Very possible that the US Govt wanted to test out their new Atomic weapons...Some of which they received from Germany.
The history regarding US receipt of enriched Uranium and infra-red proximity fuses via U-Boat U-234 after the German surrender is pretty well settled in Carter Heydrick's excellent book "Critical Mass". This enabled production of a bomb 6 or so months sooner than originally projected.
However more recent historical works suggest that "Fat Man" - the Uranium bomb dropped on Hiroshima (the 2nd bomb "Little Boy" dropped on Nagasaki, was a Plutonium bomb) could have actually been a captured German produced weapon. See Todd Riders "Hidden Creators" for more on this.
Especially if this is the case, I can see the CIC and OSS ( intel agencies before formation of CIA) insisting on using these weapons at any pretext, to get more info on their performance. Nasty people!
Further regarding Japan, I have read a few accounts of US military cruelty to the Japanese- things like troops pulling gold teeth out of the mouths of still living Japanese soldiers, not allowing surrenders, taking heads as trophies etc. etc. E.B. Sledge's "Withe The Old Breed" talks about this.
It strikes me that this story is very much the same as everywhere else..Japan had regular people, and regime people. In Japan , I think the regime people where especially bad, with little to no respect for human life (Unit 731, rape of Nanking, etc.).
I am not convinced dropping atomic bombs was necessary. In fact, I'm not even sure the invasion of Okinawa was necessary. On the flip-side though, it is likely we are STILL not privvy to the whole situation. With the info that is coming out regarding the German bomb (and other secret weapons) programs, it explains why Pattons 3rd army did not drive towards Berlin- they were scooping up tech programs and scientists instead.
Robert Wilcox, in "Japan's Secret War" claims the Japanese tested an atomic bomb off the coast of what is now North Korea hours before the Russians swooped in and took the area. If that is true, and there was concern about a Japanese bomb, that could explain why the US would bomb Japan- trying to end the war before the Japanese could operationalize an atomic weapon.
Very possible that the US Govt wanted to test out their new Atomic weapons...Some of which they received from Germany.
The history regarding US receipt of enriched Uranium and infra-red proximity fuses via U-Boat U-234 after the German surrender is pretty well settled in Carter Heydrick's excellent book "Critical Mass". This enabled production of a bomb 6 or so months sooner than originally projected.
However more recent historical works suggest that "Fat Man" - the Uranium bomb dropped on Hiroshima (the 2nd bomb "Little Boy" dropped on Nagasaki, was a Plutonium bomb) could have actually been a captured German produced weapon. See Todd Riders "Hidden Creators" for more on this.
Especially if this is the case, I can see the CIC and OSS ( intel agencies before formation of CIA) insisting on using these weapons at any pretext, to get more info on their performance. Nasty people!
Very possible that the US Govt wanted to test out their new Atomic weapons...Some of which they received from Germany.
The history regarding US receipt of enriched Uranium and infra-red proximity fuses via U-Boat U-234 after the German surrender is pretty well settled in Carter Heydrick's excellent book "Critical Mass". This enabled production of a bomb 6 ot so months sooner than originally projected.
However more recent historical works suggest that "Fat Man" - the Uranium bomb dropped on Hiroshima (the 2nd bomb "Little Boy" dropped on Nagasaki, was a Plutonium bomb) could have actually been a captured German produced weapon. See Todd Riders "Hidden Creators" for more on this.
Especially if this is the case, I can see the CIC and OSS ( intel agencies before formation of CIA) insisting on using these weapons at any pretext, to get more info on their performance. Nasty people!