Everything you need to know about the dropping of the atomic bomb can be found in Richard Frank’s book, “Downfall.” He had access to Japanese, as well as American, archives & memoirs as well as the post-war recollections of Emperor Hirohito.
*Casualty projections were all over the map, from 100,000 to 1 million for the US, up to 10 m for the Japanese.
*Ketsu-Go, the Japanese plan for national suicide, was already being put in place and civilians given what equipment there was and training as to how to become bushido jihadist suicide bombers. They were totally down with it, as seen in the suicide bomber #s on Okinawa. The plan for “one man, one ship” exchange was fully in place. Suicide torpedoes were already being built.
*Through Okinawa, the number of Japanese troops who surrendered, despite obvious evidence their units were destroyed and they had no hope of winning, was almost ZERO. On Iwo Jima, fewer than 2,000 prisoners (almost all wounded) were taken out of a garrison of 20,000. There was no evidence, anywhere, that the Japanese civilians on Hokkaido or any other island would actually surrender.
*Here’s the amazing thing about the numbers: everything Truman saw was really, really LOW. He never was briefed on total air, infantry, support, naval casualties, or those of just ordinary but predictable accidents. Thus he decided on the LOWER estimates.
*As late as 2 days after the Hiroshima bomb, Japanese council records show that the council was split on whether to accept the Potsdam Agreement (it took unanimous consent to do anything).
*The government sent Dr. Nishina to Hiroshima to confirm it was an atomic bomb. When he did, he was asked, “How long til we can get one?”
*The Soviets entering the war was important for two reasons: First, it ended the fantasy that Japan could reinforce the home islands with China-based troops, and second, it ended any hope that the Japanese could get the Russkies to pressure us to accept anything less than “unconditional surender.”
*Finally, the decision to retain the emperor ran COUNTER to all US public opinion polls. It was taken because MacArthur and Nimitz thought it would be easier to disarm and control the civilians if the emperor went along with the plan.
*Even after Hirohito decided (following the Nagasaki bomb) to surrender, groups of “dead-enders” tried to assaswinate him and put a harder line guy in.
Thank you for that great summary.
The Frank book is the definitive source for the facts. I love the people outraged today that a couple of hundred thousand civilians were killed to end the war. They preferred to allow Operation Starvation to peacefully run its course. By mid 1946 the only obstacle to invading Japan would have been climbing over the 30 million starved Japanese corpses.
And that makes perfect sense. If you merely rely on the most sensationalistic stuff, you can be very very wrong. Relying on the most conservative numbers, and it STILL makes sense? Then you do it.
When he did, he was asked, “How long til we can get one?”
Something militants of all stripes continue to ask to this day.
the decision to retain the emperor ran COUNTER to all US public opinion polls. It was taken because MacArthur and Nimitz thought it would be easier to disarm and control the civilians if the emperor went along with the plan.I>
That's also wise. If they're willing to commit murder-suicide for him upon command, then they'd be willing to accept a peaceful surrender upon his command as well. If he was eliminated (by suicide or military action), the cleanup would have been horrific.
Thank God cooler heads prevailed and we kept the Emperor in place.
*Through Okinawa, the number of Japanese troops who surrendered, despite obvious evidence their units were destroyed and they had no hope of winning, was almost ZERO. On Iwo Jima, fewer than 2,000 prisoners (almost all wounded) were taken out of a garrison of 20,000. There was no evidence, anywhere, that the Japanese civilians on Hokkaido or any other island would actually surrender.
Part of that was because of the Japanese treatment of POW’s. They figured that we treat POW’s the same way, and did NOT want that “embarrassment”, or “shame”.
Not saying we didn’t, but we didn’t as de rigeur, for them, it was a Tuesday.