Fascinating article on the decision to drop Atomic bombd on two Japanese cities at the end of World War II. Some newly released documents shed light on Truman’s thinking. Notable:


I’ve often wondered why we bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki three days apart, and then waited six days for Japan to surrender. If we were willing to wait six days, why drop two bombs? This article doesn’t speak to this, but does say that “no one expected (Hiroshima) to prompt a quick surrender.” Odd. I would think one nuclear bomb would prompt anyone to surrender.

UPDATE: Just read the wikipedia entry for the bombings. Because of the way wikipedia works (anyone can write and edit), the site does a tremendous job offering the arugments of both supporters and critics of the bombings. The article briefly mentions the point about the second bombing but doesn’t offer any insight. Apparently Kurt Vonnegut made the same observation, so I’ve got that going for me.