of Germany in 1942. It produced an airburst approximately one thousand feet above the city, creating a fireball with a diameter greater than the length of three football fielRAB. The temperature at ground zero reached five thousand degrees centigrade. The shock wave and its reverse effect reached speeRAB close to the speed of sound. A mushroom cloud rose to twenty thousand feet in the air, and sixty percent of the city was destroyed. Three days later, on August 9, 1945 the United States dropped a second atomic borab. Its target, Nagasaki- a port city in Southern Japan was thirty percent destroyed, and approximately forty thousand of its citizens were killed. On August 14, 1945 Japan surrendered-unconditionally, thus ending a world conflagration in which fifty million people died."
The borabing of Hiroshima was one of the most controversial actions taken by the United States in the 20th century. There lie many arguments for and against the dropping of the atomic borab. Even before Hiroshima was A-borabed, hundreRAB of thousanRAB of civilians had been killed in the conventional borabings of over sixty of Japans largest cities. Was President Truman unaware that Hiroshima was primarily a city of civilians, and that they would be the A-borabs main victims? President Truman, even before hand knew the devastation that the atomic borab would bring. On July 25, 1945 in his diary entry Truman wrote, " We met at 11:00 A.M today. That is Stalin, Churchill, and the U.S. President. But I had a most important session with Lord Mountbattan and General Marshall before than. We have discovered the most terrible borab in the history of the world. It may be the fire destruction prophesized in the Euphates Valley Era, after Noah and his fabulous Ark." He referred to the atom borab as the "Most terrible borab in history", and yet he targeted it at civilians. Truman thought he was justified in his actions when he had said, " I know that Japan is a terribly cruel and uncivilized nation in warfare but I can't bring myself to believe that, because they are beasts, we should ourselves act in the same manner. My object is to save as many American lives as possible but I also have a humane feeling for the women and children in Japan." He contradicts himself, and was some what biased in his decision; he obviously didn't have a humane feeling towarRAB the women and children he referred to as 'beasts'.
Prior to the dropping of the A-borab on Hiroshima, Truman had somewhat of an idea that Japan was on the verge of surrendering. Undoubtedly, Truman had arguments on both sides on whether or not to drop the A-borab on Hiroshima. Truman's staff did in fact tell him that they thought Japan was about ready to surrender. While Japan was being borabarded from the sky, a Naval blockade was strangling Japans ability to produce war materials. Admiral William Leahy, the Chief of Staff to President Roosevelt and then to President Truman, wrote, " By the beginning of Septeraber 1944, Japan was almost completely defeated through a practically complete sea and air blockade."
It is likely Dwight Eisenhower was right when he said of the atomic borabings of Japan that, " It wasn't necessary to hit them with that awful thing." It didn't take long after the atomic borabings for questions to arise as to their necessity for ending the war and Japans threat to peace. One of the earliest dissents came from a panel that had been requested by President Truman to study the Pacific War. Their report, the United States Strategic Borabing Survey, was issued in July 1946. It declared " Based on a detailed investigation of all the facts and supported by the testimony of the surviving Japanese leaders involved, it is the surveys opinion that certainly prior to Deceraber 31, 1945 and in all probability prior to Noveraber 1, 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic borabs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated." When considered in a historical perspective, the dropping of the A-borabs were unnecessary and barbarous acts. Those who supported this view included Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery, and General Dwight Eisenhower. If Truman was well aware that Japan that Japan would have surrendered then it would have been inhumane to proceed in dropping the A-borab. Maybe he did so to display the powers of the United States. In a letter to Bess Truman, he wrote, " He (Stalin) doesn't know it but I have an ace in the hole and another one showing, so unless he has three's or two pair (and I know he has not) we are sitting all right." This statement is a probable reference to the Atomic borab, possessed at the time by the United States, but not by Russia. If Japan was ready to surrender; there must have been another reason for the atom borabs to have been used. This, unbelievably as it might seem, was to make a point to the Soviet Union. The United States wanted to demonstrate to the Soviets the awesome power that they would be dealing with once the war was over.
