[Humal]

Good morning, Sam and Snippy,
A question for you, please. I have heard that the Japanese people at the two sites were warned by leaflet drop before the bomb was dropped to leave the area, that it was unsafe. The Japanese ordered the people to ignore the leaflets; they were untrue. Is the leaflet drop true?

2nd, just a comment. I'm a life-long member of the Methodist church. One Sunday, about 10 years ago, our preacher (I can't say "minister") got up in church condemning America for dropping the bomb. I cannot recall ever being so angry in my life. It took all the self-control I had to sit in my seat and not walk out in the middle of his tirade, not "sermon". He was relieved shortly after this, as I for one complained about it to the church's board.

[SAMWolf]

The leaflets were dropped after the Hiroshima bomb.

The program of psychological warfare included the dropping of thousands of leaflets on Japanese cities after the bombing of Hiroshima. Leaders of the American government hoped the Japanese people would evacuate their cities, which not only would save many lives but also disrupt war production - factories were concentrated in cities. They hoped that popular revulsion against continuing the war would prompt Tokyo officials including the emperor to sue for peace according to requirements of the Rotsdam Declaration.

Unfortunately this effort at psychological warfare failed. Time was too short for it to succeed. Moreover, Japanese military authorities controlled the government, and only another nuclear bombing, that of Nagasaki, enabled the emperor to prevail against them.

Robert H. Ferrell

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Humal. I see Sam has answered the leaflet question. I haven't been able to find what, if any, direction the Japanese emperor issued to the people in response. As I understand it all Japanese were indoctrined to fight to the last person. I doubt if they would have left, just my opinion though.

I'm glad the "preacher" in your church was soon booted out!