WAS IT NECESSARY TO DROP THE ATOMIC BOMB?
The 6th Bomb group has just added an important article to it’s LESSONS OF WAR category. It is the entire text of a Report entitled, “United States Strategic Bombing Survey Summary Report, an Official U.S. Government Pacific War Document.” This is a concise and extremely accurate overview of what happened and why. We are currently preparing a Lesson Plan section for teachers & students.
United States Strategic Bombing Survey Summary Report, an Official U.S. Government Pacific War Document
CLICK TO VIEW: United States Strategic Bombing Survey Summary Report on Pacific War
A 32-page official U.S. government Pacific War document from which many unique, authoritative, print articles and online posts answering one of the most important Pacific War search questions for students and teachers could be written including “was it necessary to drop the atomic bomb?”
It is the “United States Strategic Bombing Survey Summary Report (Pacific War).” The Summary was commissioned on August 15, 1945 by President Truman as an impartial and expert study of the effects of our aerial attack on Japan, its impact on imperial policy, war capacity and the civilian population. The Survey was conducted by some 1100 American agents operating from headquarters in Tokyo directly following the war. The Survey “secured Japanese records, interrogated top Japanese Army and navy officers, Government officials, industrialists, political leaders” and civilians throughout Japan.
THE WAR REPORT SUMMARY AS A TEACHING AID
Among many revelations, the Summary confirms that the government of Japan had made the decision to surrender long prior to the dropping of the atomic bombs but had not communicated that to the U.S. Most historian opinions published on the Internet now claim Japan surrendered in fear Russia had decided to invade them. The Summary definitively refutes that. There are added ancillary justifications for having dropped the atomic bombs but surrender does not appear to be one of them since surrender would have happened without the a-bombs. Not knowing this, however, the U.S. opted to drop the a-bombs to hasten surrender and avoid far greater loss of life through the planned land invasion.
The Summary is packed full of definitive content, including the importance of “air superiority” for winning any war going forward. It was a lesson of the war that helped launch the U.S. Air Force.