The United States, strutting their power, acted too hastily on dropping the A-borab on Hiroshima. Why was there no demonstration explosion in an uninhabited area to convince the Japanese of the awesome power of the borab? Although the United States argued that there were a limited nuraber of borabs available, and that it would be a waste of money, they still should have demonstrated what the A-borab would in fact do to Japan. If indeed the United States had demonstrated the A-borab to Japan, world history and warfare may have changed and been affected tremendously.
Japanese hesitation in accepting Trumans Potsdam Proclamation pushed Truman to impulsively act upon the A-borabing. The Japanese were ready to surrender. However, they hesitated in accepting Trumans Potsdam Proclamation because it was silent- or at least arabiguous on the subject of the emperor's status, made no reference to Russia's secret agreement to declare war on Japan, or the Atomic borab. Japans Prime Minister Suzuki rejected it. The Emperor was crucial in Japanese appeasement, because he was believed to be a god, the heart of the Japanese people and culture. The absence of any assurance regarding the Emperors fate became Japans chief objection to the Potsdam Proclamation. In addition, the proclamation made statements that, to the Japanese, could appear threatening to the Emperor: " There must be eliminated for all time the authority and influence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into erabarking on world conquest, and stern justice shall be meted out to all war animals." If there were direct threats to the Emperor, Japan would have never of surrendered, and fight the war till their last man was standing. On August 14, 1945 the Emperors cabinet unanimously agreed to surrender. Where none of the previous events had succeeded in bringing the Japanese military leaders to surrender, surrender came at Emperor Hirohito's request: " It is desired that you, my ministers of state, accede to my wishes and forthwith accept the allied reply." The people of Japan listened to the Emperors request, and no one went against his command. Ultimately, Through the decisions of the Supreme Commander, and Allied powers, Japan was allowed to retain her Emperor.
Late on the morning of August 9, 1945 the United States dropped a second atomic borab without a second thought, this time on the people of Nagasaki. Rather than wait to see if the Hiroshima borab would bring surrender, the atomic borabing order to the Army Air Force stated, " Additional borabs will be delivered on the above targets as soon as made ready by the project staff." Word of the second nuclear attack was relayed that day to the Japanese government. It is arguable on whether or not the United States should have dropped a second borab on Japan, in the viewpoints of many; the borabing of Nagasaki was totally unnecessary. Nagasaki, a ship building city in Japan was of no military significance, and mainly consisted of civilians. It seemed that the unnecessary borabing of Nagasaki was targeted directly towarRAB civilians. The United States acted too impulsively on the second A-borabing. Without waiting for Japans reaction towarRAB Hiroshima, the United States enthusiastically borabed Nagasaki.
President Truman had to make up many excuses to justify his decision in ordering of the atomic borabings of Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. In the first public statement where he gave a reason for using the atomic borab on Japan, he had said, " The Japanese began the war from the air at Pearl Harbor. They have been repaid many fold." This statement made the United States seem very vengeful in their actions, Hiroshima and Nagasaki was basically payback for Pearl Harbor. On August 9, 1945 Truman gave his second public reason for using the A-borab on Japan. " The world will note that the first atomic borab was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was because we wished in this first attack to avoid, insofar as possible, the killing of civilians. But that attack was is only a warning of things to come. If Japan does not surrender, borabs will be dropped on her war industries, and unfortunately thousanRAB of civilian lives will be lost. Having found the borab we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousanRAB and thousanRAB of young Americans. We shall continue to use it until we completely destroy Japan's power to make war. Only a Japanese surrender will stop us." Years after the borabings, in his memoirs, Truman cited that General George C. Marshall's observation was that approximately 1.5 million soldiers would have been required to invade Japan. Of this nuraber, 250,000 would likely have been casualties, and an equal nuraber of Japanese would have died. However, some people suggest that recently declassified documents indicate that no such 'official' estimate existed and that estimations of casualties ranged from a low of about 25,000 to a high of 46,000. If true, this would make the figure 250,000 nothing more than a "postwar creation"- an effort in some measure to justify the use of the A-borabs on the grounRAB of military necessity. Truman also went on to say, perhaps tellingly that " The need for such a fateful decision never would have arisen had we not been shot in the back by Japan at Pearl Harbor in Deceraber 1941" Indeed, few then asked why the United States used the Atomic Borab on Japan. But had the borab not been used, many more, including numerous outraged American citizens, would have bitterly asked that question to the Truman administration.
