While President Truman had hoped for a purely military target, some advisers believed that bombing an urban area might break the fighting will of the Japanese people. AP That second goal was especially important to the researchers choosing the target. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped a nuclear weapon on Hiroshima, Japan – the first time such a catastrophic weapon was ever used in conflict. Japan was a fierce enemy of the US and its allies — Britain, China and the Soviet Union — during the World War II. Should you be just displaying the bomb, without killing anybody?" Over the next few weeks, Global Zero will explore what led to the bomb’s development, the consequences of its use, and where we’ve come since those fateful days in August. Kyoto was another ideal target: it had a population that amounted to 1,000,000 people, it was a major industrial center, and it was Japan’s intellectual center and former capital. Hiroshima was also very important from a military perspective since it was home to the 2nd Army Headquarters, which were responsible for the defense of southern Japan. U.S. strategists wanted to flatten an entire city with a single atomic bomb: Hiroshima was the right size. To date, the death toll, including those who died subsequently from radiation-related cancers, totals 182,600. The impact would not have been nearly as great. The bombs were dropped in order to get Japan to surrender. Hiroshima before the bombing. In preparation for dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the Oppenheimer-led Scientific Panel of the Interim Committee decided against a demonstration bomb and against a special leaflet warning. Historians say the United States picked it as a suitable target because of its size There were factories and other facilities there. The bomb was assembled in secret and loaded on the Enola Gay. Wellerstein has devoted his career to studying nuclear weapons and the decision to use them. Yokohama was an urban area that had escaped attack so far and hosted important industrial activities, including aircraft manufacturing, docks and oil refineries. Hiroshima’s weather report for August 6 showed a clear day and plans moved forward. In May 1945, the committee issued their recommendations. Further, because of the firebombing, many industri… But they wanted it to be horrible, to end the war and to try to stop the future use of nuclear bombs. NPR's Geoff Brumfiel has the story of why that city was chosen as a target. The minutes of this committee were declassified years ago — and they show it considered some far less deadly targets. This photo diagram shows the extent of the damage at Hiroshima. Our next post marks the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima with an account of the bombing and its immediate devastating effects. In the minds of the people who dropped the bombs, the more damage the better. A giant column of smoke rises after the atomic bomb attack over Nagasaki (AP) Hiroshima was chosen as the primary target since it had remained largely untouched by bombing raids, and the bomb's effects could be clearly measured. At 11.02am, the Bockscar dropped a 4.5-ton (10,000-pound) plutonium bomb dubbed Fat Man from 31,500ft (9,600 metres). "Hiroshima is compact," Wellerstein says. It destroyed 16 square miles and 100,000 people. "Should it be a city? Hiroshima was also very important from a military perspective since it was home to the 2nd Army Headquarters, which were responsible for the defense of southern Japan. Should it be a military installation? A. Hiroshima was a major Japanese military hub with factories, military bases and ammunition facilities. The work on the actual selection of targets for the atomic bomb was begun in the spring of 1945. Hiroshima’s weather report for August 6 showed a clear day and plans moved forward. Kyoto was another ideal target: it had a population that amounted to 1,000,000 people, it was a major industrial center, and it was Japan’s intellectual center and former capital. The attack order stipulated the U.S. Air Force would deliver the first bomb “after around August 3, 1945 on one of the targets” as the weather permitted. Why the atomic bombing of Hiroshima would be illegal today By Katherine E. McKinney , Scott D. Sagan , Allen S. Weiner , July 1, 2020 In his first radio address after the bombing of Hiroshima, President Harry S. Truman claimed that “[t]he world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. Rushay said that Hiroshima was one of four potential targets and that Truman left it up to the military to decide which city to strike. 38 views Three days later the U.S. released another on Nagasaki, devastating the city and ushering in the nuclear age. The Army estimated the bomb killed 70,000 to 80,000 people. It didn’t make sense to use such a powerful bomb on an already-crippled city. At the time, they believed H-bombs on top of missiles could destroy the world. Why was Hiroshima bombed? "They want people to understand that this is something different, and so picking a place that will showcase how different it is, is very important," Wellerstein says. In mid-July 1945, President Harry Truman was informed that the first test of the atomic bomb on had been successful. In May 1945, the committee issued their recommendations. Also, Hiroshima was a real military target. Shaded regions indicate the city's most devastated sectors. While President Truman had hoped for a purely military target, some advisers believed that bombing an urban area might break the fighting will of the Japanese people. A. Hiroshima was a major Japanese military hub with factories, military bases and ammunition facilities. The bomb, code named " Little Boy ", possessed a force equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT. Hiroshima was chosen as a target also because it had mountains around it that would help concentrate the effects of the bomb on the city. hide caption. The bomb was ready for military use. This is the fifth post in our series “‘My God What Have We Done:’ The Legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”. Hiroshima, Then Nagasaki: Why the US Deployed the Second A-Bomb The explicit reason was to swiftly end the war with Japan. These are questions that were yet to be decided, says Alex Wellerstein, a historian at the Stevens Institute of Technology. Shaded regions indicate the city's most devastated sectors. GEOFF BRUMFIEL, BYLINE: The name Hiroshima is so tied to the atomic bomb that it's hard to imagine there were other options. Historians say the United States picked it as a suitable target because of its size First, it was a strategic