The United States of America was a neutral country. That was until December 7, 1941, when Japan decided to bomb the US naval base in the Hawaiian islands, Pearl Harbor. 2400 Americans and almost 1200 …show more content…
When the Japanese did not give up by summer, the three Allies, US, Britain, and Russia, issued on July 26, 1945, the Potsdam Proclamation which ordered Japan to submit to unconditional surrender, “or face prompt and utter destruction” [Craig p.66]. Japan ignored this allowing the United States to go into further measures. On November 1, 1945 the Allies would invade Japan. This plan was not carried out. The US knew that Japan were not going to surrender. Their beliefs and mindset did not allow to surrender as an option. As a result, on August 6, 1945 the B-29 “Enola Gay” dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. In the book, The Fall of Japan, states, “to impress the Japanese with the fact that the United States was actually in production of the weapon and that the future held only the prospect of more and more atomic warfare”, [Craig p.75-76]. Six days after Nagasaki, citing, “a new and most cruel bomb” as one of the reasons [Weintraub p.594], Japan surrendered. The United States was justified in dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima due to the unwarned attack on civilians. For example, the bomb displayed the power the U.S wielded when they dropped it on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It showed other countries that the United States had weapons, and would use them. President Truman even stated, “I never had any