In the 1930’s, Japan was waging war.
Trying to expand their conquests,
Throughout the Pacific shores.
The United States became irate,
And blocked supplies and ended Japan’s take.
Japan in return, schemed and planned,
An attack on the United States land.
In 1941, December 7,
The first Japanese missiles
Rained down from the heavens.
In little more than an hour,
The damage was done.
The naval fleet was destroyed,
The Japanese thought they’d won.
They had no idea the battle had just begun.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Atomic Bombings
Prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Japan had begun their attempt to create an Asian empire. They seized Manchuria and moved into Indochina and were getting ready to attempt a take over in the Philippines and Malaya. Japan also had plans to seize smaller islands throughout the Pacific, such as Thailand, Borneo, Burma and the Marshall Islands. The reason behind Japan’s blatant plans for expanding their country’s rule was that the population was growing too large for the small islands of Japan; they lacked the resources and were importing nearly everything needed to support their economy. Because of their aggressive actions against these smaller nations, the United States imposed sanctions upon Japanese by not allowing the needed imports into Japan (Bard 130).
The Japanese attack on the American shores of Pearl Harbor came about due to Japan’s anger at the sanctions and the United States demand that they withdraw from China (Bard 130). The American President, Harry Truman, decided to retaliate and use the newly developed atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The thought at the time was that the United States attack on Japan was necessary in order to stop the Japanese from further expanding their conquest in the Pacific and any lesser action would not have sufficed. After researching the subject, I have come to disagree with this statement. Instead, it was unnecessary and unethical for the United States to use atomic weapons against a country that had been making attempts to surrender, whose naval fleets had already been destroyed, and who had no resources to conduct a full fledged war.
America did not exhaust all possible means for ending the war before launching those bombs. President Truman knew that the Japanese had been negotiating with Stalin and the Russians for months to help them negotiate an end to the war. The United States was aware of this because we had deciphered the Japanese codes (Freeman 2). Japan was in trouble at this time, their government was divided and their resources were diminished because they could not get supplies to their military due to the sanctions against them (Boyer 2).
The United States demanded total and unconditional surrender from Japan, but the Japanese wanted to keep their Emperor. They viewed their Emperor as a “divine being, a direct descendent of the goddess of the sun” (Raico 3). The Japanese people did not want to witness him tried as a war criminal and hanged.
Another often quoted reason for the need to drop the atomic bomb on the two Japanese cities was that is was crucial to save millions of American lives. However, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the allied Forces in Europe and future President of the United States stated that “Japan was already defeated and dropping those bombs was completely unnecessary” (Freeman 1). Even Chief of Staff to President Truman, Admiral William D. Leahy said that “the use of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan; the Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender” (Freeman 2).
Ethically America could not justify the retaliation against 200,000 innocent men, women and children. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, a military base; we destroyed two cities full of innocent civilians. Our President tried to argue that the Japanese military was violent and brutal and therefore so was the entire country. Propaganda films were shown in theaters all over the United States that encouraged prejudice and racial hatred against the Japanese to help sway the American people to agree (Raico 1).
Even though Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor, killing over 2000 people and nearly destroyed our entire Navel fleet, the United States should not have used the atomic bomb on innocent people in retaliation. This was unethical because no matter how devastating an attack on our country was, it does not call for the destruction and deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.
Sources:
Bard, Mitchell. World War II. Penguin Group: New York. 2004.
Boyer, Paul S. “Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity-Hiroshima.” Enotes. 11 Dec.
2008.
Freeman, Robert. “Was the Atomic Bombing of Japan Necessary?” Newscenter. 08 Dec.
2008. http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0806-25.htm.
Raico, Ralph. “Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” Ludwig von Mises Institute. 06 Aug. 2004.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/raico22.html.
The Japanese attack on the American shores of Pearl Harbor came about due to Japan’s anger at the sanctions and the United States demand that they withdraw from China (Bard 130). The American President, Harry Truman, decided to retaliate and use the newly developed atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The thought at the time was that the United States attack on Japan was necessary in order to stop the Japanese from further expanding their conquest in the Pacific and any lesser action would not have sufficed. After researching the subject, I have come to disagree with this statement. Instead, it was unnecessary and unethical for the United States to use atomic weapons against a country that had been making attempts to surrender, whose naval fleets had already been destroyed, and who had no resources to conduct a full fledged war.
America did not exhaust all possible means for ending the war before launching those bombs. President Truman knew that the Japanese had been negotiating with Stalin and the Russians for months to help them negotiate an end to the war. The United States was aware of this because we had deciphered the Japanese codes (Freeman 2). Japan was in trouble at this time, their government was divided and their resources were diminished because they could not get supplies to their military due to the sanctions against them (Boyer 2).
