The Information War in the Pacific, 1945(Hmm is this True?)

https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/docs/v46i3a07p.htm ^ | Josette H. Williams

[ventanax5]

"Read this carefully as it may save your life or the life of a relative or friend. In the next few days, some or all of the cities named on the reverse side will be destroyed by American bombs. These cities contain military installations and workshops or factories which produce military goods. We are determined to destroy all of the tools of the military clique which they are using to prolong this useless war. But, unfortunately, bombs have no eyes. So, in accordance with America's humanitarian policies, the American Air Force, which does not wish to injure innocent people, now gives you warning to evacuate the cities named and save your lives. America is not fighting the Japanese people but is fighting the military clique which has enslaved the Japanese people. The peace which America will bring will free the people from the oppression of the military clique and mean the emergence of a new and better Japan. You can restore peace by demanding new and good leaders who will end the war. We cannot promise that only these cities will be among those attacked but some or all of them will be, so heed this warning and evacuate these cities immediately."

[A.A. Cunningham]

Leaflets Dropped On Cities In Japan

Leaflets dropped on cities in Japan warning civilians about the atomic bomb, dropped c. August 6, 1945

TO THE JAPANESE PEOPLE:
America asks that you take immediate heed of what we say on this leaflet.

We are in possession of the most destructive explosive ever devised by man. A single one of our newly developed atomic bombs is actually the equivalent in explosive power to what 2000 of our giant B-29s can carry on a single mission. This awful fact is one for you to ponder and we solemnly assure you it is grimly accurate.

We have just begun to use this weapon against your homeland. If you still have any doubt, make inquiry as to what happened to Hiroshima when just one atomic bomb fell on that city.

Before using this bomb to destroy every resource of the military by which they are prolonging this useless war, we ask that you now petition the Emperor to end the war. Our president has outlined for you the thirteen consequences of an honorable surrender. We urge that you accept these consequences and begin the work of building a new, better and peace-loving Japan.

You should take steps now to cease military resistance. Otherwise, we shall resolutely employ this bomb and all our other superior weapons to promptly and forcefully end the war.

EVACUATE YOUR CITIES.

ATTENTION JAPANESE PEOPLE. EVACUATE YOUR CITIES.

Because your military leaders have rejected the thirteen part surrender declaration, two momentous events have occurred in the last few days.

The Soviet Union, because of this rejection on the part of the military has notified your Ambassador Sato that it has declared war on your nation. Thus, all powerful countries of the world are now at war with you.

Also, because of your leaders' refusal to accept the surrender declaration that would enable Japan to honorably end this useless war, we have employed our atomic bomb.

A single one of our newly developed atomic bombs is actually the equivalent in explosive power to what 2000 of our giant B-29s could have carried on a single mission. Radio Tokyo has told you that with the first use of this weapon of total destruction, Hiroshima was virtually destroyed.

Before we use this bomb again and again to destroy every resource of the military by which they are prolonging this useless war, petition the emperor now to end the war. Our president has outlined for you the thirteen consequences of an honorable surrender. We urge that you accept these consequences and begin the work of building a new, better, and peace-loving Japan.

Act at once or we shall resolutely employ this bomb and all our other superior weapons to promptly and forcefully end the war.

EVACUATE YOUR CITIES.

Source: Harry S. Truman Library, Miscellaneous historical document file, no. 258.

Front side of OWI notice #2106, dubbed the “LeMay bombing leaflet,” which was delivered to Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and 33 other Japanese cities on 1 August 1945. Office of War Information [OWI] presses were turning out leaflets that revealed the special nature of Hiroshima’s destruction and predicted similar fates for more Japanese cities in the absence of immediate acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam agreement. The Japanese text on the reverse side of the leaflet carried the following warning: “Read this carefully as it may save your life or the life of a relative or friend. In the next few days, some or all of the cities named on the reverse side will be destroyed by American bombs. These cities contain military installations and workshops or factories which produce military goods. We are determined to destroy all of the tools of the military clique which they are using to prolong this useless war. But, unfortunately, bombs have no eyes. So, in accordance with America's humanitarian policies, the American Air Force, which does not wish to injure innocent people, now gives you warning to evacuate the cities named and save your lives. America is not fighting the Japanese people but is fighting the military clique which has enslaved the Japanese people. The peace which America will bring will free the people from the oppression of the military clique and mean the emergence of a new and better Japan. You can restore peace by demanding new and good leaders who will end the war. We cannot promise that only these cities will be among those attacked but some or all of them will be, so heed this warning and evacuate these cities immediately.” (See Richard S. R. Hubert, “The OWI Saipan Operation,” Official Report to US Information Service, Washington, DC 1946.) By 9 August, more than 5 million leaflets about the atom bomb had been released over major Japanese cities. The OWI radio station beamed a similar message to Japan every 15 minutes.