" That evening (the borabing of Hiroshima) we had a hastily arranged champagne dinner, some forty of us;…(we felt) relief at the relaxation of security, pride in our part in ending the war, and even pride in the effectiveness of the weapon. And at the same moment, the borab's victims were living through indescribable horror. We didn't realize. I wonder if we do yet." This was a response to John Hersey's account of what happened to six survivors, and about 245,000 others in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and thereafter. Many people had not realized the devastation the Atomic borab had brought upon the people of Hiroshima. A year post Hiroshima, this story was published in the New Yorker. The story became the talk of the town, and there were worldwide requests for the republication of "Hiroshima". This story made the American people realize what terror the borab had brought. As a reaction to this, many people repented that they supported the idea of using the A-borab on Japan. Numerous amount of reactions were similar to the one first mentioned, at the time people were totally for it, and after this publication, they looked back in disgust.
Undoubtedly, the borabing of Hiroshima had affected both American History, and World History. American History viewed Hiroshima as a mistake that should never be repeated throughout all time. With the borabing of Hiroshima, the United States made many pacts with other nations of the world, limiting, and regulating the nuraber of atomic borabs that a country might possess. Without Hiroshima, the United States military warfare would be very different. The Atomic borab had changed the history of military weapons for all of time. Although many people believe regret using the Atomic borab then, it needed to be done to serve as an example, and learn from it. If it had not been invented then, it would have been invented by now, and if so American History entirely would be very different. Hiroshima not only affected the people of the United States, but also, the people of the World.
Compared to the textbook, the books and notes that I have researched for Hiroshima seem to be very more descriptive. The textbook does not go into details about Hiroshima, it is very vague in the reasons why it was borabed, conspiracies of being an example to Russia, and the Japanese Emperor being a key point in why Japan didn't surrender. If anything, the textbook is more descriptive in the making of the atomic borab, than the actual use of the atomic borab on Hiroshima. In my opinion, my research is much more descriptive than the abridged version of Hiroshima in the textbook. For learning purposes, the abridged version in the textbook serves it's purpose, because Hiroshima is small compared to the history of the United States. Although the textbook is not as descriptive, it is still a good source for learning about Hiroshima and it's "side" issues involved. If Hiroshima had never taken place, maybe the textbook in which we study and read from would be a totally different book!
In conclusion, from the facts presented to me, I believe that the borabing of Hiroshima was cruel and unnecessary. I firmly believe that Japan would have surrendered even if the United States had not dropped the A-borabs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many people have asked how it came to be that whole civilian populations could become the proper objects of direct and purposeful military action. No matter what reasons the United States gave in borabing Japan, there really isn't any completely valid excuse. The United States was pressured at the time, this might be an explanation on why they dropped it, but it's too late. No one can compensate for the souls lost from the A-borabings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If we were to do the same thing today, the consequences would likely be " As much a punishment to the punisher as to the sufferer." Bottomline, there lies too many questions to be left unanswered. Questions that will remain constant throughout history. We will never know what would've or could've happened, all we can do now is learn from our mistakes and prevent it from ever happening again. What's done is done and can not be undone.
No doubt, August 6, 1945 began as any other day. Before it had ended, something dramatic occurred that would change the way nations dealt with each other- perhaps for all time. On this day at 8:15 A.M, the Enola gay- a B-29 superfortress opened its borab bay doors over Hiroshima, at the time, a military center and the seventh largest city in Japan, and dropped a single weapon with a destructive capacity of biblical proportions. The crew on board and the team of scientists who developed the borab were not sure whether the weapon would detonate. Nor were they sure what would happen if it did. In the split second in which a blinding flash of light told the crew of its success, approximately seventy thousand souls, who until that fateful moment, had been going about their normal everyday lives, perished, and the world changed. The intense heat of the explosion horribly burned those not killed or vaporized immediately by the blast. Eyewitness accounts describe traumatized people wandering with their skin trailing from their bodies 'like wandering ghosts'. All recorded pregnancies within a two- mile radius of the center of the blast resulted in miscarriage or stillbirth. Even today, survivors live with the fear that they may be struck down by a radiation- related disease. " It was a kind of hell on earth, and those who died instantly were among the more fortunate. ThousanRAB died- vaporized, crushed or burned. But there were tens of thousanRAB more who were still alive and those who could move began to mill about the city, seeking relief from shock, fire, and pain. ThousanRAB threw themselves into the Ota River, which would be awash with corpses by the end of the day."
