“Unconditional Surrender” and the Atom Bomb  

Surrender of a Japanese Army in Thaton, Burma (now Myanmar). Licenses by Creative Commons.

The bombing of civilians in Ukraine and talk of tactical nuclear weapons puts us in mind of the original atom bomb, dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945.

This is the second of my three posts attempting to think freshly about the factors that led Harry Truman to choose to detonate that devastating weapon. My first post dealt with Truman’s unfamiliarity with a job held by his predecessor for 16 years and his ignorance of the Manhattan Project.

This post will look at the role, if any, played by “unconditional surrender.”

A country that surrenders unconditionally cannot expect any rights (other than those required by international conventions) or for its government to continue. The victor calls the shots. There is no negotiation.

It has a strange (and troubling) history in World War II, especially with respect to Japan. Continue reading ““Unconditional Surrender” and the Atom Bomb  “