Concomitant with President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima, Japan, a new poll released by CBS finds that more Americans disapprove than approve of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. Those bombs effectively precipitated Japan’s surrender in World War II and obviated the need for an Allied invasion of Japan, which would have caused Allied casualties estimated at 500,000 by President Harry Truman, 1,000,000 by Secretary of War Henry Stimson, and 1,500,000 by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
The CBS poll found that 43% of Americans now disapprove of the use of the bombs; 43 approve. That is a significant change from the recent past; in July 2005 Gallup found 57% of Americans approved of the action; 38% disapproved. In 1995 59% of Americans approved; 35% disapproved. In 1990, 53% of Americans approved, 41% disapproved.
In the current poll, 58% of men approved; 28% of women; 49% of whites, 24% of non-whites; 60% of Republicans, 32% of Democrats; 37% of those ages 18-44, 42% of those ages 45-54, 49% of those ages 55-64, and 50% of those 65 and up.
Despite the repeated bombing of Japanese cities, including the bombing of Tokyo in March 1945 which reportedly killed roughly 100,000 people, the Japanese government refused to surrender. Over a period of months, Allied forces dropped over 63 million leaflets across Japan warning civilians of air raids.
Still, Japan would not surrender. On July 16, the atomic bomb was successfully tested in the Trinity Test. Knowing the power that was available to be wielded, on July 26, 1945, in the Potsdam Declaration, two and a half months after Nazi German had surrendered, the U.S. called for the unconditional surrender of Japan. The Declaration read:
The Japanese Government shall remove all obstacles to the revival and strengthening of democratic tendencies among the Japanese people. Freedom of speech, of religion, and of thought, as well as respect for the fundamental human rights shall be established … The occupying forces of the Allies shall be withdrawn from Japan as soon as these objectives have been accomplished and there has been established, in accordance with the freely expressed will of the Japanese people, a peacefully inclined and responsible government.
The Declaration concluded, “We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction.”
This, too, was ignored.
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