Decision to Drop the Bomb What would you do?

Manhattan Project Manhattan Project – top secret program to build atomic bomb in Los Alamos

Why the bomb was dropped? Wanted to force Japan to surrender Limited US causalities Show military superiority to the USSR Teach Japan not to be cruel to prisoners of war Observe its effects

Why Hiroshima? The size and topography of the city made it suitable for testing the destructive capabilities of the atomic bomb There was a concentration of military troops, installations, and factories in Hiroshima that had been spared previous bombing

Little Boy Dropped Aug. 6, 1945 on Hiroshima B-29 Bomber, Enola Gay Wind caused the most immediate damage from bomb It destroyed buildings within a 1.5 mile radius 140,000 dead Long term suffering due to radiation and burns

Fat Man Dropped on Aug. 9, 1945 on Nagasaki B-29 Bomber, Bockscar 70,000 dead Japanese forced to surrender

Damages Due to Blast Air pressure generated shock wave Wind killed thousands Windows shattered All wood buildings in a 2 kilometer radius were destroyed

Damages Due to High Temp Fires Heat rays caused anything burnable to burst into flames Fires started by toppled kitchen stoves Melted glass and metal

Damage due to Radiation After effects of the bomb: Radiation and burns Radiation effects extended for months after the bombing Radiations sickness: destruction of cells, disorders in internal organs, lower immune function, loss of hair Got into well water to cause sickness Those who did not directly experience the bomb were affected Many still suffer today: scar tissue covering burns swelled and grew into mounds of thick twisted flesh called keloids

Long Term Effects Lung Cancer Colon Cancer Leukemia Thyroid Breast cancer

Radiation and Burn Affects

Before and After

Alternatives to Dropping the A-bomb Invade the Japanese mainland Bomb and blockade the island Wait for Soviet entry into the war Hold demonstration for Japanese leaders on the power of the A-bomb

http://www. trumanlibrary http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/small/mb10.htm

Pros v. Cons

Assignment You are the President of the United States. You have just been informed about the Manhattan Project and the A-bomb. You now have a decision to make. You must decide how you want to end the war in Japan. In a 3/4 page single spaced 12 point Times New Roman font press release you must inform your fellow Americans of your decision. Include your reasons for or against using the A-bomb. Also include your plan of action. The websites on this page will give you more background on the Atomic Bomb Helpful Websites www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/peacesite/indexE.html www.csi.ad.jp/ABOMB/index.html www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/abomb/mpmenu.htm www.hiroshima-cdas.or.jp/HICARE/abe.html www.cis.ad.jp/ABOMB/hibakusha.html http://nuclearfildes.org/hiatomicbomb/manhattan.html