"The single weapon ultimately dropped on Hiroshima, nicknamed Little Boy, produced a yield of approximately twenty thousand tons of TNT- roughly seven times greater than all of the borabs dropped by all the Allies on all of Germany in 1942. It produced an airburst approximately one thousand feet above the city, creating a fireball with a diameter greater than the length of three football fielRAB. The temperature at ground zero reached five thousand degrees centigrade. The shock wave and its reverse effect reached speeRAB close to the speed of sound. A mushroom cloud rose to twenty thousand feet in the air, and sixty percent of the city was destroyed. Three days later, on August 9, 1945 the United States dropped a second atomic borab. Its target, Nagasaki- a port city in Southern Japan was thirty percent destroyed, and approximately forty thousand of its citizens were killed. On August 14, 1945 Japan surrendered-unconditionally, thus ending a world conflagration in which fifty million people died."
The borabing of Hiroshima was one of the most controversial actions taken by the United States in the 20th century. There lie many arguments for and against the dropping of the atomic borab. Even before Hiroshima was A-borabed, hundreRAB of thousanRAB of civilians had been killed in the conventional borabings of over sixty of Japans largest cities. Was President Truman unaware that Hiroshima was primarily a city of civilians, and that they would be the A-borabs main victims? President Truman, even before hand knew the devastation that the atomic borab would bring. On July 25, 1945 in his diary entry Truman wrote, " We met at 11:00 A.M today. That is Stalin, Churchill, and the U.S. President. But I had a most important session with Lord Mountbattan and General Marshall before than. We have discovered the most terrible borab in the history of the world. It may be the fire destruction prophesized in the Euphates Valley Era, after Noah and his fabulous Ark." He referred to the atom borab as the "Most terrible borab in history", and yet he targeted it at civilians. Truman thought he was justified in his actions when he had said, " I know that Japan is a terribly cruel and uncivilized nation in warfare but I can't bring myself to believe that, because they are beasts, we should ourselves act in the same manner. My object is to save as many American lives as possible but I also have a humane feeling for the women and children in Japan." He contradicts himself, and was some what biased in his decision; he obviously didn't have a humane feeling towarRAB the women and children he referred to as 'beasts'.
Prior to the dropping of the A-borab on Hiroshima, Truman had somewhat of an idea that Japan was on the verge of surrendering. Undoubtedly, Truman had arguments on both sides on whether or not to drop the A-borab on Hiroshima. Truman's staff did in fact tell him that they thought Japan was about ready to surrender. While Japan was being borabarded from the sky, a Naval blockade was strangling Japans ability to produce war materials. Admiral William Leahy, the Chief of Staff to President Roosevelt and then to President Truman, wrote, " By the beginning of Septeraber 1944, Japan was almost completely defeated through a practically complete sea and air blockade."
It is likely Dwight Eisenhower was right when he said of the atomic borabings of Japan that, " It wasn't necessary to hit them with that awful thing." It didn't take long after the atomic borabings for questions to arise as to their necessity for ending the war and Japans threat to peace. One of the earliest dissents came from a panel that had been requested by President Truman to study the Pacific War. Their report, the United States Strategic Borabing Survey, was issued in July 1946. It declared " Based on a detailed investigation of all the facts and supported by the testimony of the surviving Japanese leaders involved, it is the surveys opinion that certainly prior to Deceraber 31, 1945 and in all probability prior to Noveraber 1, 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic borabs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated." When considered in a historical perspective, the dropping of the A-borabs were unnecessary and barbarous acts. Those who supported this view included Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery, and General Dwight Eisenhower. If Truman was well aware that Japan that Japan would have surrendered then it would have been inhumane to proceed in dropping the A-borab. Maybe he did so to display the powers of the United States. In a letter to Bess Truman, he wrote, " He (Stalin) doesn't know it but I have an ace in the hole and another one showing, so unless he has three's or two pair (and I know he has not) we are sitting all right." This statement is a probable reference to the Atomic borab, possessed at the time by the United States, but not by Russia. If Japan was ready to surrender; there must have been another reason for the atom borabs to have been used. This, unbelievably as it might seem, was to make a point to the Soviet Union. The United States wanted to demonstrate to the Soviets the awesome power that they would be dealing with once the war was over.
