Were the Atomic Bombs Necessar
Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man. -Catechism of the Catholic Church. Since June 1940 tension had been mounting between America and Japan. The Axis Power, Germany and Italy, made strides into Europe while Japan had military interests in East Asia. As the Japanese army marched into China and then into Vietnam, the United States grew increasingly uncomfortable. In retaliation, the United States. clamped a trade embargo (including one regarding oil-shipment) on Japan in July 1941. Besides, all Japanese assets in the United States were frozen. Japan and the United States tried to come to an agreement. On November 5, 1941, Japan offered a plan to solve the crisis, but the American Secretary of State, Hull rejected the plan. The Americans would only accept an unconditional surrender under American terms. This frightened Japanese leaders because their biggest fear was losing their Emperor. As a result of the rejection, the Japanese responded in December 1941, when they attacked United States base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and launched other surprise attacks against Allied territories in the
When Germany collapsed the Allied attacks on the Japanese homelands were becoming disastrous. By examining the alternatives that existed; a conditional surrender, a combined assault or a demonstration of the powerful weapon, one will understand why dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was unjustified. However, the Declaration did mention that "the alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction". Also, it was stated in the Potsdam Declaration that, unconditional surrender would result in the "destruction" of the state and "ruin" of the Japanese race. After considering what the remarkable weapon could do to what was left of the Japanese state, it is very clear that the Japanese would have surrendered to the Americans. He wrote a colleague, on the topic of warning the Japanese. They also feared prisoners of war would be moved into the target zone. The state of Japan would have surrendered immediately following a demonstration, if one had been planned. In addition, the proclamation made statements that, to the Japanese, could appear threatening to the Emperor: "There must be eliminated for all time the authority and influence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on world conquest" and "stern justice shall be meted out to all war criminals" . In that event, he foresaw that it would be difficult to get any relaxation for the demand for unconditional surrender. This atomic bomb, the equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT, flattened the city, killing tens of thousands of civilians. The absence of any assurance regarding the Emperor's fate became Japan's chief objection to the Potsdam Proclamation .
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