The United States demanded total and unconditional surrender from Japan, but the Japanese wanted to keep their Emperor. They viewed their Emperor as a “divine being, a direct descendent of the goddess of the sun” (Raico 3). The Japanese people did not want to witness him tried as a war criminal and hanged.
Another often quoted reason for the need to drop the atomic bomb on the two Japanese cities was that is was crucial to save millions of American lives. However, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the allied Forces in Europe and future President of the United States stated that “Japan was already defeated and dropping those bombs was completely unnecessary” (Freeman 1). Even Chief of Staff to President Truman, Admiral William D. Leahy said that “the use of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan; the Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender” (Freeman 2).
Ethically America could not justify the retaliation against 200,000 innocent men, women and children. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, a military base; we destroyed two cities full of innocent civilians. Our President tried to argue that the Japanese military was violent and brutal and therefore so was the entire country. Propaganda films were shown in theaters all over the United States that encouraged prejudice and racial hatred against the Japanese to help sway the American people to agree (Raico 1).
Even though Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor, killing over 2000 people and nearly destroyed our entire Navel fleet, the United States should not have used the atomic bomb on innocent people in retaliation. This was unethical because no matter how devastating an attack on our country was, it does not call for the destruction and deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.
Sources:
Bard, Mitchell. World War II. Penguin Group: New York. 2004.
Boyer, Paul S. “Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity-Hiroshima.” Enotes. 11 Dec.
2008.
Freeman, Robert. “Was the Atomic Bombing of Japan Necessary?” Newscenter. 08 Dec.
2008. http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0806-25.htm.
Raico, Ralph. “Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” Ludwig von Mises Institute. 06 Aug. 2004.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/raico22.html.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Annotated Bibliography
Bard, Mitchell. World War II. New York: Alpha Books, 2004.
This book offers a significant amount of information on the events that led up to the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan and the United State’s reaction to the attack and their entrance into WWII.
There is a great deal of background detail presented which is helpful to someone who is searching for the cause or the events prior to Pearl Harbor. This source is very reliable and is unbiased. The section on Pearl Harbor gives both sides of the story, telling about some of the early warnings and how the government ignored them.
I used this source to assist in my research because it had accurate figures of damage done to the United States Navel fleet and deaths. It has not changed the way I feel about my topic, it has reinforced my feeling that our government knew the Japanese were planning this attack.
“Timeline Pearl Harbor.” Pearl Harbor Remembered. Pearl Harbor Survivors
Association. 25 Jan. 2005.
The website offers a minute by minute account of December 7, 1941, the day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The account begins at 3:42 AM when a periscope is spotted in Honolulu Harbor.
This source is very reliable as the timeline is written from military documents that were recorded at the times the events occurred. It is unbiased, just tells the facts of the day as they happened.
This document did not help me much with my research other than to confirm the schedule of the day’s events.
Willey, Mark. Pearl Harbor Mother of All Conspiracies. 19 Jan. 2005.
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/6315/pearl.html.
The website “Pearl Harbor- Mother of All Conspiracies” is the epitome of an effective website for those individuals who believe in a conspiracy surrounding Pearl Harbor. This website, created by the author, Mark Willey, contains an excerpt from the first chapter of his book, Mother of Conspiracies. The author’s statements are credible and accurate. He quotes from public documents from the Navy Court of Inquiry, the Army Board Report and the Joint Congressional Committee Report. Although Mark Willey’s writing is credible, and he utilizes trustworthy sources for his information, the author is biased. Mr. Willey is adamant that there was a conspiracy between the United States government and Pearl Harbor. He does not speak about both sides of the issue. This website helped in my research because I agree that there was a conspiracy.
Lord, Walter. Day of Infamy. New York. Henry Holt and Company, 1985.
The main point of this book is to tell the story of the day of the Pearl Harbor attack. Mr. Lord tells the account of December 7, 1941 by using first hand accounts from soldiers and laymen that were present in Pearl Harbor that day.
This book is a very reliable source since the author uses direct quotes from men and women present and he lists the contributors at the end of the book. I believe this book is objective and unbiased. Mr. Lord just wants to tell the story of that day.
Day of Infamy has been helpful to me in my research because it gives an honest description of that day from people who were actually present and involved in the attack. It has not changed my mind about the events of Pearl Harbor; it has just confirmed the events of that day.
Persico, Joseph. Roosevelt’s Secret War. New York: Random House, 2001.
The topic of Roosevelt’s Secret War is the disclosure of how President Roosevelt led the United States into World War II without the general public realizing this was what was happening. This book covers the entire WWII years, and what and when the President knew certain facts about coming events like the Holocaust and Pearl Harbor. The book is very clear that President Roosevelt was deceptive and misleading to the American people.