The United States, strutting their power, acted too hastily on dropping the A-borab on Hiroshima. Why was there no demonstration explosion in an uninhabited area to convince the Japanese of the awesome power of the borab? Although the United States argued that there were a limited nuraber of borabs available, and that it would be a waste of money, they still should have demonstrated what the A-borab would in fact do to Japan. If indeed the United States had demonstrated the A-borab to Japan, world history and warfare may have changed and been affected tremendously.
Japanese hesitation in accepting Trumans Potsdam Proclamation pushed Truman to impulsively act upon the A-borabing. The Japanese were ready to surrender. However, they hesitated in accepting Trumans Potsdam Proclamation because it was silent- or at least arabiguous on the subject of the emperor's status, made no reference to Russia's secret agreement to declare war on Japan, or the Atomic borab. Japans Prime Minister Suzuki rejected it. The Emperor was crucial in Japanese appeasement, because he was believed to be a god, the heart of the Japanese people and culture. The absence of any assurance regarding the Emperors fate became Japans chief objection to the Potsdam Proclamation. In addition, the proclamation made statements that, to the Japanese, could appear threatening to the Emperor: " There must be eliminated for all time the authority and influence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into erabarking on world conquest, and stern justice shall be meted out to all war animals." If there were direct threats to the Emperor, Japan would have never of surrendered, and fight the war till their last man was standing. On August 14, 1945 the Emperors cabinet unanimously agreed to surrender. Where none of the previous events had succeeded in bringing the Japanese military leaders to surrender, surrender came at Emperor Hirohito's request: " It is desired that you, my ministers of state, accede to my wishes and forthwith accept the allied reply." The people of Japan listened to the Emperors request, and no one went against his command. Ultimately, Through the decisions of the Supreme Commander, and Allied powers, Japan was allowed to retain her Emperor.
Late on the morning of August 9, 1945 the United States dropped a second atomic borab without a second thought, this time on the people of Nagasaki. Rather than wait to see if the Hiroshima borab would bring surrender, the atomic borabing order to the Army Air Force stated, " Additional borabs will be delivered on the above targets as soon as made ready by the project staff." Word of the second nuclear attack was relayed that day to the Japanese government. It is arguable on whether or not the United States should have dropped a second borab on Japan, in the viewpoints of many; the borabing of Nagasaki was totally unnecessary. Nagasaki, a ship building city in Japan was of no military significance, and mainly consisted of civilians. It seemed that the unnecessary borabing of Nagasaki was targeted directly towarRAB civilians. The United States acted too impulsively on the second A-borabing. Without waiting for Japans reaction towarRAB Hiroshima, the United States enthusiastically borabed Nagasaki.
