Why did Harry S. Truman decide to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and not somewhere else likeTokyo?

Answer 1

Let's read the story from his own words, okay?
President Harry S. Truman
Diary: Potsdam 25 July 1945
"We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world. The weapon is to be used against Japan between now and August 10th. I have told the Sec. of War, Mr. Stimson, to use it so that military objectives and soldiers and sailors are the target and not women and children. We as the leader of the world for the common welfare cannot drop this terrible bomb on the old capital or the new. The target will be a purely military one and we will issue a warning statement asking the Japanese to surrender and save lives. I'm sure they will not do that, but we will have given them the chance."

The following day, 26 July, the allies called upon Japan to surrender. The alternative they said was "prompt and utter destruction". Japan did not surrender.

* Hiroshima and Nagasaki were also chosen since they had not been bombed (as Tokyo already was), and since they needed to get a clear picture of the damage the bombs did, and make assessments.*

Answer 2

You might better have asked "somewhere else like on top of Mt Fuji, Tokyo Bay or any one of 100 other places where the unnecessary killing of people would have been avoided." Truman didn't pick where the bomb was dropped. He just asked that it not be dropped on targets that were not military. He was ignored. The idea of a demonstration blast was raised by the scientists that worked on the bomb after seeing it detonated. A petition was signed and presented to the Army/Airforce by these people against using the bomb on human beings. It was ignored. Kyoto (you know where the Kyoto Treaty we didn't sign was made) was a proposed target. Secretary of War Stanton said no because he spent his Honeymoon there before the war and liked the place. Nagasaki was not intended to be bombed but clouds obscured the original target. Nagasaki's luck ran out that day. Research for yourself. Japan was beaten and they knew it before the bombs were dropped. They were already planning to surrender.

Answer 3

For the record, there was not much Tokyo left anyway... the WWII firebombing of Tokyo is legendary... over the course of weeks we dropped incendiary bomb after incendiary bomb (sp?) and at that tim, Tokyo was mostly wood buildings, and large parts of it had burned to the ground. We killed more citizens in the firebombing of Tokyo than at Hiroshima.

(so much for Truman's BS about not wanting to attack women & children, huh?)

ALSO
From wikipedia:
After 2 hours of bombardment, Tokyo was engulfed in a firestorm. The fires were so hot they would ignite the clothing on individuals as they were fleeing. Many women were wearing what were called 'air-raid turbans' around their heads and the heat would ignite those turbans like a wick on a candle. The Japanese War History office estimated that the incendiary bombing of Tokyo led to 72,489 Japanese dead. This may have been the most devastating single raid ever carried out by aircraft in any war including the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the firebombing of Dresden.

Around 16 square miles (41 km²) of the city were destroyed in the firestorm. The destruction and damage was at its worst in the city sections east of the Imperial Palace. In the following two weeks there were almost 1,600 further sorties against the four cities, destroying 31 square miles (80 km²) in total at a cost of 22 aircraft. There was a third raid on Tokyo on May 26. The firebombing technique was highly successful and was a large morale boost to the air force.

Answer 4

Tokyo wasn't leveled before we dropped the bomb. Truman wanted to get Japan's attention, not massacre hundreds of thousands of people. To drop a bomb on Tokyo at the time would have meant to destroy the central hub of Japanese culture, and Truman was a true gentleman and decided to go for a slap on the face, rather than a shot to the heart.

Answer 5

The short answer to this question is the U.S knew they would need the help of the emperor to maintain peace in the country after the end of armed conflict. Radical factions within the Japanese military actually attempted a coup against the emperor to continue the fight against the U.S. Hirohito's address to the Japanese nation accepting the terms of surrender (the first time 99% of the Japanese population had ever heard or seen him) was instrumental in the peace that followed the surrender. The emperor toured the country after the end of hostilities to help quell any violence. It was actually Gen. MacArthur’s idea to use the emperor in this way and they became good friends. Another reason is that it was thought that destroying the imperial palace in Tokyo could have would have led to an uprising of the population (especially the military) and led to a guerilla style warfare (much like what is happening in Iraq).

Answer 6

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were targets because Americans viewed them as industrial centers.

Tokyo did have some industrial capacities, but it was also a political center where all the top leaders were. If they all die, there will be no one left to surrender :)

Answer 7

He fairly develop into perfect for ordering the atomic bombing of both cities. even as the atomic bombing of Japan develop into tragic, it kept ratings of lives because an prolonged invasion of Japan might want to have led to the inhabitants to strive against to the shortcoming of existence, and may want to have killed tens of millions on both side. to boot, we went above and previous what develop into required through the regulation of conflict. the eastern inhabitants develop into FOREWARNED (compared to what Japan did for us earlier to Pearl Harbor.) of an drawing near bombing attack and were instructed to evacuate the cities. That they did not is their fault, not ours. We dropped a lot of flyers in strengthen, and the following is the English translation of the textual content on that flyer: "examine this heavily because it would want to maintain your existence or the existence of a relative or buddy. contained in the subsequent few days, some or all the cities named on the opposite side will be destroyed through American bombs. those cities comprise defense force installations and workshops or factories which produce defense force products. we are keen to ruin all the procedures of the defense force clique which they are using to delay this ineffective conflict. yet, regrettably, bombs haven't any eyes. So, in accordance with us of a's humanitarian guidelines, the yank Air stress, which does not favor to injure possibility free human beings, now resources caution to evacuate the cities named and keep your lives. us of a isn't battling the eastern human beings yet is battling the defense force clique which has enslaved the eastern human beings. The peace which us of a will convey will loose the human beings from the oppression of the defense force clique and recommend the emergence of a sparkling and extra efficient Japan. you could fix peace through stressful new and robust leaders who will end the conflict. we gained't promise that only those cities will be between those attacked yet some or all of them will be, so heed this caution and evacuate those cities as we communicate." merely things you do not listen in lecture rooms presently the position instructors coach that conflict and guns are "icky." And merely so that you will discover i'm not BSing you, i'm along with a link with a image of that flyer that develop into dropped over both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Answer 8

Because we had already leveled Tokyo (where more people died than in Hiroshima) and other cities in Japan with conventional strategic bombing.

Answer 9

Actually he could have dropped it in an uninhabited area and it would have had the same frightening effect, with no loss of life, but he went for the drama.
Besides, what better way to truly test the effects of a hellish weapon.

Answer 10

Because the people that he needed to sign a non conditional surrender were in Tokyo.