Perspectives

US Opinions: Then and Now
Right after the bombing of Hiroshima, most people in the US believed that the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were justified. These people were told that if the US did not drop the atomic bomb, they would’ve had to invade Japan, costing countless US lives. Americans also did not have details about the effects of the bomb and the great tragedy it caused. In addition, people in America were very racially profiled against the Japanese, so many US citizens believed that the Japanese deserved the great destruction. 

 

 

"I would say this... I think what these people have, they just got a good thermal burn, that's what it is. A lot of these people, first of all they don't notice it much. You may get burned and you may have a little redness, but in a couple of days you may have a big blister or a sloughing of the skin, and I think that is what these people have."

 

- Lieutenant Colonel Rea

 

 

Messages like these were what the American public heard in the 40s and 50s regarding the damage of the atomic bomb, when in reality people were dying and suffering. This tragedy of Japan was severely understated.

 

In more recent surveys, opinions seem to have shifted. The percentage of people in America who approved of the atomic bomb in 2005 dropped 28% from 1945. Now, people are more exposed to the full effects of the bomb and are at horror to the great tragedy that it brought to the Japanese. Many also believe that Japan was soon to be defeated and the bombings were completely unnecessary.  Although most people still think that the bombings of Japan were justified, less people do than in the 1900's. Some people even say that the droppings of the bombs were not what caused Japan to surrender because the many fire bombings of Japan had caused more civilian deaths and injuries than the atomic bomb. Though people now have more knowledge regarding the bomb, controversy exists to this day.

 

One example of this is Enola Gay Smithsonian Exhibition. Parts of the original proposed exhibit were supposed to show the extensive damage of the bomb on the Japanese people. But, due the external pressure from veteran groups, the Smithsonian changed the exhibit to exclude most of the legacy of the bomb section, as well as photos and artifacts from the bombing; and decided to include more information on Japanese war crimes. In the end, the exhibit was replaced with the fuselage of Enola Gay, along with minimal historical context. 

 

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Japan's Triumph

Some might even argue that the dropping of the atomic bomb was a triumph for Japan because the bombing resulted in the countries surrender and transition into a democracy. As mentioned in Legacy, Japan's transition into a capitalist, democratic system allowed it to grow rapidly economically and become a very wealthy and prosperous nation. Japan's prosperity has also allowed them to develop and invent, which have greatly influenced the world such as the DVD, the electronic calculator, and the Shinkansen(Bullet Train).