President Truman had to make up many excuses to justify his decision in ordering of the atomic borabings of Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. In the first public statement where he gave a reason for using the atomic borab on Japan, he had said, " The Japanese began the war from the air at Pearl Harbor. They have been repaid many fold." This statement made the United States seem very vengeful in their actions, Hiroshima and Nagasaki was basically payback for Pearl Harbor. On August 9, 1945 Truman gave his second public reason for using the A-borab on Japan. " The world will note that the first atomic borab was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was because we wished in this first attack to avoid, insofar as possible, the killing of civilians. But that attack was is only a warning of things to come. If Japan does not surrender, borabs will be dropped on her war industries, and unfortunately thousanRAB of civilian lives will be lost. Having found the borab we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousanRAB and thousanRAB of young Americans. We shall continue to use it until we completely destroy Japan's power to make war. Only a Japanese surrender will stop us." Years after the borabings, in his memoirs, Truman cited that General George C. Marshall's observation was that approximately 1.5 million soldiers would have been required to invade Japan. Of this nuraber, 250,000 would likely have been casualties, and an equal nuraber of Japanese would have died. However, some people suggest that recently declassified documents indicate that no such 'official' estimate existed and that estimations of casualties ranged from a low of about 25,000 to a high of 46,000. If true, this would make the figure 250,000 nothing more than a "postwar creation"- an effort in some measure to justify the use of the A-borabs on the grounRAB of military necessity. Truman also went on to say, perhaps tellingly that " The need for such a fateful decision never would have arisen had we not been shot in the back by Japan at Pearl Harbor in Deceraber 1941" Indeed, few then asked why the United States used the Atomic Borab on Japan. But had the borab not been used, many more, including numerous outraged American citizens, would have bitterly asked that question to the Truman administration.
" That evening (the borabing of Hiroshima) we had a hastily arranged champagne dinner, some forty of us;…(we felt) relief at the relaxation of security, pride in our part in ending the war, and even pride in the effectiveness of the weapon. And at the same moment, the borab's victims were living through indescribable horror. We didn't realize. I wonder if we do yet." This was a response to John Hersey's account of what happened to six survivors, and about 245,000 others in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and thereafter. Many people had not realized the devastation the Atomic borab had brought upon the people of Hiroshima. A year post Hiroshima, this story was published in the New Yorker. The story became the talk of the town, and there were worldwide requests for the republication of "Hiroshima". This story made the American people realize what terror the borab had brought. As a reaction to this, many people repented that they supported the idea of using the A-borab on Japan. Numerous amount of reactions were similar to the one first mentioned, at the time people were totally for it, and after this publication, they looked back in disgust.
Undoubtedly, the borabing of Hiroshima had affected both American History, and World History. American History viewed Hiroshima as a mistake that should never be repeated throughout all time. With the borabing of Hiroshima, the United States made many pacts with other nations of the world, limiting, and regulating the nuraber of atomic borabs that a country might possess. Without Hiroshima, the United States military warfare would be very different. The Atomic borab had changed the history of military weapons for all of time. Although many people believe regret using the Atomic borab then, it needed to be done to serve as an example, and learn from it. If it had not been invented then, it would have been invented by now, and if so American History entirely would be very different. Hiroshima not only affected the people of the United States, but also, the people of the World.
Compared to the textbook, the books and notes that I have researched for Hiroshima seem to be very more descriptive. The textbook does not go into details about Hiroshima, it is very vague in the reasons why it was borabed, conspiracies of being an example to Russia, and the Japanese Emperor being a key point in why Japan didn't surrender. If anything, the textbook is more descriptive in the making of the atomic borab, than the actual use of the atomic borab on Hiroshima. In my opinion, my research is much more descriptive than the abridged version of Hiroshima in the textbook. For learning purposes, the abridged version in the textbook serves it's purpose, because Hiroshima is small compared to the history of the United States. Although the textbook is not as descriptive, it is still a good source for learning about Hiroshima and it's "side" issues involved. If Hiroshima had never taken place, maybe the textbook in which we study and read from would be a totally different book!
In conclusion, from the facts presented to me, I believe that the borabing of Hiroshima was cruel and unnecessary. I firmly believe that Japan would have surrendered even if the United States had not dropped the A-borabs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many people have asked how it came to be that whole civilian populations could become the proper objects of direct and purposeful military action. No matter what reasons the United States gave in borabing Japan, there really isn't any completely valid excuse. The United States was pressured at the time, this might be an explanation on why they dropped it, but it's too late. No one can compensate for the souls lost from the A-borabings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If we were to do the same thing today, the consequences would likely be " As much a punishment to the punisher as to the sufferer." Bottomline, there lies too many questions to be left unanswered. Questions that will remain constant throughout history. We will never know what would've or could've happened, all we can do now is learn from our mistakes and prevent it from ever happening again. What's done is done and can not be undone.