Hiroshima: Why America Dropped the Atomic Bomb [Paperback]

Ronald Takaki (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0316831247 | ISBN-13: 978-0316831246

The bombing of Hiroshima was one of the pivotal events of the twentieth century, yet this controversial question remains unresolved. At the time, General Dwight Eisenhower, General Douglas MacArthur, and chief of staff Admiral William Leahy all agreed that an atomic attack on Japanese cities was unnecessary. All of them believed that Japan had already been beaten and that the war would soon end. Was the bomb dropped to end the war more quickly? Or did it herald the start of the Cold War? In his probing new study, prizewinning historian Ronald Takaki explores these factors and more. He considers the cultural context of race - the ways in which stereotypes of the Japanese influenced public opinion and policymakers - and also probes the human dimension. Relying on top secret military reports, diaries, and personal letters, Takaki relates international policies to the individuals involved: Los Alamos director J. Robert Oppenheimer, Secretary of State James Byrnes, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, and others... but above all, Harry Truman.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ethnic studies professor Takaki argues that racism and a desire to intimidate the Soviet Union were important factors in the decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

My grandfather emigrated from Japan to work on the cane fields of Hawaii in 1886, and my mother was born on the Hawi Plantation. As a teenager growing up on Oahu, I was not academically inclined but was actually a surfer. During my senior year, I took a religion course taught by Dr. Shunji Nishi, a Japanese American with a Ph.D. I remember going home and asking my mother, who only had an eighth-grade education: "Mom, what's a Ph.D.?" She answered: "I don't know but he must be very smart." Dr. Nishi became a role model for me, and he arranged for me to attend the College of Wooster. There my fellow white students asked me questions like: "How long have you been in this county? Where did you learn to speak English?" They did not see me as a fellow American. I did not look white or European in ancestry. As a scholar, I have been seeking to write a more inclusive and hence more accurate history of Americans, Chicanos, Native Americans as well as certain European immigrant groups like the Irish and Jews. My scholarship seeks not to separate our diverse groups but to show how our experiences were different but they were not disparate. Multicultural history, as I write and present it, leads not to what Schlesinger calls the "disuniting of America" but rather to the re-uniting of America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316831247
• ISBN-13: 978-0316831246
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #353,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My grandfather emigrated from Japan to work on the cane fields of Hawaii in 1886, and my mother was born on the Hawi Plantation. As a teenager growing up on Oahu, I was not academically inclined but was actually a surfer. During my senior year, I took a religion course taught by Dr. Shunji Nishi, a Japanese American with a Ph.D. I remember going home and asking my mother, who only had an eighth-grade education: "Mom, what's a Ph.D.?" She answered: "I don't know but he must be very smart." Dr. Nishi became a role model for me, and he arranged for me to attend the College of Wooster. There my fellow white students asked me questions like: "How long have you been in this county? Where did you learn to speak English?" They did not see me as a fellow American. I did not look white or European in ancestry. As a scholar, I have been seeking to write a more inclusive and hence more accurate history of Americans, Chicanos, Native Americans as well as certain European immigrant groups like the Irish and Jews. My scholarship seeks not to separate our diverse groups but to show how our experiences were different but they were not disparate. Multicultural history, as I write and present it, leads not to what Schlesinger calls the "disuniting of America" but rather to the re-uniting of America.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I was there, I saw and talked to the people, July 10, 2008

By 

Arthur U. Ishimoto (Honolulu, HI.USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hiroshima: Why America Dropped the Atomic Bomb (Paperback)

I totally disagree with Professor Takaki. I am a Japanese American like he is and I was subjected to racial discrimination just after Pearl Harbor perhaps not as much as he had (if he was born then) because I lived in Hawaii and not sent to internment camp. Nevertheless I felt the sting of discrimination. I was a military member of the military intelligence service assigned to ATIS a division of General MacArthur's G2 or Intelligence Section.

We saw many highly classified documents at the headquarters and involved in numerous translations of enemy documents. We were also sent on temporary duty assignment on special missions to the frontline units and engaged in scouting and capturing enemy soldiers and interrogating them. I had experience at the lowest and the highest level. Therefore, I have my own perspective of why the A bomb was dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The casualties for both cities exceeded 210,000 people. The strategic bombing of Japan in six months exceeded 300,000 casualties and millions homeless. Invasion planners stated blockade of Japan chokes but does not kill. The bombing destroys cities but not the army. General Eisenhower agreed. General MacArthur was for the invasion and use of the A bomb for tactical purpose. Subsequent data showed he was wrong.

Operation Olympic the invasion of Kyushu was to be launched in November 1945. I was scheduled to be assigned to the 1st Corps to invade Miyasaki, Kyushu by the 6th Army under Gen. Krueger. The XI Corps to land at Ariake Bay to the South and the Marine V Amphibious Corps to land on the southwestern shore. We would have faced 790,000 Japanese versus our 550,000 troops. Operation Coronet was the invasion of Kanto Plain near Tokyo with an invasion force twice as large as Olympic and scheduled for April 1946.

