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Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the Eye of the Camera
In August 1945 the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki vanished in seconds. Due to the American Occupation censorship, visual evidence of this genocide was not to be publicly shown till 1952. This article examines the case of the first photographs taken of the ruins of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were banned from publication and ordered to be confiscated. Thanks to the risk the authors took to hide the materials, the representations of the atomic annihilation could later be revealed and open a space for memory in Japanese society after the American Occupation ended. This article seeks to examine the role of photographs from Hiroshima and Nagasaki in constructing the memory of an event on the national level in Japan after 1952. It also sets out to rethink their status and previous interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the World Sixty Years Later.
This essay discusses the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in 1979. Akihiro Takahashi is one of the victims of the atomic bombing. Thirty four years after the bombings, Takahashi became director of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It is a little known fact that 3,000 civilian U.S. citizens were in Hiroshima at the time of the bombing. Most were women and children. They are rarely mentioned because nearly all of them were either wholly or partly ethnically Japanese. They were wives and children of Japanese -U.S. citizens who had gone to visit relatives and then been trapped by the war.
The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Process: Drawing a Roadmap to the Total Abolition of Nuclear Weapons.
The article discusses the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Process for the abolition of nuclear weapons. It is said that U.S. President Barack Obama has given hope to groups calling for the banning of nuclear weapons. Widespread inaction by governments on such initiatives had been the norm, but an increase in political participation of anti-nuclear activists may change the status quo. The question of whether international political support for a world free of nuclear bombs will lead to lasting change is addressed.
This article seeks to explore the bio-politics of memory, focusing on intersections of gender, memory, peace/war and activism.1 The article rests on the belief that states use bio-politics to construct, manipulate and maintain national identity and collective memory and addresses, in particular, three myths that still influence the field of international relations: the myth of gender neutrality; the notion that verbal representations should be privileged over physical and/or sensual expressions; and the myth of objectivity and the need to distance the study of IR theory from the practice of social activism. The article begins with a discussion of bio-politics and collective memory in general and then focuses on ways of remembering the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It concludes with some examples of narratives by survivors which employ sensual memory that challenge the way we think about expressions and representations of war. These examples were gathered by the Popoki Peace Project, a grass roots peace organization. The article suggests that theories of bodily and sensual expressions of memory can be useful in peace activism and can provide different understandings of war experiences. It suggests that making visible some of the differences obscured in the formation of the collective memory of national trauma can be a way to begin to acknowledge the precarity of life and to prepare the way for forgiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki represent a historical break that can be understood from a social psychological position as a collective trauma of the “generic identity”. The “peaceful use of nuclear power” served as an “integration ideology of the 1950s” and corroborated the worldwide denial of nuclear danger. Not until the ecology and peace movement of the 1970s and 80s did a fundamental criticism of both the peaceful and the military use of nuclear power take shape. These initiatives, which were critical for growth, had a particularly strong, influential, and lasting effect in West Germany as the movements that were critical for expansion received here additional impetus from the confrontation with National Socialism and with the Holocaust's “breach of civilization.” The author described these psychohistorical processes as early as 1986 in an article in an issue ofpsychosozialon the topic of “Nach Tschernobyl – regiert wieder das Vergessen?” (“After Chernobyl – does oblivion rule again?”). The considerations outlined back then are taken up again under the shadow of Fukushima, and pursued from the social psychological perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Okinawa, Harry Truman, and the Atomic Bomb.
Discusses the author's views of former United States President Harry Truman's decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the hope to win the battle in Okinawa, Japan in World War II. Truman's qualifications and war experiences; Events leading to the invasion of Okinawa; Casualties; Other foreign forces joining the battle; Conditions after the war.
Purpose. There is evidence in the literature of increased maternal radiosensitivity during pregnancy. Materials and Methods. We tested this hypothesis using information from the atomic-bomb survivor cohort, that is, the Adult Health Study database at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, which contains data from a cohort of women who were pregnant at the time of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Previous evaluation has demonstrated long-term radiation dose-response effects. Results/Conclusions. Data on approximately 250 women were available to assess dose-response rates for serum cholesterol, white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and serum hemoglobin, and on approximately 85 women for stable chromosome aberrations, glycophorin A locus mutations, and naive CD4 T-cell counts. Although there is no statistically significant evidence of increased radiosensitivity in pregnant women, the increased slope of the linear trend line in the third trimester with respect to stable chromosome aberrations is suggestive of an increased radiosensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
The Baruch Plan and the Quest for Atomic Disarmament.
