Slide 1

The War with JapanIn Europe we felt that our enemies, horrible and deadly as they were, were still people. But out here I soon gathered that the Japanese were looked upon as some thing subhuman or repulsive; the way some people feel about cockroaches or mice.---Ernie Pyle

2Timeline of Important events leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima1937 August:Japan invades China.November 25:Germany signs military agreement with Japan.December 15:The Rape of Nanjing. The systematic rape, torture, and murder of more than 300,000 Chinese civilians by Japanese soldiers.September, 1939 --- Germany invades Poland.

31939- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt begins A-bomb research (In the end the Manhattan Project employed 160,000 workers, 37 top secret factories, 2,000 scientists and cost over 2 billion dollars.

December 7, 1941, Japanese bomb Pearl HarborDecember 8:Britain and the United States declare war on Japan. Japan invades Malaya.December 9:Japan invades Philippines.

1942April 18: The United States first attacks the Japanese by air.May 4-8:Battle of Coral Sea.June 3-6: Battle of Midway Island.December 1:War rationing books are issued in America with coupons for gasoline, which joins sugar and coffee. Later, during 1943, meat, fats and oils, butter, cheese and processed foods are also rationed.February 19, 1942, War Department authorized to define military areas in the western states and to exclude from them anyone who might threaten war effort. 10 internment camps set up. all persons, citizens and aliens alike who had a Japanese ancestor, regardless of degree was internedFear was that Americans of Japanese descent would spy on the U.S. During the entire war only ten people were convicted of spying for Japan and these were all Caucasian. No Germans or Italians were internedIn the end, over 120,000 were removed from their homes and put in camps. Nisei (second generation Japanese) and Issei (first generation Japanese) Some Japanese would later renounce their American citizenship.In many cases they had been given just 48 hours to evacuate their homes. Japanese had all their assets frozen and credit was abolished.

I would like to ask the committee: Has the Gestapo come to America? Have we not risen in righteous anger at Hitlers mistreatment of the Jews? Then, is it not incongruous that American citizens of Japanese descent should be similarly mistreated and persecuted.---California Govenor, Cuthbert OlsonMarch 25, 1942, Evacuees arrive at Manzanar Camp in Owens Valley, CAIn 1943 all internees over the age of seventeen were given a loyalty test. They were asked two questions:1. Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty wherever ordered? (Females were asked if they were willing to volunteer for the Army Nurse Corps or Women's Army Corps.)

2. Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States of America and faithfully defend the United States from any or all attack by foreign or domestic forces and forswear any form of allegiance or obedience to the Japanese emperor, to any other foreign government, power or organization?

Bataan Death March, 1942

Forcible transfer by the Japanese Army of 60,000 Filipino and 15,000 American prisoners of war 80 miles to Camp ODonnell. approximately 2,50010,000 Filipino and 300650 American prisoners of war died.The Japanese were unprepared for thenumberof prisoners that they were responsible for, and there was no organized plan for how to handle them.The first major atrocity occurred when between 350 and 400 Filipino officers and NCOs were summarily executed after they had surrendered

1944March 22:Japanese invade India.October 19:Americans land in Philippines.October 1944Of the1,200 kamikaze (the word means "god wind") sent against the U.S. fleet in Leyte Gulf, perhaps a quarter scored a hit or a damaging near miss.1,900 kamikaze dove to their deaths in the battle for Okinawa, in April 1945. The exchange: 35 American ships sunk and more than 300 damaged, and 5,000 American sailors killed, making Okinawa the most costly battle in the history of the U.S. Navy.

November 28-29, 1944: First American night air attack on Tokyo.December 18, 1944, U.S. Supreme Court ruled that loyal citizens cannot be held in detention camps against their will.1988-$20,000 was given to each of the 60,000 surviving internees.

1945February 19: Americans land on Iwo Jima.March 9-10, 1945--Tokyo bombed by 325 B-29s100,000 Japanese killed and 16 square miles of Tokyo wiped out.April 1: Americans invade Okinawa May 8, 1945VE Day

Spring 1944Japanese admirals discussing ways to end the warJuly 11-14, 1945Japan ready to give up all territories occupied during the war.July 1945U.S. intercepts a secret cable to Moscow from Japan asking for help in ending the war.September 1944Churchill and FDR agree that when bomb available they would use on Japan.

Timeline (cont.)July 16, 1945Alamogordo test (16 years later still producing radioactivity)July 26, 1945ultimatum given to Japanese to surrender or suffer prompt and utter destruction.July 24, 1945Truman approves a schedule of two bombs in August, 3 in September, October, November. The primary targets were selected: Hiroshima, Kokura or NagasakiAugust 1945- the Soviet Union (Russia) planning to invade Japan.November1945Planned U.S. invasion of Kyushu with 765,000 troops August 6, 1945Enola Gay drops a single bomb on Hiroshima August 9, 1945single bomb dropped on Nagasaki.August 15, 1945the Japanese surrender

Reasons for using the bombEnd the war quickly while saving American lives in case of U.S. invasion of Japan; Truman claimed bomb saved 500,000 American lives (Churchill said 1 million)End the war before the Soviets get into Japan (sends a message to the Soviets)Test the bomb (160,000 workers and $2 billion spent)Americans tired of a 4 year way (rationing)Used on Hiroshima because dropping in the ocean as a reminder of the power of the bomb may have backfired.Truman just took over for FDR and wanted to show strength and finish the job

Hiroshima