Harry S. Truman's Secretary of War was Henry Stimson.
2. Who was Truman's Chief of Staff?
Truman's Chief of Staff was Admiral William D. Leahy.
3. Why did Truman believe nuclear bombs needed to be used?
Truman believed nuclear bombs needed to be used because he was insistent on Japan's unconditional surrender and believed because of their culture, they would not surrender to the United States. He knew such a catastrophe would force them to end the war.
4. Why did Admiral Leahy believe nuclear bombs didn't need to be used?
Admiral Leahy believed nuclear warfare was not needed with the Japanese because he found the weapon to be barbarous. He also believed the Japanese would have surrendered because they were already defeated due to the effective sea blockade.
5. Why did Supreme Allied Commander and future president Dwight D. Eisenhower believe they didn't need to be used?
Future president Dwight D. Eisenhower believed the atomic bombs were unwarranted and even immoral. He believed with Admiral Leahy, that the Japanese were already defeated and very close to surrender to the United States and didn't think the bombs were necessary. Japan had already suffered major losses due to the battles of Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the firebombing of Tokyo, and Operation Starvation, and were on the verge of surrender. Therefore, dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were unnecessary.
6. Critics of Truman fall into two camps. One was that he acted rashly because of his "inferior foreign policy skills" when compared to FDR. What is the other major criticism?
While some critics thought Truman acted rashly because of his "inferior foreign policy skills," others thought the vast amount of money spent on the Manhattan Project pressured him to drop the bombs. Truman had announced that they had spent approximately 2 billion dollars on the Manhattan Project. This led not only critics, but also Truman's secretary of war, Stimson, and Admiral Leahy to believe the cost of the Manhattan Project played a role in his decision to bomb Japan.
7. Key critics of Truman's use of the bomb weren't on the "historical fringe," but were who?
The Key critics of Truman's use of the bomb weren't only on the "historical fringe," but were also his own secretary of war, Stimson, and Admiral Leahy. Leahy wrote in his memoir that Truman knew that scientists wanted to make this test because of the amount of money spent on the project.
8. Truman began to soften on his stance for unconditional surrender but something occurred that changed his mind for good. What was that?
The successful Trinity test of the atom bomb in the New Mexico desert changed Truman's mind for good on his stance for unconditional surrender.
9. Besides defeating Japan what was Truman's other possible motivation for using the nuclear bombs on Japan?
While defeating Japan was one of Truman's motivations, another was warn the Soviet's about the atom bomb the U.S had. Truman thought the bomb had a role in a looming geopolitical contest with the Soviet Union.
11. The four-power surrender ultimatum to be presented to Japan was to be written and decided upon where?
The four-power surrender ultimatum to be presented to Japan would be written and decided upon the Potsdam Conference, set for July 1945.
12. What did the Washington Post editorialize about "unconditional surrender"?
The Washington Post echoed the softening of Truman's surrender terms. They did not think unconditional surrender was ever an ideal formula.
13. What is the significance of Paragraph 12 in the draft copy of the Potsdam Proclamation prior to Truman setting sail on the USSAugusta? (More detail is needed for this question)
Paragraph 12 in the draft copy of the Potsdam Proclamation was significant because it gave comfort to the Japanese with regard to the maintenance of their emperor. Paragraph 12 clearly stated that once the U.S had completed their objective, they would be withdrawn from Japan and the Japanese would be left to govern themselves. They ensured that the Japanese would be able to determine the fate of their own emperor. Paragraph 12 shows how Truman had softened the surrender terms as desired by his advisers.
14. What changed when the Proclamation was publicly announced on July 26?
When the Proclamation was publicly announced on July 26, paragraph 12 had been altered and the passage comforting the Japanese emperor had been removed.
According to Jarecki, the success of the Trinity Test might have changed Truman's mind to alter the wording in Paragraph 12. After Truman was informed that the Trinity Test was successful, the bomb seemed to have shifted in his mind from a tool to end the war with Japan, to one that could establish America's primacy in the postwar global balance of power. Truman knew the United States was the only country with a weapon of mass destruction, and figured that the atom bomb would make the U.S superior over other countries including the Soviet Union. America's posture toward a postwar Soviet Union played as much a motivating force behind the atomic bombing of Japan as the desire to end the war.
16. Regarding his diary entry of a conversation with Winston Churchill (who is call "P.M." in the entry) what does the author suggest about Truman's attitude with the bomb despite learning what he does from Churchill?
Regarding Truman's diary entry of a conversation with Churchill, Jarecki suggests that Truman was most focused on the postwar relationship between the U.S and the Soviet Union than ending the war in the pacific. Churchill believed the Japanese would surrender soon, however, Truman was more influenced by his recognition of the strategic relevance of the atom bomb. He knew the Trinity Test was a success and was excited to use the bomb for real.
17. What does his caption on the back of the photo of Stalin and Truman suggest about the use of the bomb?
The caption on the back of the photo of Stalin and Truman suggest that the atom bomb will be the most effective and powerful weapon of warfare.
18. "From a foreign policy perspective" what two accomplishments were made by dropping the bomb?
From a foreign policy perspective, the use of the bombs ended the war with Japan and fired the first shot in the Cold War against the Soviet Union.
19. To give credit to Truman, why didn't he know what FDR's intentions were with the bomb?
Truman didn't know what FDR's intentions were with the bomb because the path to Hiroshima and Nagaski began in the concentration of executive power by FDR. Since Truman was vice president, he knew little about the Manhattan Project because FDR refused to reveal anything to him. Also, Truman could not have known FDR's full intentions with the atom bomb since FDR died before Germany surrendered.
The discrepancy between the loss of 1 million U.S soldier lives vs. 20,000 to 40,000 if Japan's mainland would have been invaded affected the understanding of the bomb's use because many believed because of the atomic bombs, this saved more lives by preventing further battles. If they hadn't dropped the atomic bomb and had to invade Japan's mainland, there would have been a lot of casualties and deaths for both sides. The end of the war would have been further away.
21. Based on your readings, this reading, and discussion in class, in a paragraph or two, answer the following: To what extent was President Truman's decision to drop bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki justified?
President Truman's decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified. Even though Churchill and many of Truman's advisers believed the Japanese were close to surrendering, they could not have been sure. The Japanese were very centered around their culture and did not believe in surrendering. They found it to be dishonorable and many would rather kill themselves then surrender. The Japanese became desperate and starting using kamikaze suicide pilots instead of surrendering. Although many Japanese lives were lost due to the bombing, many more would have died if World War 2 continued to expand and escalate. Thousands more of American, Japanese, and civilian lives would have been lost if the U.S had to invade Japan's mainland. With the surrender of Germany, it was time for the war in the Pacific to come to an end and with the creation of the atom bomb, this gave the U.S a way to end the war without sacrificing any more America lives. While killing civilians and vast amounts of them is immoral, this was a time of war and war is a brutal concept where you have to put the security of your own country first. Truman wanted the war with Japan to end and for the Soviet Union to back off the United States, and the dropping of the atomic bomb did both.
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