Arms control has emerged as a central component in the diplomatic approach unveiled by the Obama administration. With a long-term goal of abolishing nuclear weapons, interim steps include the revision and potential expansion of existing treaties and a strengthening of the non-proliferation regime, including a potential Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT). Such a treaty would mandate that member states submit to rigorous inspection and cataloguing of their stocks of nuclear materials in return for assistance in the development of civilian nuclear programs. This approach, whilst ambitious, is not new. In this article I explore the development, negotiation and ultimate failure of what is often referred to as “the Baruch Plan,” the first attempt to cooperatively control atomic energy under the auspices of the newly formed United Nations. The failure of the Baruch Plan provides important lessons for scholars and practitioners, and underscores the inherent challenges of arms control cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Comments on the rationale behind President Harry S. Truman's decision to bomb the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the World War II. Evolution of American strategic bombing policy; Situation in the Pacific war in the spring an summer of 1945 as seen by both Truman and the Japanese; Continuity between the administrations of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Truman.
HARRY TRUMAN AND THE ATOMIC BOMB: AN EXCURSION INTO CHARACTER EDUCATION THROUGH STORYTELLING.
This article asserts the importance of character education through the utilization of historical storytelling in the social studies classroom. After briefly noting the value of the historical story in this regard, a specific, ready-made example is provided concerning Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb and includes a crucial set of follow-up questions. INSETS: Typical textbook rendition of the decision to drop atomic bomb.;"A ready to be told" rendition of the Truman Decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
SIXTY-FIVE YEARS ON: PLANS AND STRATEGY TO DEFEAT JAPAN IN WORLD WAR II.
The essay discusses U.S. military polices and strategies to defeat Japan during World War II. Notable people discussed include U.S. Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, U.S. Secretary of War Harry Stimson, and U.S. General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold. Other subjects include the U.S. atomic bomb project, problems associated with the U.S.'s military chain of command, and a lack of American understanding of the psychological motivations of the Japanese people.
Document Timeline comprehensive collection of important primary sources, 1945-1964
Commander in Chief Far East Memo to War Dept. February 10, 1947
Statement of Secretary of War on Transfer of Manhattan District December 31, 1946
Entries from President Truman's Diary (currently under construction 11/17 - use link below)
The president muses on Stalin, atomic weapons, and peace. July 16, 1945-July 25, 1945
Truman's Diary (Doug Long site)
The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II: A Collection of Primary Sources
Founded in 1985 by journalists and scholars to check rising government secrecy, the National Security Archive
combines a unique range of functions: investigative journalism center, research institute on international affairs,
library and archive of declassified U.S. documents ("the world's largest nongovernmental collection" according to the
Los Angeles Times), leading non-profit user of the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, public interest law firm defending
and expanding public access to government information, global advocate of open government, and indexer and publisher
of former secrets.
THE DECISION TO USE THE ATOMIC BOMB ” (FEBRUARY 1947) by Henry Lewis Stimson
President Roosevelt to the Appointed Ambassador to France (Leahy) (December 20, 1940)
War does not tarry for any man's death--not even a commander in chief's Truman Takes Charge.
This article focuses on Harry S. Truman, the U.S. vice president who took charge of charting the course of World War II after the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945. Topics discussed include Truman's approval of the November 1, 1945 invasion of Japan, his attendance at the Postdam Conference in occupied Germany, and his authorization for the use of atomic bomb on Japan. Mentioned also is the August 15, 1945 announcement by Emperor Hirohito on Japan's surrender.
The Story Behind the National Security Act of 1947
"Harry Truman was at Washington D.C.'s National Airport on Saturday, 26 July 1947, waiting impatiently to fly home to Missouri to see his dying mother. First, however, he wanted to sign a long-delayed bill reorganizing the government to deal with national security matters. Congress had completed action on the measure, but the printing office had closed, so there was a delay in preparing the bill for Truman's signature. A little after noon, congressional clerks brought the bill on board the Sacred Cow, the four-engine C-54 presidential plane. Truman promptly signed it, as well as an executive order setting forth roles and missions for the Armed Forces and a paper nominating James Forrestal to be the first Secretary of Defense. An hour later, en route to Missouri, Truman learned that his mother had died. Meanwhile, just before adjourning until November, the Senate quickly approved Forrestal's nomination by voice vote. The press hailed the National Security Act of 1947, public law 80-253, as a major accomplishment." (Military Review) History and significance of the National Security Act of 1947 is reviewed.