[Kevmo]

B4L8r

[RightWhale]

why didn’t we do this in Iraq?

Probably did. Probably leafleted them kneedeep.

[William Tell]

ventanax5 quotes the following: "On August 1, 1945, five days before the bombing of Hiroshima, the U.S. Army Air Force dropped one million leaflets over Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and 33 other Japanese cities warning that those cities were going to be destroyed within a few days ..."

Aside from the positive propaganda value of being able to point out that people were warned of this looming destruction, the language also suggests that all 35 cities would be destroyed, naming Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the head of the list.

Someone more knowledgable than I can perhaps clarify just how many bombs were available at the time and when additional bombs could be manufactured.

My recollection is that one bomb was detonated as a test, and the other two that existed were dropped on Japan. Was there an inventory capable of carrying out the explicit threat, or was the destruction of two targets going to be used to create credibility regarding the threat?

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Someone more knowledgable than I can perhaps clarify just how many bombs were available at the time and when additional bombs could be manufactured.

My recollection is that one bomb was detonated as a test, and the other two that existed were dropped on Japan. Was there an inventory capable of carrying out the explicit threat, or was the destruction of two targets going to be used to create credibility regarding the threat?

Contemporaneously, of course, it was no part of US interest to let it be known that we had no more A-bombs in inventory after Hiroshima. But much later I read the same thing as you - that we had no more A-bombs at that point, and that that was even true when Truman threatened the USSR with nuclear retaliation in response to their threats to Iran after WWII.

Of course the public arguments about whether the A-bomb should have been used, or used in the way that it was, against Japan, were debated in ignorance of the actual number of A-bombs in US hands in August 1945.

[MosesKnows]

2000 of our giant B-29s

I remembering being told toward the end of WW2 that there were two American names that all Japanese knew, "Babe Ruth" and "B-29".

[Bender2]

Re: (Hmm is this True?)

Yes...

And maybe we need to start dropping like love notes over Iran and Chavezland...

[GATOR NAVY]

We cannot promise that only these cities will be among those attacked but some or all of them will be...

Neither Hiroshima nor Nagasaki are among the cities listed on the front (not that I'm complaining).

These leaflets were also intended to demoralize the civilian population by pointing out that the US military was so powerful we could even announce where we going to attack and Japanese forces couldn't do anything about it.

[jowi]

The leaflet shown in the CIA article was one of three using the same B29 plane picture and the same message warning of imminent bombing. Different cities were cited (in circles) depending on the B29 run for different missions on different dates. The warning leaflets (#2106 known as the LeMay Bombing Notice) were created to warn of these regular B29 bombing runs using “fire bombs” found to be particularly devastating in the four-hour March 9-10 bombing of Tokyo which destroyed more lives & property than Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. The text of the leaflet was not changed for Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the words “atomic bomb” would have carried no meaning. Station KSAI on Saipan broadcast warnings directly to Japan as well. Lieutenant General N. F. Twining (USA Commanding), in his 12 August 1945 letter of appreciation to the Office of War Information writes under the letterhead of “Headquarters Twentieth Air Force, Office of the Commanding General, APO 234, c/o Postmaster, San Francisco, California.” Maybe they just called themselves “Air Force”??

[jowi]

On the Greenwich Workshop videotape now owned by the Smithsonian, Enola Gay pilot Tibbetts states they cancelled shipment of a third bomb to Tinian in the Marianas when Japanese surrender was announced. The videotape is titled “The Men Who Brought the Dawn,” and shows crews of both planes in personal statements and interviews, as well as original films from Nagasaki and Hiroshima.