Dropping the Atomic Bombs Although there had been years of planning the use of nuclear weapons in World War II, the final decision to drop the first atomic bomb was not made until the summer of 1945. This was after the Allies captured Okinawa, executed the firebomb campaign against Japan, and the Japanese ignoring the Potsdam Declaration. According to memorandum from General L.R. Groves to the Chief of Staff on August 6, 1945, “the gun type bomb was ready at Tinian on 31 July awaiting for first favorable weather.” However, it wasn’t until August 6th that the first atomic bomb would be dropped. There were several target cities listed such as Kyoto, Hiroshima, Yokohama, Kokura and Niigata. The recommendations for where the bombs should be dropped came from discussions with the Scientific Panel on June 1, 1945, where the Intern Committee
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The Emperor was not notified until the morning of August 7th. Korechika Anami, the War Minister, was doubtful that the United States had dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. He proposed before taking any action the government should wait for the results of the investigation in Hiroshima. This was a crucial decision for the Japanese because it delayed their response to the bomb. Most members of the cabinet knew that unless Japan surrendered, many atomic bombs might be dropped on other cities in Japan. It was evident that the war and devastation could have ended sooner if Japan would have responded quicker. However, they did not have much time. The second atomic bomb was supposed to be dropped on August 11th, but weather pushed it forward by two days. The original target was for Kokura, but they ran into some difficulty with weather and enemy flanks. The second target was Nagasaki. Fat Man, the second atomic bomb, was dropped at 11:02 am on Nagasaki. After the bomb had been dropped Truman announced on the
The Emperor was not notified until the morning of August 7th. Korechika Anami, the War Minister, was doubtful that the United States had dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. He proposed before taking any action the government should wait for the results of the investigation in Hiroshima. This was a crucial decision for the Japanese because it delayed their response to the bomb. Most members of the cabinet knew that unless Japan surrendered, many atomic bombs might be dropped on other cities in Japan. It was evident that the war and devastation could have ended sooner if Japan would have responded quicker. However, they did not have much time. The second atomic bomb was supposed to be dropped on August 11th, but weather pushed it forward by two days. The original target was for Kokura, but they ran into some difficulty with weather and enemy flanks. The second target was Nagasaki. Fat Man, the second atomic bomb, was dropped at 11:02 am on Nagasaki. After the bomb had been dropped Truman announced on the