Discusses former United States President Harry S. Truman's experiences in the First World War and the dilemmas that influenced his decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in August 1945. Attitude toward World War II (WWII); Combat experiences; Possible scenarios for ending WWII; Invasion of Kyushu, Japan; Expected casualties.
THE ATOMIC BOMBINGS RECONSIDERED
In retrospect, the August 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki raised ethical questions about the involvement of civilians and whether there were other ways to end the war. A history professor argues that "before Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the use of the A-bomb did not raise profound moral issues for policymakers" (FOREIGN AFFAIRS). Despite occasional doubts expressed by President Roosevelt and others involved in the Manhattan Project--the code name for the atomic bomb project-- there was never any real question of whether or not the bomb should be used. The ambivalence of President Truman and Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson is described. Details are provided of the decision-making processes that led to the use of the bomb to end the war with Japan.
HARRY S. TRUMAN: A CHANCE PRESIDENT AND THE NEW WORLD OF SUPERPOWERS
In 1944, Harry S. Truman received the vice-presidential nomination at the Democratic national convention. The following year, President Roosevelt succumbed to cardiovascular disease, and Truman found himself serving as the nation's 33rd President, holding the highest office for nearly two full terms. Harry S. Truman's unlikely rise to the Presidency and his contributions to American history and foreign policy are presented.
In an attempt to answer why America dropped the atomic bomb on Japan, this article brings to light many relevant elements that led to that momentous decision. Several top advisors felt that Japan was going to surrender soon and advised against using the bomb but, as this article suggests, it was both "pride and prejudice" that made the decision.
"In the spring of 1945, one of the very first decisions President Harry S. Truman had to make was whether or not to unleash the most terrible weapon in the history of warfare." (World War II) This article reflects on "Truman's decision to drop the bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima."
THE BOMB THAT ENDED WORLD WAR II
"The atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, has been the subject of numerous books and articles.... Strangely, however, the story of the second mission, which bombed Nagasaki, has not been fully told, mostly because of the concurrent rush of events leading to Japan's complete surrender. Then, too, it may be because that second A-bomb strike nearly ended disastrously." (AVIATION HISTORY) The events of the Nagasaki bombing are recalled as the author argues that the second atomic bomb is the one "that induced the Japanese to surrender."
"Unlike most of civilization's turning points, which arrive on cat's feet and insinuate themselves gradually into people's consciousness, the atomic bomb was history announcing itself like Vesuvius. The debate over the morality of inventing it and dropping it began immediately in that torpid summer of '45--and still bubbles a half century later." (U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT) Historical and moral contexts are considered in this overview of the making and dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
FDR AND TRUMAN: CONTINUITY AND CONTEXT IN THE A-BOMB DECISION
"The 50th anniversary of the American dropping of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which forced the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II, has occasioned much comment, introspection, and controversy." (AIRPOWER JOURNAL) The authors argue that reasons behind the use of the A-bomb must be placed in context of the strategic bombing policies of the U.S. during the war. What these policies were, and how they influenced the decision to drop the bomb, are discussed.
THE ATOMIC BOMBINGS OF JAPAN: A 50-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE
"The events leading up to President Harry S Truman's decision to use weapons of unprecedented mass destruction against Japan are curious and--even now--controversial." (AIRPOWER JOURNAL) Was the bombing militarily justifiable? Did the United States adequately explore its other options to end the war? These and other questions are examined, and the lessons we can learn from them are discussed.
V-J DAY: JAPAN'S SOLEMN SURRENDER
Despite the United States' dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan in August 1945, "many Japanese clung to the hopes that a defeat could be delayed, if not averted" (WORLD WAR II). Japanese officials struggled to agree to peace, and a few Japanese military officers attempted a coup to avert surrender. Emperor Hirohito reluctantly agreed to the Allies's Potsdam Declaration in mid-August, and Japan signed the surrender treaty on September 2, 1945, ending World War II. This article describes the events leading up to and surrounding V-J Day.
Harry S. Truman and the Bomb: A Documentary History.
Discusses the author's views of former United States President Harry Truman's decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the hope to win the battle in Okinawa, Japan in World War II. Truman's qualifications and war experiences; Events leading to the invasion of Okinawa; Casualties; Other foreign forces joining the battle; Conditions after the war.
