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Koude Oorlog
Introduction to source 1 and 2
Source 1 and 2 are about the use of the atomic bomb
against the two Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
On August 6, 1945 the United States throw an atomic bomb
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 9. The Japanese
Government have applied on Aug. 15. This is World War II
ended
Source 1
James Byrne, US Secretary of State, speaking in
1945.
Any weapon that would bring an end to the war and save a
million casualties among American boys was justified,
and we were talking about people who hadn’t hesitated at
Pearl Harbor to make a sneak attack destroying not only
ships but the lives of many American sailors. I would
have been satisfied had the Russians determined not to
enter the war against Japan. I believed the Abomb would
be successful and would force the Japanese to accept
surrender on our terms. I feared what would happen when
the Red Army entered Manchuria.
Source 2
An extract from The Roots of European Security by
the Russian historian Vadim Nekrasov, 1984.
Officially the Americans claimed that the bombings on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki was aimed at bringing the end of
the war nearer and avoiding
unnecessary bloodshed and casualties. But they had
entirely different objectives. The purpose of the
bombings was to intimidate other countries,
above all the Soviet Union. In other words the US
decision to use atomic energy for military purposes was
meant to produce a diplomatic and
psychological impact, and this has since involved the
world in a nuclear arms race.
Question
Use source 1 and 2
How useful are Sources 1 and 2 to
explain why President Truman ordered the dropping of the
atomic bombs on Japan in 1945?
Koude Oorlog
Koude Oorlog
Copyright: Albert van der Kaap, 2011