bombardment, 1945

Collection of photographs from the bombing of Nagasaki on August 10, 1945 taken by then unknown Japanese photographer Yosuke Yamahata.

Chronicles the life of Sadako Sasaki, a young Japanese girl who, after the bombing of Hiroshima, turned the paper crane into a symbol of peace, before dying of A-bomb disease at age twelve.

On the final night of World War II with Japan, Emperor Hirohito had already finished the Imperial Rescript of surrender when a band of Japanese rebels burst into the Imperial Palace, commanded by War Minister Anami's elite staff. They had plotted a massive coup that aimed to destroy the surrender papers and issue orders to continue the war. If this rebellion had succeeded, the military would have proceeded with large-scale kamikaze attacks on allied forces. Meanwhile B-29B crewmen had received urgent orders to begin a bombing mission over Japan's sole remaining oil refinery north of Tokyo. The mission was successfully completed. A few hours later the emperor announced Japan's surrender over Japanese airwaves.

Provides an account of the three weeks leading up to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945 as experienced by American servicemen, Japanese soldiers and civilians, and scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project.

Examines various issues surrounding the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan, including the ethical and political impact on America, official statements from the U.S. government about the event, and a portrait of Harry Truman who made the decision.

Bibliography: p. 121-122. A volume of poetry based on the testimony of survivors of the Hiroshima bombing.