decision. Physicist Edward Teller wasn't on the committee, but a letter he wrote sums up the anxiety of the bomb builders: "Our only hope is in getting the facts of our results before the people. Nagasaki was an important port city, and the first alternate target. > The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki The Selection of the Target Some of the most frequent queries concerning the atomic bombs are those dealing with the selection of the targets and the decision as to when the bombs would be used. Based on three qualifications, “a large urban area of more than three miles in diameter…capable of being damaged effectively by the blast and…likely to be unattacked by [August 1946]”. , the Manhattan Project’s Target Committee had been discussing which Japanese cities would be the most effective targets for the atomic bomb. [91] Atomic bombs needed to be sited visually rather than relying on radar, which made clear skies necessary. But Norris adds that thousands of bombs are still on alert, and the military still has war plans to use them. As in Hiroshima, most of the victims were civilians, including many children and elderly. Hiroshima was a major port and a military … The name Hiroshima is so tied to the atomic bomb that it's hard to imagine there were other possible targets. The United States and the Allies were fighting against Japan and slowly winning. Nagasaki was bombed because the primary target, the city of Kokura was hidden under cloud cover. Nilgata, an increasingly important port city, was also offered as an option. The atomic bomb was still top secret, but the scientists had an even more frightening secret. He says that in the spring of 1945, the military convened a target committee, a mix of officers and scientists, to decide where the bomb should fall. The city’s landscape added to its appeal as a place to showcase the bombs destructive power – the nearby hills could increase damage from the atomic blast and the rivers running through it kept Hiroshima off the list of targets for firebombing. In 1945, Nagasaki was a large seaport on … Historians say the United States picked it as a suitable target because of its size Kokura was a city of great military importance because it had the largest factory in western Japan for the production of aircraft, missiles and other weapons. Based on three qualifications – “a large urban area of more than three miles in diameter…capable of being damaged effectively by the blast and…likely to be unattacked by [August 1946]” – the committee identified their top four potential targets for the bombings: Kokura, Yokohama, Hiroshima, and Kyoto. "If you put a bomb like this in the middle of it, you end up destroying almost the entirety of the city.". Authorities in Hiroshima quickly rebuilt the city as a site of atomic trauma and peace activism, while their counterparts in Nagasaki downplayed the atomic bombing to … The Hiroshima bomb was ready awaiting suitable weather on July 31st, and the Nagasaki bomb was used as soon after the Hiroshima bomb as it was practicable to operate the second mission. A. Hiroshima was a major Japanese military hub with factories, military bases and ammunition facilities. Ultimately U.S. Secretary of War Henry Stimson persuaded Truman to take Kyoto out of consideration as it was Japan’s cultural center and a cherished city. Nilgata, an increasingly important port city, was also offered as an option. The first target city chosen was Hiroshima, which had an important port on southern Honshu and was headquarters of the Japanese Second General Army with 40,000 military personnel in the city. At the time the bombs were going to be dropped, Tokyo had already been devastated by Operation Meetinghouse. Targeting was finalized on July 25, 1945: Hiroshima, Kokura, Nilgata, Nagasaki. stipulated the U.S. Air Force would deliver the first bomb “after around August 3, 1945 on one of the targets” as the weather permitted. The attack. Why Hiroshima? Rushay said that Hiroshima was one of four potential targets and that Truman left it up to the military to decide which city to strike. So, they decided this bomb would not just kill — it would do something biblical: One bomb, from one plane, would wipe a city off the map. In mid-July 1945, President Harry Truman was informed that the first test of the atomic bomb on had been successful. "It did have that effect on the decades that followed," says Robert Norris, a longtime arms control advocate and fellow with the Federation of American Scientists who also studied the history of the first bombings. After the bombing of Hiroshima on August … At the time, American bombers were already firebombing many cities, killing tens of thousands. "What are the targets today?" The city of Nagasaki in southern Japan is marking the 75th anniversary of the US atomic bombing. Ultimately U.S. Secretary of War Henry Stimson persuaded Truman to take Kyoto out of consideration as it was Japan’s cultural center and a cherished city. It would be horrible. U.S. strategists wanted to flatten an entire city with a single atomic bomb: Hiroshima was the right size. It would be horrible. Over the next few weeks, Global Zero will explore what led to the bomb’s development, the consequences of its use, and where we’ve come since those fateful days in August. Nagasaki’s sky was also hazy, but visibility briefly cleared. The committee settled on two "psychological" objectives of the first atomic bombing: to scare the Japanese into unconditional surrender and to impress upon the world the power of the new weapon. The residents of Hiroshima decided to keep this tragic reminder of war intact. This firebombing took place overnight on March 9 and 10, 1945. They wanted the full force of the bombs to be seen. The Target Committee identified the top four Japanese target cities, including Hiroshima shown here before the bombing. hide caption. It was the second nuclear bomb dropped by the US, three days after the attack on Hiroshima. They chose Hiroshima. The bomb was ready for military use. Nagasaki, another important port, was chosen as its replacement. The initial list included a remote military installation and Tokyo Bay, where the bomb would have been detonated as a demonstration. Those decisions were implemented because of the uncertainty of a successful detonation and also because of the wish to maximize shock in the leadership . This might help to convince everybody that the next war would be fatal. Internal deliberations and weather conditions ultimately led the U.S. to use a nuclear weapon on Hiroshima and, later, Nagasaki. 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