Was Truman right to drop the bomb?
Presents a speech given by the diplomat-in-residence at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at the John Hopkins University delivered at the Navy Memorial Foundation in Washington DC, on July 25, 1995, and dealing with the issue of the use by the United States of the atomic bomb against Japan in 1945.
Did the Bomb Ultimately Save Lives?
The article recounts the history of war between the U.S. and Japan by revealing U.S. Operation plans and casualty facts from 1942-1945. The U.S. moved forward with the goal to invade Japan's home islands under Operation Downfall, until the time that the Japanese surrendered. The Number of casualties during the course of war from the Battle of Guadalcanal to the Battle of Okinawa reached the worst-case scenario. The decision of U.S. President Harry Truman to drop the atomic bomb became the most controversial in the history of warfare.
The biggest decision: Why we had to drop the atomic bomb.
Discusses the debate which has preyed upon the American conscience over whether the United States was right when it decided to drop the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The furor over the Smithsonian Institution's `Enola Gay' exhibit; Critics of Harry S. Truman and other US officials; Opinion that these revisionists who would make a war criminal of Truman have forgotten his era's terrible imperatives; Myths surrounding the decision.
Military Wisdom and Nuclear Weapons.
The article focuses on the reasons behind Japan's surrender in the World War II due to a number of events that took place in the country from August 6-9, 1945. It informs that following bombing on August 6 in Hiroshima, the Japanese government had not decided to surrender. It states that the decision to surrender was taken on August 9, the day on which Nagasaki was bombarded due to the Soviet Union's declaration for war on August 8.
Japan's Nuclear Nightmare: How the Bomb Became a Beast Called Godzilla
"Godzilla (Gojira) is a film less about a giant dinosaur running amuck and more about the psychological recovery of a people trying to rebuild their cities, their culture, and their lives threatened by radioactive fallout....[F]or forty-year-old journeyman director Ishiro Honda, who was handed the assignment after the original director Senkichi Taniguchi turned it down, he resolved to use the monster as a metaphor for the growing fears of a nation living in the shadow of doomsday. As Honda said years later, 'I wanted to make radiation visible.' As a result, the Bomb became the Beast."(Cineaste) This essay examines the history of Godzilla, highlighting the monster's role as a symbol of the "dangers of man's tampering with atomic and nuclear power."
Hiroshima: 'Strongest Possible' Case for Non-Proliferation
"'Whatever the debate on the respective responsibility of who unleashed war without mercy in the Pacific and who wanted to end it the quickest, the tragic demonstration made on August 6, 1945 of the terrifying power of the atomic bomb changed the world....Today [Aug. 5, 2005], we realize every day that the end of the East-West face-off is not resolved, even to the contrary, and that the arms of nuclear dissuasion are powerless against terrorism....Never, since August 1945, has the risk that they (nuclear bombs) could be used on a local scale (Kashmir, Korea, Iran tomorrow maybe) been so trivialized. Will the horror of the ending of Hiroshima and Nagasaki's victims never serve as a lesson?'" (Issue Focus) International media reflect on the 60th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and of Nagasaki and discuss the possibility of nuclear proliferation.
Were We Wrong to Drop the Bomb?
"Were we wrong to drop the bomb?" (Arizona Republic) This article presents a debate as to whether the U.S. was justified in dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
From Yellow Peril to Japanese Wasteland: John Hersey's "Hiroshima"
"In the year between the attack on Hiroshima [Japan] and the publication of [John] Hersey's story [ Hiroshima ], American culture was engulfed in debates about the meaning of the atomic bomb. American newspapers, magazines, films, and radio programs were littered with representations of this new ultimate weapon, as Americans tried to make sense out of what this new technology really meant. So what was it about Hersey's text that made it so influential and that distinguished it from the scores of other representations that permeated American culture?" (Twentieth Century Literature) This essay explores reasons for the success of Hersey's Hiroshima, highlighting his willingness to write "against the grain of the official narrative of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Yellow Peril stories of science fiction." The role of Hersey's story in "transform[ing] the Japanese Yellow Peril into the sympathetic victims of the atomic bomb" is noted.
He "Never Lost Any Sleep": Coping with Truman's Nightmarish Nuclear Legacy.
