Most people in the United States are thankful for the atomic bombs that they believe brought an end to the Second World War. If Americans had known what was going on behind the scenes, perhaps they might have felt differently about the use of these weapons. The Second World War had to be prolonged so that the world could witness the power of the newly developed bombs. The Emperor of Japan sent a request for surrender to the Potsdam Conference in Berlin. If doors had opened then for diplomacy and negotiation, thousands of American deaths between July 16th and August 14th, 1945 when the Japanese finally capitulated, could have been avoided. The United States citizens are being told to this day that by using these bombs countless American lives were saved.

The following passages are taken from a book available in the Library of Congress, Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, The Conference of Berlin, (The Potsdam Conference), 1945, (In Two Volumes).

Page 875
No. 582
761.94/7-2145:Telegram
The Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs (Togo) to the Japanese Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Sato)
SECRET
URGENT

"Not having seen the telegram regarding the meeting with Molotov, I feel as though I am sending troops out without sufficient reconnaissance. Much as I dislike doing so, I find I must proceed at this time and would like to have you convey to the Soviet side before the Three-Power Conference begins the matter concerning the Imperial wishes for the termination of the war. The substance of the following should be borne in mind as appropriate in your direct explanation to Molotov:

“His Majesty the Emperor is greatly concerned over the daily increasing calamities and sacrifices faced by the citizens of the various belligerent countries in this present war, and it is His Majesty’s heart’s desire to see the swift termination of the war. In the Greater East Asia War, however, as long as America and England insist on unconditional surrender, our country has no alternative but to see it through in an all-out effort for the sake of survival and the honor of the homeland. The resulting enormous bloodshed of the citizens of the belligerent powers would indeed be contrary to His Majesty’s desires, and so it is His Majesty’s earnest hope that peace may be restored as speedily as possible for the welfare of mankind.

“The above imperial wishes are rooted not only in His Majesty’s benevolence toward his subjects but in his sincere desire for the happiness of mankind, and he intends to dispatch Prince Fuminaro Konoye as special envoy and his suite. (The list of members of the special envoy’s suite will be cabled later.) Furthermore, though it is not possible for the special envoy to reach Moscow before the Russian authorities leave there for the Three-Power-Conference, arrangements must be made so that the special envoy may meet them as soon as they return to Moscow. It is desired therefore that the special envoy and his suite make the trip by plane. You will request the Soviet Government to send an airplane for them as far as Manchoouli or Tsitshar.”

Truman and his advisors were aware of the above request by Emperor Hirohito on July 16th at the Potsdam Conference. This summit between Truman, Churchill, and Stalin was convened to divide up the spoils of the war in Europe and determine the fate of Japan. On that day, now known as "Trinity Day", Truman was passed a note at the conference table that said, "It's a boy". This was the code that indicated that the secret new weapon, the plutonium bomb, just tested at dawn at the Trinity Site in the white sands of Alamagordo, New Mexico, had been a success. This newfound source of military power determined the outcome of the summit. Truman knew that fear of the devastation caused by atomic weapons would give the United States the military supremacy of the world, and thus he made few compromises at this Conference. Unlike what the popular news of the day espoused, the bombs dropped on Japan did not save American lives. The Japanese had been brought to their knees and were an utterly defeated nation on the verge of starvation. The unconditional surrender that the US Government demanded was for the Japanese to give up their Emperor, the religious figurehead of their culture - like demanding that Catholics turn their Pope over to an enemy.

The Japanese people believe that their Emperor is a direct descendent of the Goddess Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun. This is a core belief of their Shinto religion. Knowing that the Japanese could never give over their deity to the enemy, and accept such terms for a surrender, the US forced them to fight with even greater venom to the bitter end. Many ships were sunk by kamakazi pilots between July 16th and August 14th when the Japanese capitulated and accepted the terms of the unconditional surrender. Two atomic bombs had destroyed the cities of Hiroshima on August 6th and Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945. These atomic bombs did bring an end to the Second World War, but it was not necessary to use them to achieve this result. The real reason that these bombs were used was to show the world, primarily Russia, the devastating effects of these weapons. Fat Man and Little Boy, as these weapons were called, were really the first shots of the Cold War between Russia and the United States.

The following quote made in a public statement by Admiral William Leahy, the Nation's highest military leader, mirrors the public statements of many other of the most prominent military leaders, including Dwight D. Eisenhower.

“It is my opinion that the use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender...

“My own feeling was that in being the first to use it, we had adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make war in that fashion, and war cannot be won by destroying women and children..."

Fifty years after these war atrocities were committed, the entire story of what was going on behind the scenes became available for the asking. Highly credentialed and respected historian Gar Alperovitz has written, The Decision to use the Atomic Bomb, a comprehensive and definitive history of the motivations behind the use of these weapons.