Life in 1945

Prior to July 16, 1945

FDR dies: April 12, 1945

Prior to July 16, 1945

Hitler commits suicide: April 30, 1945

Prior to July 16, 1945

Victory in Europe Day: May 7, 1945

Lessons of Iwo Jima and Okinawa

Iwo Jima

First US attack on home islands of Japan

Over 20,000 Japanese soldiers died

Okinawa

More died at Okinawa than at Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined

J. Robert Oppenheimer

Trinity Test: July 16, 1945

Reactions from the people who were there…

“In the last milli-second of the earth’s existence--the last men will see what we saw.”

George Kistiakowsky

“Now we’re all sons of bitches.”

Kenneth Bainbridge, director of the test

If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty

One…I am become Death, destroyer of worlds.

Robert Oppenheimer

Truman? President?

To Bomb or Not to Bomb?

Choices

Harry Truman should…

A. Offer a conditional surrender to the Japanese

B. Use bombing first as a demonstration

C. Bomb unannounced

D. Bomb after a warning

E. Continue practice of non-atomic bombing and blockading

F. Wait for the Soviets to enter, then invade

The Decision

Hiroshima

On August 6, 1945, the US put into motion the dropping of the first atomic bomb when the plane the Enola Gay

dropped the bomb known as “the Little Boy” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima…approximately 140,000 are

killed

Nagasaki

Three days later, the second atomic bomb “the Fat Man” carried in the Bock’s Car dropped on the city of Nagasaki…approximately 70,000 are

killed

Short-term results of the bomb

The war is over.

210,000 Japanese are dead.

Long-term results

Radiation

US occupies Japan post-war

Increase in nuclear programs

The Cold War begins