president truman was president when atomic bombs were dropped.
president truman was president when atomic bombs were dropped.
who was president when atomic bombs were dropped?
president truman
on july 26, 1945, the united states, the united kingdom, and the republic of china issued a potsdam declaration that called for the unconditional surrender of japan. it stated that if japan did not surrender, it would face "prompt and utter destruction". the japanese government ignored this ultimatum, sending a message that they were not going to surrender. in response to the rejection, president truman authorized the dropping of the atomic bombs. at the time of its use, there were only two atomic bombs available, and despite the fact that more were in production back in mainland u.s., the third bomb wouldn't be available for combat until september.
nuclear warfare
the third area of research hasegawa has conducted is an international history involving the soviet union, the united states, and japan in ending the pacific war. as the united states dropped its atomic bombs on hiroshima and nagasaki in august 1945, 1.6 million soviet troops launched a surprise attack on the japanese forces occupying eastern asia. hasegawa published a book, "racing the enemy: stalin, truman, and the surrender of japan" (2005). challenging the widely accepted orthodox view that the atomic bombings on hiroshima and nagasaki were the most decisive factor in japan's decision to surrender, ending world war ii in the pacific hasegawa puts forward the view that the soviet entry into the war by breaking of the neutrality pact played a more important role than the atomic bombs in japan's surrender decision. this view is in contrast to earlier critics of the bombing, such as gar alperovitz, who argued that us president harry s. truman's underlying objective was showcasing us military might, as a deterrent to soviet leader joseph stalin's ambitions. according to australian historian geoffrey jukes: "[hasegawa] demonstrates conclusively that it was the soviet declaration of war, not the atomic bombs, that forced the japanese to surrender unconditionally." this view received criticism. the most balanced and spirited discussion on this book is given in h-diplo roundtable discussion with gar alperovitz, michael gordin, david holloway, richard frank, and baron bernstein. james maddox, professor of history emeritus at the pennsylvania state university, and author of "weapons for victory: the hiroshima decision fifty years later", was one of the most trenchant critics of the book.
tsuyoshi hasegawa