Reviews two non-fiction books about atomic bombs. 'Living With the Bomb: American and Japanese Cultural Conflicts in the Nuclear Age,' edited by Laura Hein and Mark Selden; 'Resisting the Bomb: A History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement 1954-1970 (The Struggle Against the Bomb),' vol. 2, by Lawrence S. Wittner.
Most of the debate over the atomic bombing of Japan focuses on the unanswerable question of whether it was necessary. But that skirts the question of its morality.
This is a search that points you towards viewpoints published on the website debate.org using a keyword search Truman bomb
Sixty-six years ago, we dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. Now, some historians say that’s not what ended the war. Evidence suggests it was the Soviets entry into the Pacific Conflict.
Hiroshima bomb may have carried hidden agenda
The US decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 was meant to kick-start the Cold War rather than end the Second World War, according to two nuclear historians who say they have new evidence backing the controversial theory.
Truman drops hint to Stalin about a terrible new weapon
WHY THE UNITED STATES DROPPED THE BOMB
Hiroshima: How bombing civilians became thinkable
Ending the Pacific War: Harry Truman and the Decision To Drop the Bomb
The Decision to Risk the Future: Harry Truman, the Atomic Bomb and the Apocalyptic Narrative
The Decision to Use the Bomb: A Consensus View?
Hiroshima arguments rage 60 years on
If the Atomic Bomb Had Not Been Used
Operation Downfall:Planned Invasion of the Islands of Japan inWorld War II
Tsutomu Yamaguchi: Survivor of both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb blasts
The Historiography of Hiroshima:The Rise and Fall of Revisionism
Oliver Stone: America's brutality started the day we dropped the bomb
Japan: No Surrender in World War Two
Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation
Harry Truman and the Atomic Bomb.
This article is a timeline on the development and acquisition of nuclear weapons throughout the world. It includes information on the scientists who developed the first bombs, the arms race, various types of weapons, testing, development programs by individual countries, and international treaties on weapons limits and non-proliferation.
An adaptation from the book American Prometheus about atomic scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, this article "charts the secret debate over deployment of the first A-bomb and the anxiety that suffused its first live test" (Smithsonian). It is noted that "without Oppenheimer's extraordinary leadership, atomic bombs would not have been completed in time to be used during the war. That was both a matter of pride and a heavy burden for 'the father of the atomic bomb.'"
MEN AND MISSION OF THE MANHATTAN PROJECT
"In a fiery mushroom cloud, theory became reality. The scientists of Los Alamos had made their deadly gadget--the atomic bomb-- work." (WORLD WAR II) The Manhattan Project to build an atomic bomb began in 1942, headed by General Leslie R. Groves and scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer. During the 3-year project, the most prominent names in science, including Enrico Fermi and Niels Bohr, worked at Los Alamos. The mission remained a top secret until after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, August 6, 1945.
THE MASTERS OF DISCOVERY: BROTHERHOOD OF THE BOMB
On July 16, 1945, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Edward Teller and the rest of the Manhattan Project scientists watched the first nuclear bomb explosion at the Alamogordo Bombing Range in New Mexico. This article recounts the roles of Oppenheimer and Teller in the invention of the atomic and hydrogen bombs. A timeline of milestones in nuclear weapons technology is provided.
Link to Sweetsearch articles on "Soviet Union bomb land" (use this to access article on land acquisition by the Soviets.
Link to Sweetsearch articles on "Soviet Union superpower World War II"
Link to Sweetsearch articles on "Japan environmental effects atomic bombs"
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70 years after Hiroshima, opinions have shifted on use of atomic bomb
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Cast Long Shadows Over Radiation Science
Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
Truman Biography: Truman Library
Truman Biography: American History
Harry S. Truman: America's Last Great Leader?
"As president during one of the most crucial periods in the nation's history, he had to make decisions that would determine the shape of events for the next half-century." (USA TODAY MAGAZINE) This article examines Truman's rise to the presidency, considers some of the key decisions that he made during his administration, and includes a chronology of his life. It also profiles the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, one of the nine presidential libraries maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration.
Leahy Biography (Arlington National Cemetery)
President Roosevelt to the Appointed Ambassador to France (Leahy) (December 20, 1940)
American Military Leaders Urge President Truman not to Drop the Atomic Bomb
Stimson Biography: U.S. Dept. of State, Office of the Historian
Stimson Biography: Truman Library
Four Days in May: Henry L. Stimson and the Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb
Dropping the Bombs: How Henry Stimson Influenced the Decision
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