General George C. Marshall and the Atomic Bomb by Frank Settle

Author:Frank Settle
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781440842856
Publisher: ABC-CLIO
Published: 2016-04-29T21:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Japan’s Response to the Potsdam Declaration, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki

At the end of July 1945 the leaders of the governments of the United States and Japan remained deadlocked on the means of ending the war. Two immediate military options for the United States were a costly invasion or the continuation of the bombing and blockade. Japan’s choices were to seek terms of surrender that left the emperor on the throne with additional Allied concessions or to offer fierce resistance in hopes that the American public would weary of the war and accept surrender terms favorable to Japan. The atomic bomb and the Soviet Union’s entry into the war changed the options for both the United States and Japan (see Appendix D).

As a result of the successful Trinity test, U.S. leaders activated plans for dropping atomic bombs as they became available on the selected Japanese cities. Groves informed Marshall about preparations for the bombing missions. MAGIC intercepts of Japanese diplomatic and military communications indicated that the Japanese leaders remained divided on the means of ending the war. On July 25, the day before the issuance of the Potsdam Declaration, Marshall approved the missions for the atomic bombing of Japan (see Appendix C). The Japanese response would determine whether or not the missions went forward.

In late July and early August Marshall endured two periods of heightened anxiety. The first began with the Potsdam Declaration on July 26 and ended with Prime Minister Suzuki’s July 29 reply. The second was the interval from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6 until the Japanese acceptance of the Allies’ surrender terms on August 14. During the first period, Marshall hoped the Japanese would accept the surrender terms to quickly end the war. This would eliminate the planned invasion and use of the atomic bomb. After the atomic bombs were used, Marshall again anxiously awaited the second opportunity for Japan to surrender. He was not eager to order the invasion, which he felt would be necessary should Japan’s leaders choose to fight on.

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