Hiroshima Nagasaki: The Real Story of the Atomic Bombings and Their Aftermath Hardcover – August 5, 2014

When people ask me if the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were justified, I tell them that in no uncertain terms it was not, and if they scoff, I direct them to this book. Using a combination of personal accounts from those left alive in the minutes, hours, and days after each bomb was dropped, to objective historical archives documenting Japanese leadership response to the bombings Paul Ham puts to rest, once and for all, any notion that the atomic bombings were necessary and justified.In recounting personal accounts from the survivors of the bombs Paul Ham first shows the extreme and apocalyptic nature of the bombs. The sobering(and, admittedly, awe-inspiring) concept of a single bomb, dropped from a single plane, erasing miles of city and thousands of lives in one blinding flash. Survivors contended with the usual aftermath of a bombing: fires, ruins, lacerations and blunt wounds from glass and debris, trapped dead and dying. What's lesser known is the other effects the bombs had. In one particular moment, Paul Ham recounts the story of a survivor giving another survivor water, only for them to immediately die. The unfathomable heat from the bombs rendered countless people cripplingly dehydrated, to the point that ingesting water induced a kind of a system shock that killed them. Unable to rehydrate, these people languished and suffered in agony for days as they died from dehydration, or became so desperate for water that they ran into rivers and died. These accounts appeal to the reader's morality, their sense of justice and empathy, and implores the reader to consider the abject suffering of those fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, enough to have survived such a horrific weapon.In exploring the state archives of the Imperial Japanese government, Paul Ham goes on to demonstrate the empire's official response to the bombings, and it is here that the crux of the bombings' justification comes into question. For months the more rational in the Japanese government contended with the die-hard bitter-enders, who would not relent if even a single Japanese person still existed. In the weeks leading up to the bombings, Japanese military leadership and the Emperor discussed the merits of fighting on versus surrendering. August 6th, 1945, was one day in which such a meeting was held. During discussions, a messenger was let into the room and informed the hierarchy of the bombing. His message was acknowledged, and he was sent on his way. On August 9th, a second messenger arrived with news of the second bombing. His message was acknowledged, and he too was sent on his way. In both meetings the Japanese military leaders and Emperor responded to the news of thousands of people dying in an instant to one bomb with only a nod. When each messenger left, their conversations and debates turned to a single subject: the Soviet Union. The state archives that Paul Ham draws upon to tell the tale demonstrate, in bold and clear terms, that the Japanese leadership didn't pay attention to a single atom of those bombs, and instead were more deeply concerned and terrified of an imminent Soviet invasion. In the face of losing their emperor, their culture, and their way of life to Stalin's iron fist the Empire of Japan surrendered. In their eyes, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were just two more cities added to the list of those bombed into ashes by the U.S.If you've ever been asked, or ever asked yourself, whether Hiroshima and Nagasaki truly deserved their fate, you need only consult this book.

As an addition to the recent flurry of books dealing with the Second World War, comes now Paul Ham's very fine book 'Hiroshima Nagasaki' dealing with the nuclear bombing of two defenseless Japanese cities.It puts lie to the claims that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought the war to an end and saved the lives of countless Americans and Japanese that would have occurred during an invasion. The invasion had been shelved beforehand anyway. Japan was already defeated, and the government was frantically seeking a surrender with honor (read, retention of the emperor, which happened anyway for military reasons - the emperor was necessary to order the military to lay down their weapons). The hard liners in the government were unconcerned about the destruction of a further two cities (what's 2 extra cities added to the 60 plus cities already destroyed by firebombing?). At the inner cabinet meeting on August 9, when informed of the bombing of Nagasaki, there was little reaction, the cabinet immediately returning to the topic of concern; the Soviet invasion of Japanese held Manchuria, which was the true factor causing Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Proclamation.Hiroshima was possibly justifiable. Maybe. Perhaps. Nagasaki was a clear war crime. A definite war crime discussed in the book was the use of the victims of the bombing, particularly in Hiroshima, as objects of medical study, to document the effects of radiation, without providing any real medical assistance, leaving it to the overworked and inadequate Japanese system (shades of Tuskagee).To give Pope Pius XII his due, he was one of the first, if not the first, public figures to condemn the nuclear bombing, and it's also to the credit of many American clergy that they also condemned it. It's ironic that only a few years later, some members of the American clergy (not the same ones) were calling for nuclear bombing during the Korean War, with Moscow being the first target. The difference perhaps being that the Soviets were godless communists, whereas the Japanese believed in at least some sort of deity?One slight quibble; the firebombing of Dresden in February 1945 didn't kill 100,000. The true figure based on recent research is 25-35,000.

