"It was so bright I had my hands over my eyes closed, and I could see the bones like you were looking at an X-ray."
The weather was fine and the skies were clear; the people of Hiroshima went about their business like any other day on the morning of August 6th, 1945. At around 8:00AM, not more than three planes were heard approaching the city at very high altitude. They did not cause any alarm as the Japanese by this time had become accustomed to the presence of American planes, and a mere two or three bombers did not indicate a full-scale air raid as other parts of Japan had recently experienced. At approximately 8:15AM, a nuclear bomb was released from one of three B-29s and detonated six-hundred meters in the air above Hiroshima's city centre. Three days later, on the morning of August 9, another nuclear bomb was dropped over the city of Nagasaki.
What instantly ensued was devastation on a grand-scale, the likes of which had never been seen before, and has not been experienced since.The United States remains the only nation in the world to ever use nuclear weapons in warfare and, most notably, against a civilian population.
The reasons Little Boy and Fat Man were unleashed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been up for very little debate considering how unnecessary it was at the time. Japan's allies were defeated, and of course - the colossal elephant in the room - targets had a dense civilian population and very little military importance, which was admitted to being a "secondary" purpose anyway.
Prime location for experimentation
According to the Summary of Target Committee Meetings, Hiroshima had been very early decided upon as a target, mainly because it was, at the time, an "untouched" region of Japan. Its large size and isolation from the bombardment other parts of the country were facing made it an ideal location for testing out brand new weaponry.
As the infrastructure was unmarked and the people were mostly uninfluenced by physical and mental trauma up until the bombings, both Hiroshima and Nagasaki were subject to extensive examination in the weeks following the attacks. The effects of plutonium compared to uranium as well as the effects of radiation were at the forefront of the investigation.
One of the cities they thought they could acquire this outcome was Kyoto which had the "advantage of the people being highly intelligent". But, in the end, Hiroshima was agreed on, as its topography and size had capacity for much greater damage.
The fact that Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been - as previously mentioned - impacted very little by past attacks was ideal for achieving this objective. It meant that civilian reactions would not be reduced by the influence of previous experiences, and that the attacks would cause full-scale hysteria.
As the infrastructure was unmarked and the people were mostly uninfluenced by physical and mental trauma up until the bombings, both Hiroshima and Nagasaki were subject to extensive examination in the weeks following the attacks. The effects of plutonium compared to uranium as well as the effects of radiation were at the forefront of the investigation.
"Greatest Psychological effect"
The Target Committee meeting notes also reveal that potential targets were being assessed on how effectively their populations would be able to "appreciate the significance of the weapon". The Committee wanted to make sure that when publicity was eventually released internationally, the magnitude of the atomic bombs was articulated well by those who did not die horrifically.One of the cities they thought they could acquire this outcome was Kyoto which had the "advantage of the people being highly intelligent". But, in the end, Hiroshima was agreed on, as its topography and size had capacity for much greater damage.
The fact that Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been - as previously mentioned - impacted very little by past attacks was ideal for achieving this objective. It meant that civilian reactions would not be reduced by the influence of previous experiences, and that the attacks would cause full-scale hysteria.
Showing off to the Soviets
Even after the US acquired the USSR as an ally, the atomic bomb project was kept secret from them. At the same time, Britain - a much less formidable military ally - was informed of the project and backed its use against Japan. According to declassified documents in the US National Archive and Records Administration, the prospect of dropping a nuclear bomb on Japan was first communicated to Winston Churchill by Franklin Roosevelt at a meeting in September, 1944 and by ten months later the British had given it full support.
Disapproval and skepticism over motives behind the proposed use of nuclear attacks were expressed by high-profile players before and after the bombings, including the architects behind the atomic bomb themselves. A New York Times article, 'Einstein Deplores use of Atom Bomb (1946)' quotes Einstein as saying "the bombing was probably carried out to end the Pacific war before Russia could participate.". In May, 1944, just months before the weapons were deployed, Leo Szilard requested a meeting with James Byrnes, the US Secretary of State, to discuss the ethical implications the weapons could create if internationally exposed. According to Szilard, Byrnes was not interested in the implications. Instead, he expressed his concerns of Russia's increasing post-war dominance, particularly their presence in Hungary and Romania, and thought that controlling them would be easier if the Russians were made aware of US military might.
What the US demonstrated was not superiority (the soviets had already secured that status without the use of weapons of mass destruction) but their unchecked desire to dominate at whatever cost, a sinister trait that continues to plague the world 72 years later.
Disapproval and skepticism over motives behind the proposed use of nuclear attacks were expressed by high-profile players before and after the bombings, including the architects behind the atomic bomb themselves. A New York Times article, 'Einstein Deplores use of Atom Bomb (1946)' quotes Einstein as saying "the bombing was probably carried out to end the Pacific war before Russia could participate.". In May, 1944, just months before the weapons were deployed, Leo Szilard requested a meeting with James Byrnes, the US Secretary of State, to discuss the ethical implications the weapons could create if internationally exposed. According to Szilard, Byrnes was not interested in the implications. Instead, he expressed his concerns of Russia's increasing post-war dominance, particularly their presence in Hungary and Romania, and thought that controlling them would be easier if the Russians were made aware of US military might.
What the US demonstrated was not superiority (the soviets had already secured that status without the use of weapons of mass destruction) but their unchecked desire to dominate at whatever cost, a sinister trait that continues to plague the world 72 years later.
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