Committee was created to answer all questions in all aspects. (Morton, 1957, p.336-337) The
decision of whether to use the atomic bomb or not was not one that came easily. Two overriding
considerations were the saving of lives in the war, and the effect of our actions on the stability of
the postwar world. (Morton, 1957, p.338) Japan was not going to surrender without a fight. In
April 1945 the Japanese military was planning for homeland defense. Their primary goals were
Project 2
3
to not to defeat American forces, but to raise the price of conquering Japanese territory, that the
American society would be against. (Pape, 1993, 173-174) President Truman’s decision to use
the atomic bomb was not final until after the rejection of the Potsdam Proclamation on Jul 28
th
,
1945. (Pape,1993, p.165)
Primary Sources
:
Laurence, W. L; (1945) Eyewitness Account of Atomic Bomb Over Nagasaki. Retrieved from
United States strategic bombing survey: Japan’s Struggle to end the war, July 1, 1946. Retrieved
from
s/index.php?
documentdate=19460701&documentid=68&studycollectionid=abomb&pagenumbe
r=1
Morton mentions a squadron of B-29 bombers that were trained in the delivery of the
atomic bomb. This secondary source relates to my primary source by William Laurence which is
a first-hand account of being on one of the B-29 Super forts that was involved in the dropping of
the bomb over Nagasaki. Having several chosen targets, one of these being the great industrial
