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Question: Why did the US drop the second atomic bomb (Fat Man) on Japan!?
3 days after the first atomic bomb (Little Boy) on Hiroshima, a second one was dropped on Nagasaki!. Why did the US decide to use the second bomb!? Was it because Japan refused to surrender!? If so, then why did the US not drop another one 3 days after the Nagasaki bomb!? The Nagasaki bomb was dropped on August 9, 1945, and five days later, Japan asked for an armistice (ceasefire)!. They did not surrender until Sept!. 2, 1945!.
PS!. Please no comments on how you think the bomb should NOT have been used!. That doesn't answer my question!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Some of the specific information remains shrouded in the remnants of wartime secrecy, but it seems:
Why a Second Bomb!?
Because the US felt it necessary to convince Japan that the first one was not a one-off, unrepeatable feat!. The power of the bomb was so unprecedented, and the engineering and physics so mysterious to people outside the Manhattan Project, that the Japanese might well have believed that the US had only successfully produced a single bomb!.
A single, bizarrely terrible event might be unique!. Two bizarrely terrible events create the highly rational fear that they will be followed by more!.
Why Not a Third Bomb!?
First, one point: the Japanese did not formally sign the instrument of surrender until Sept!. 2, 1945, but Japan decided to surrender shortly after Nagasaki, and announced this in mid-August, when hostilities effectively ceased!. It is very likely that the US did not have a third bomb ready to go in mid-August!.
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The initial ultimatum for the Japanese to surrender was issued on July 26th 1945 and did not mention the atomic bomb!. The Japanese rejected the ultimatum!. On August 6th the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima!. The japanese didn't immediately know or understand what had happened!. On August 8th the US began dropping leaflets on Japan warning about a second nuclear blast, these leaflets weren't dropped on the Nagasaki area until August 10th!. Between August 7th and 9th the Japanese government was considering the terms of surrender, meanwhile they were also dealing with a new development to their west as Russia declared war on Japan!. On August 9th the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki!. It was originally scheduled to be dropped on August 11th, but bad weather that was expected to move in on August 10th forced them to move their schedule up a couple of days!.
They didn't drop any more bombs because they didn't have any more bombs!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
The bomb dropped on Hiroshima, "Little Boy," was a uranium bomb!. The "Fat Man" bomb dropped later on Nagasaki was a plutonium bomb!.
Nuclear materials were very difficult to separate then!. The uranium for Little Boy and the bomb tested at White Sands had taken 18 months to prepare; the plutonium for Fat Man had taken an even greater effort in terms of manpower and technology and research!. I personally believe that Fat Man was dropped partly because there wasn't enough plutonium for both a test bomb and a bomb to use!.
The reason a third bomb wasn't dropped was because there wasn't one!. The U!.S!. was depending on the fear generated by the first two bombs to do the work of further actual weapons!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Fat Man was dropped on August 9th to "nudge" the Emperor towards surrender after they failed to surrender due to Little Boy!.
The REASON a third bomb wasn't dropped between August 12 and September 2 was simple: There WAS no third bomb ready !!
Gen!. Marshall had also decided to withhold any additional bombs (as they were completed) for use preceding Operation Downfall: the planned invasion of the Japanese Home Islands scheduled for November of 1945!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Quite simply:
First, one must examine the flow of information that actually existed for President Truman (May-September, 1945) and his closest advisors!. Second, be aware of the two most vexing problems for the president -- how to handle the Japanese surrender, and how to handle The Soviets stranglehold on Eastern Europe!. Third, because it had already been rationalized as the "right thing to do!."
1!.) It was determined that the Hirohito would not surrender after Little Man the first bomb, then 5 days later Fat Man was deployed!. That was clear!. Up to present, every written bit of information and every decoded message that had been sent thru wire has shown same as it unfolded!. Remember that determinism was not just an attitude!. Truman wanted the war ended, he said the cost in American lives was not worth ending it any other way!.
2!.) Before use of the bombs, Little man & Fat Boy, when Japan's surrender was not imminent, and the cost in lives and expenditure was not worth the continued theatre of war in The Pacific, then the bombs were dropped!. It was also thought that this act would show Stalin how the Soviets should be made aware that they should hesitate in further conquest of Eastern Europe!.
3!.) When notified of a surrender of Japan was made by Hirohito
it was rationalized then that it had been ",!.!.!.The right thing to do!."
No 3rd bomb was necessary and it already been rationalized so
thru many historians, although there are some debate as of late!.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION!. I HAD FUN RESEARCHING IT!.
CONSIDER:
Might not be true that the bombs saved 500,000-1,000,000 American lives!. It's now open to debate once again, every word, every sequence will be examined so be sure to look at source:Www@QuestionHome@Com