Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan

161 Pages·2005·1.62 MB·English

by  J. Samuel Walker

PROMPT
AND
UTTER
DESTRUCTION
Prompt and
REVISEDEDITION
THEUNIVERSITYOFNORTHCAROLINAPRESS
CHAPELHILLANDLONDON
Utter Destruction
TRUMAN AND THE
USE OF ATOMIC BOMBS
AGAINST JAPAN
J. Samuel Walker
©1997,2004
TheUniversityofNorthCarolinaPress
Allrightsreserved
ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thepaperinthisbookmeetstheguidelinesfor
permanenceanddurabilityoftheCommitteeon
ProductionGuidelinesforBookLongevityofthe
CouncilonLibraryResources.
ThisbookwassetinMonotypeGaramond
byTsengInformationSystems.
BookdesignbyRichardHendel.
TheLibraryofCongresshascatalogedtheoriginaledition
asfollows:
Walker,J.Samuel.
Promptandutterdestruction:Trumanandtheuseofatomic
bombsagainstJapan/byJ.SamuelWalker.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
1.WorldWar,1939–1945—UnitedStates. 2.WorldWar,1939–
1945—Japan. 3.Atomicbomb. 4.UnitedStates—Foreign
relations—1945–1953. 5.Truman,HarryS.,1884–1972. I.Title.
d767.25.h6w355 1997
940.54'25—dc21 96-52038
cip
isbn0-8078-5607-x(alk.paper)
08 07 06 05 04 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated
with love to mychildren
Mary Beth and Dan.

Contents
PrefacetotheRevisedEdition ix
Preface xi
1 ACategoricalChoice? 1
2 TheMostTerribleWeaponEverKnown 7
3 TheProspectsforVictory,June1945 20
4 PathstoVictory 35
5 TrumanandtheBombatPotsdam 53
6 HiroshimaandNagasaki 75
7 HiroshimainHistory 98
Chronology:KeyEventsof1945RelatingtothePacificWar 111
Notes 113
EssayonSources 131
Index 137
Illustrations
1 MarshallandStimson,January1942 3
2 DamagetoTokyofromfirebombing 28
3 JapanesekamikazeattackoffOkinawa 33
4 Truman,Byrnes,andLeahyenroutetoPotsdam 54
5 Testexplosionofatomicbomb,July16,1945 57
6 Churchill,Truman,andStalinatPotsdam 63
7 Hiroshimaaftertheatomicattack 76
8 Nagasakibeforeandaftertheatomicbomb 79
9 Editorialcartoon,‘‘TheFellowWhoLightedtheFuse’’ 99
Preface to the Revised Edition
Sixty years after the end of World War II, the use
of the atomic bomb against Japan continues to generate an ever-
growing volume of scholarly literature and to trigger enormous
controversy.SinceIcompletedwritingthefirsteditionofthisbook
in1996,importantnewworkshaveincreasedourknowledgeofthe
contextinwhichtheUnitedStatesattackedHiroshimaandNaga-
sakiwithatomicweapons.Buttheyhavenotstilledthedebateover
PresidentHarryS.Truman’sdecision.TherevisededitionofPrompt
andUtterDestructiondrawsonscholarlyfindingsthathaveappeared
over the past eight years, especially research in recently opened
Japanesesourcesthathasgreatlyenrichedourunderstandingofthe
agonizingdeliberationsinTokyooverendingthewar.Thechanges
I have made are not extensive but theyare important, and I hope
theywillenhancethebook’svalue.
Theresponsetothefirsteditionofthebookhasbeenverygrati-
fying. Reviewers across the interpretive spectrum in the contro-
versy over Truman’s decision to use the bomb were exceedingly
kind,withtheglaringexceptionofsomewhostandatthepolesof
thedebate.Ihavealsogainedgreatsatisfactionfromthefactthat
scoresofcollegeprofessorsandsecondaryschoolteachershaveas-
signedthebooktotheirclasses.Manyhavetoldmethatthebook
( ix )