It was a useful source for me because it was further proof of my belief that the U.S. government knew that Pearl Harbor was going to be attacked by the Japanese and that our President had a part in concealing that knowledge. Roosevelt’s Secret War is accurate and objective and the author used sources close to the president and documents from the Library of Congress and they are cited in the back of the book.
This book was again a help to me to formulate my thoughts on the conspiracy surrounding Pearl Harbor.
Prange, Gordon. Pearl Harbor. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 1986.
Pearl Harbor is a sequel to another book I used, called At Dawn We Slept.
Pearl Harbor goes more into depth about the conspiracy and warnings given to our government about what Japan was planning.
Mr. Prange worked on this book for 37 years and he interviewed every surviving Japanese officer who was part of the Pearl Harbor plan and attack as well as every other U.S. source that he could find.
This book was a good resource for me because it further added to my beliefs that our government knew in advance that the Japanese were going to attack us and they did nothing to stop it from happening.
This book offers a significant amount of information on the events that led up to the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan and the United State’s reaction to the attack and their entrance into WWII.
There is a great deal of background detail presented which is helpful to someone who is searching for the cause or the events prior to Pearl Harbor. This source is very reliable and is unbiased. The section on Pearl Harbor gives both sides of the story, telling about some of the early warnings and how the government ignored them.
I used this source to assist in my research because it had accurate figures of damage done to the United States Navel fleet and deaths. It has not changed the way I feel about my topic, it has reinforced my feeling that our government knew the Japanese were planning this attack.
“Timeline Pearl Harbor.” Pearl Harbor Remembered. Pearl Harbor Survivors
Association. 25 Jan. 2005.
The website offers a minute by minute account of December 7, 1941, the day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The account begins at 3:42 AM when a periscope is spotted in Honolulu Harbor.
This source is very reliable as the timeline is written from military documents that were recorded at the times the events occurred. It is unbiased, just tells the facts of the day as they happened.
This document did not help me much with my research other than to confirm the schedule of the day’s events.
Willey, Mark. Pearl Harbor Mother of All Conspiracies. 19 Jan. 2005.
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/6315/pearl.html.
The website “Pearl Harbor- Mother of All Conspiracies” is the epitome of an effective website for those individuals who believe in a conspiracy surrounding Pearl Harbor. This website, created by the author, Mark Willey, contains an excerpt from the first chapter of his book, Mother of Conspiracies. The author’s statements are credible and accurate. He quotes from public documents from the Navy Court of Inquiry, the Army Board Report and the Joint Congressional Committee Report. Although Mark Willey’s writing is credible, and he utilizes trustworthy sources for his information, the author is biased. Mr. Willey is adamant that there was a conspiracy between the United States government and Pearl Harbor. He does not speak about both sides of the issue. This website helped in my research because I agree that there was a conspiracy.
Lord, Walter. Day of Infamy. New York. Henry Holt and Company, 1985.
The main point of this book is to tell the story of the day of the Pearl Harbor attack. Mr. Lord tells the account of December 7, 1941 by using first hand accounts from soldiers and laymen that were present in Pearl Harbor that day.
This book is a very reliable source since the author uses direct quotes from men and women present and he lists the contributors at the end of the book. I believe this book is objective and unbiased. Mr. Lord just wants to tell the story of that day.
Day of Infamy has been helpful to me in my research because it gives an honest description of that day from people who were actually present and involved in the attack. It has not changed my mind about the events of Pearl Harbor; it has just confirmed the events of that day.
Persico, Joseph. Roosevelt’s Secret War. New York: Random House, 2001.
The topic of Roosevelt’s Secret War is the disclosure of how President Roosevelt led the United States into World War II without the general public realizing this was what was happening. This book covers the entire WWII years, and what and when the President knew certain facts about coming events like the Holocaust and Pearl Harbor. The book is very clear that President Roosevelt was deceptive and misleading to the American people.
It was a useful source for me because it was further proof of my belief that the U.S. government knew that Pearl Harbor was going to be attacked by the Japanese and that our President had a part in concealing that knowledge. Roosevelt’s Secret War is accurate and objective and the author used sources close to the president and documents from the Library of Congress and they are cited in the back of the book.
This book was again a help to me to formulate my thoughts on the conspiracy surrounding Pearl Harbor.
Prange, Gordon. Pearl Harbor. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 1986.
Pearl Harbor is a sequel to another book I used, called At Dawn We Slept.
Pearl Harbor goes more into depth about the conspiracy and warnings given to our government about what Japan was planning.
Mr. Prange worked on this book for 37 years and he interviewed every surviving Japanese officer who was part of the Pearl Harbor plan and attack as well as every other U.S. source that he could find.
This book was a good resource for me because it further added to my beliefs that our government knew in advance that the Japanese were going to attack us and they did nothing to stop it from happening.
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