Excellent book, for history lovers that want the facts, not its multiple versions. It dives into the details of the bombing, including the entire political stage of the post Potsdam Conference, with a strong ethical view - and critics - of those who were directly involved in the decision process of dropping the bomb, both directly (politicians and military) and indirectly (scientists). Details of the suffering of population, with dramatic personal stories, are of tremendous human value. If you want to have a critical view of this tragic event, with no political tendencies, this is the book. As side stories, it was enlightening to learn the role of Stalin in this process, the less known invasions of Manchuria, the naive view of Truman that it would take years for other countries to develop the bomb, the cultural aspects that guided the military rulers from Japan to support the ruthless kill of their own population, and Hiroito's involvement in the peace negotiations. Although the author leaves no doubt about his opinion on dropping the bomb on civilian population, he provides enough evidence of the facts that supports his thinking. Very insightful his considerations about those "peaceful" scientists, like Szilard, who notoriously opposed to drop the bomb in Japan, but was in favor of doing it in Germany. For humanists like me, it is very convincing.

I am half way through this book and cannot put it down. So far it is very well written, full of factual information and yet also horrifyingly cold at times when I would not be able to contain my own views. The historical facts of the dropping of these bombs has been discussed many times, but this account is one of the more easy to read. There is no shying away from the fact that so many died with the dropping of these weapons and this author does not sugar coat this aspect of the story.There are details included here that I did not previously know and this adds to the horror of the eventual bombings. I could wait until I finished the book to review it, but I very much doubt that my views will change between now and then. This is an excellent book detailing one of the most brutal campaigns in the history of warfare. The author has presented the facts with out bias one way or the other and as such this read presents the data as a time line upon which you can make up your own mind.The key players here are well researched and presented as humanely as possible. Given that I am only half way through, I cannot judge it on the details about some of the people involved, but I hoping that there will be more about the story of the man who gave the plans to the Russians, rather than the brief mention he has had so far in the narrative.So for historical accuracy, for remaining neutral when dealing with a very emotive subject, I can only give this book five stars, although it does deserve more. I am though expecting to shed some tears before I finish this long and involving book. Given that we have just marked the seventieth anniversary of these bombings, I would recommend that this book should be read by all who express an opinion on the use of Nuclear Weapons.

The author has set out how the story unfolded from both the American and Japanese side. It is a long and comprehensive book. The political details are fascinating and as you would expect the eye witness description of events after the bombs are extremely harrowing.

A relatively long book at around 700 pages although the last 20% or so is made up of notes and appendices. This is a comprehensive look at the subject matter of the development and eventual use of the bomb. For me, the book does tend to drag a little at times and repeat itself through back tracking, but this is a minor criticism really. For anyone wishing to learn more about the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this is probably as good a place to start as any. The subsequent nuclear arms race and the cold war is also dealt with here. As is often the case, there are conflicting opinions about for example whether it was really necessary to use the bombs to end the war. Some, including Paul Ham maintain that their use was not necessary, others disagree. I guess we will never know for sure. But if they had not been used in Japan, who knows where they would have been used instead and to what extent!

This period of history should be required reading for anyone seeking to govern, or be governed, in the nuclear age.In its chronicling of the prevalent mindset and the series of smaller and larger decisions that lead to the atomic-bombing of civilian populations, this book calls to mind Robert McNamara's 'In retrospect' through the obvious failings of personality politics and bureaucracy when applied to moral/ethical issues. The damage done by such episodes of 'groupthink' is lasting and extreme, but can hopefully be avoided in future by keeping the lessons of the past. The capacity of governments (American, Japanese, British and Russian) to maintain a wilful blindness to the suffering of people without power or influence should not be underestimated to this day.

A sobre account of ALL the events leading up to the production of the A-bomb and its use. The chapters dealings with the suffering on the ground are hard to read. The book argues, persuasively to this reader, that the use of the bomb was the worst of alternatives available, and that the US authorities did all they could to mask their mistake--including not sharing medical information with Japanese doctors treating what they didn't know was radiation sickness. Plenty of support given for the thesis.