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Postwar: I read Ketsugo the Japanese defense plan. The Japanese had not only the kamikaze aircraft, but piloted bombs, piloted torpedoes, suicide speedboats in the thousands, mini suicide submarines and four thousand scuba divers to blow up the troop transports . The beaches were mined, spiderweb network of machine gun nests, hidden artillery behind 50 meter high hills. There were 12700 kamikaze aircraft to be launched from partially hidden runways from underground installations. The Japanese estimated about 50% of our troops to be killed. Our estimate was between 20% and 30% but postwar information revealed it to be much higher. The cave networks were designed from lessons learned in the Pacific war. General Marshall estimated a million Americans would perish. Omaha World Herald in their editorial stated, "These plans that called for the invasion of Japan paint a vivid description of what might have been the most horrible campaigns in the history of man." Prince Fumimaro Konoye said Japan would be a nation without cities. A whole nation and culture would vanish.

The Supreme Council of Japan felt that unconditional meant the elimination of the Emperor. The Emperor also felt that he would be eliminated. President Truman felt less than unconditional would result in future problems if the Japanese armed forces were not eliminated. They may rise again like the Germans. The bomb also saved Japan from being divided into north and south like Korea with Russian participation.

I was one of the first to occupy Japan. I saw caves and caves everywhere and other fortifications. Civilians began to appear two weeks later and I asked what are those caves for? They all said to hide in them and attack us at night. I asked with what? They showed me bamboo spears, bows and arrows, pitchforks, knives, samurai swords, sickles, etc., etc. There were 28 million civilians in a unit called the National Volunteer Combat Force. They were trained in guerilla warfare and attack at night. Women and children ages 15 to 50 were recruited. Everyone I interviewed told me that they will fight for the Emperor and not for the military. They consider him a descendent of God. The history of Japan would show this. This sentiment to save the Emperor was unanimous. Millions of Japanese would have died and that is not counting the suicides expected like in Okinawa. President Truman was concerned with history repeating itself. His decision was based on saving lives both Americans and Japanese and not based on racial prejudice. President Truman and his cabinet although not perfect were honorable men. It is incomprehensible that racial hatred was the basis for dropping the bomb. I was there, I saw and talked to the people. The bomb saved me and my fellow soldiers and millions of Japanese. Takaki is dead wrong including those that said the bomb should not have been dropped. These are people who were not involved and based their conclusions on assumptions and had not read Ketsugo nor saw the fortifications and talked to the people.

This review is concise because of limitation on number of words; otherwise, it would have filled five pages.

81 of 109 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The War Could Have Ended Sooner, October 4, 2000

By 

Philip Greenspan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hiroshima: Why America Dropped the Atomic Bomb (Paperback)

Like other GIs I was delighted when I heard the news of the atomic bombing of Japan. Within a year or so several articles appeared that described the deaths and sufferings of the innocent Japanese civilians in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These articles caused many people to have second thoughts as to the wisdom of the decision. In the 70s I read Gar Alperovitz's book, "Atomic Diplomacy", and was convinced the bombing was a mistake. I was shocked by the Smithsonian controversy--an honest portrayal of both sides of the subject could not be shown. During the periods mentioned I was exposed to writers who discussed various aspects, pro and con, of the bombings.

Although I had previously read quite a bit on the subject, I decided to read "Hiroshima" because I wanted to refresh my knowledge of the bombing, I had read a most favorable review of the author, and the book was small--I could read it in a short time.

It was a good decision. The book packs a tremendous amount of pertinent information within its short length. Besides the decision itself it explores factors that might have influenced that decision. These would include: the desire for revenge of Pearl Harbor; to impress Russia and make her more manageable; the racism that existed in Truman and America and was exacerbated by the war; the masculinity factor of a new president who wished to show he was no wimp.

One gets to see that there was considerable disagreement before and after the bombing as to the wisdom of the decision. The dissenters were not a bunch of revisionist historians but many prominent Americans in the military, government, science and the media. The names include Generals Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas McArthur and Admiral William Leahy-many who would be considered conservatives if they were alive today. We can not return to the past to alter that decision, We can only speculate as to what might have occurred. There is evidence that had the Japanese been offered the peace terms that were eventually given them-maintaining the emperor instead of unconditional surrender-THE WAR COULD HAVE ENDED SOONER THAN IT DID. It was unconscionable not to have at least given the Japanese the option to accept an offer of peace--on the terms we subsequently accepted--before considering using the bomb.

If your knowledge of this historic event is limited and you desire to get an overall view of this tragedy read this book.

35 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real eye-opener, April 29, 2002

By 

Zack Davisson "japanreviewed" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hiroshima: Why America Dropped the Atomic Bomb (Paperback)

Like many people, I managed to exist my formal schooling knowing very little about the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In preparation for an extended trip to Japan, I wanted to learn a little more about this important event.

Ronald Takaki does an excellent job encapsulating the political climate in the U.S., Japan and Russia of 1945. The death of Roosevelt and the elevation of Truman to the presidency had a profound impact on world events. These presidents had different philosophies concerning the use of atomic weapons, and the world might be a very different place had Roosevelt lived to see the end of the war. Truman and Stalin provided a smooth transition from World War II to the beginnings of the Cold War.

Ultimately, I left "Hiroshima : Why America Dropped the Atomic Bomb" with a better understanding and appreciation of why America decided to use atomic weapons against Japan. Takaki provides motivations for most of the key players, along with supporting evidence. The book is extremely readable, and was as captivating as any novel.

Whether or not dropping the bomb was "good" or "bad" is left up to the reader. Honestly, I have yet to decide.