Controversial Decision of WWII: Japanese Internment and the A-Bomb

Japanese Internment 120,000 Japanese Americans lived in the US at the beginning of the war, mostly on the west coast. Fear, prejudice, and false rumors led many to believe these Japanese Americans were a threat to the country and would help Japan in the its war against America. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which ordered the removal of all people of Japanese heritage on the West Coast. They were then sent to “relocation centers," which were essentially prison camps for the duration of the war.

5 th Amendment "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."

The death of FDR Roosevelt had been in declining health, on April 12, 1945 he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died. Vice President Harry Truman takes over as president.Harry Truman Former Missouri Senator knows little about what is going on behind the scenes in the war. Is not told about the Manhattan Project until after he becomes President.

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was America’s top secret project to develop the Atomic Bomb. General Leslie Groves Head of the Manhattan Project. Robert J. Oppenheimer, Director of the Los Alamos scientists

Truman’s Decision On August 6, 1945 a B-29 bomber named Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb, nicknamed Little Boy on Hiroshima. Leveling over 60 percent of the city, 70,000 residents died instantaneously in a searing flash of heat. A second bomb, Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki three days later. Over 20,000 people died instantly. In the successive weeks, thousands more Japanese died from the after effects of the radiation exposure of the blast. On August 15 Japan surrenders. Bomb clip

“Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds.” -Robert Oppenheimer

Target Hiroshima Nagasaki Dead/Missing 70,000-80,000 35, ,000 Wounded70,000 40,000 Total Casualties140, ,000 75,000-80,000 Area Destroyed4.7 sq mile 1.8 sq mile

Critics have charged that Truman's decision was a barbaric act that brought negative long-term consequences to the United States. A new age of nuclear terror led to a dangerous arms race. Some military analysts insist that Japan was on its knees and the bombings were simply unnecessary. The American government was accused of racism on the grounds that such a device would never have been used against white civilians. Other critics argued that American diplomats had ulterior motives. The Soviet Union had entered the war against Japan, and the atomic bomb could be read as a strong message for the Soviets to tread lightly. Truman stated that his decision to drop the bomb was purely military. A Normandy-type amphibious landing would have cost an estimated million casualties. Truman believed that the bombs saved Japanese lives as well. Other arguments

On Sunday, September 2, more than 250 Allied warships lay at anchor in Tokyo Bay. The flags of the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and China fluttered above the deck of the Missouri. Just after 9 a.m. Tokyo time, Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed on behalf of the Japanese government. Supreme Commander MacArthur next signed on behalf of the United Nations, declaring, "It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past." As the 20-minute ceremony ended, the sun burst through low-hanging clouds. The most devastating war in human history was over.