In Hiroshima, Kerry will not apologize for atomic bombs dropped on Japan

[happyslug]

219. That the Japanese were trying to surrender is post war revisionism.

Since WWII, various WWII Japanese leaders have said they were trying to surrender, the actual records from the time period fails to support those statements. What those statements to support is a group think that if the US and Soviet Union went to war in the Summer or fall of 1945, that would tie up US resources in Europe AND Russian could give the three things Japan desperately needed in the Summer of 1945, oil, planes and pilots. Russia would give them to Japan just to tie up US forces against Japan (and the leadership was hoping to use that threat to get a treaty with the US, giving up everything but the Main Japanese Islands, but those Islands being unoccupied).

Thus the bombing of Hiroshima did not affect those plans. The Soviet Invasion of Manchuria, and the speed of that advance, scared the Japanese leadership. By August 15th, 1945 it was clear Soviet Forces would have been entering Korea by September 1, and take all of Korea by no later then October 1,1945 (THE soviets already had troops in Korea to aid in this advance). The first US occupational troops were NOT sent to Japan but Seoul Korea on September 8, 1945 more to stop the Soviet Advance then to accept the surrender of Japanese Forces in Korea (Stalin agreed to the 38th parallel as the border, which American observers saw as a gift from Stalin, for the US did not have anyway to stop Soviet Forces from taking over all of Korea, all US forces were tied up elsewhere).

Sorry, it was the Soviet Invasion that forced the Japanese Surrender. The leadership were fearing a Communist take over, Do to extensive mining of Japanese Harbors, it was getting difficult to feed the Japanese people. With the loss of oil from what then the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) what ships that could find a crew, still could not sail do to lack of fuel. The Japanese had heard of what happened in Italy, the Italian Communists had helped the allies and in return given local power. The Japanese has also seen what happened in the Balkans. In the Balkans it was Soviet Forces that liberated the area and the Communists not only gained local power but national power. In many ways this was the biggest fear in August 1945, not being nuked and why the Japanese leadership decided that American occupation of the Home Island was the preferred option.