Selection of Cities
Japanese forces continued to fight relentlessly in the Pacific even after the defeat of Germany. Japan’s government ignored the Allied call for surrender in the Potsdam Declaration, even though it threatened “prompt and utter destruction". With casualty projections of continued conventional bombing and an invasion of Japan nearing the one million mark, President Truman decided to use atomic bombing attacks to try and bring the war to a quick end.
The US military selected five cities as possible targets for atomic bomb attacks. These were, Hiroshima, Kokura, Kyoto, Nagasaki, and Niigata. These cities were carefully selected based on specific criteria, including the range of the aircraft that would deliver the bombs, probable weather conditions as visual sighting was desired, greatest military effect, morale effect on the enemy, high military strategic value, and relatively untouched in terms of previous bombings (Trinity Atomic Web Site). The bombs were expected to create the most amount of damage due to the primary blast effect, and then fires that would erupt and spread. Therefore, it was desired for targets to have a large amount of densely located buildings. Kokura had one of Japan’s largest munitions plants, while Hiroshima was an important port and military headquarters. The city was a center for communication, as well as a storage point and assembly area for troops. Niigata and Kyoto were major industrial cities, and Nagasaki was another important port and industrial center that played a key role in the production of ships and other military equipment.
After careful consideration of these targets, Hiroshima, Kokura, and Nagasaki were selected. Niigata was not chosen because of its distance away from other targets (History Learning Site). Kyoto was removed from the list in main part due to the lobbying of US Secretary of War Henry Stimson. He argued that the city had a cultural importance to the world. In addition, he admired the city because he and his wife had taken their honeymoon there (World War II Database).
The US military selected five cities as possible targets for atomic bomb attacks. These were, Hiroshima, Kokura, Kyoto, Nagasaki, and Niigata. These cities were carefully selected based on specific criteria, including the range of the aircraft that would deliver the bombs, probable weather conditions as visual sighting was desired, greatest military effect, morale effect on the enemy, high military strategic value, and relatively untouched in terms of previous bombings (Trinity Atomic Web Site). The bombs were expected to create the most amount of damage due to the primary blast effect, and then fires that would erupt and spread. Therefore, it was desired for targets to have a large amount of densely located buildings. Kokura had one of Japan’s largest munitions plants, while Hiroshima was an important port and military headquarters. The city was a center for communication, as well as a storage point and assembly area for troops. Niigata and Kyoto were major industrial cities, and Nagasaki was another important port and industrial center that played a key role in the production of ships and other military equipment.
After careful consideration of these targets, Hiroshima, Kokura, and Nagasaki were selected. Niigata was not chosen because of its distance away from other targets (History Learning Site). Kyoto was removed from the list in main part due to the lobbying of US Secretary of War Henry Stimson. He argued that the city had a cultural importance to the world. In addition, he admired the city because he and his wife had taken their honeymoon there (World War II Database).