Prompt And Utter Destruction Analysis

In Prompt and Utter Destruction, J. Samuel Walker provides the reader with an elaborate analysis of President Truman’s decision behind using the atomic bomb in Japan. He provokes the reader to answer the question for himself about whether the use of the bomb was necessary to end the war quickly and without the loss of many American lives. Walker offers historical and political evidence for and against the use of the weapon, making the reader think critically about the issue. He puts the average American into the shoes of the Commander and Chief of the United States of America and forces us to think about the difficulty of Truman’s decision.
Walker gives three reasons why the perception that Truman faced a categorical choice between the atomic bomb and an

invasion on Japan was false. First, there were more options available for the president to end the rather quickly other than just the invasion and the bomb. Second, Japan was weak enough that Truman and his advisers believed the war could end without an invasion at all. Lastly, if an invasion was essential to ending the conflict, the number of projected American deaths was not nearly hundreds of thousands which Truman and his staff had predicted. With these things in mind, it makes you wonder why people thought Truman’s choice was so cut and dry between an invasion and the bomb.
When Truman became president after the death of Roosevelt, he faced many challenges because he was unprepared for the job. However, this was not entirely his fault because Roosevelt had not explained his positions and responsibilities as president. Not only was Truman diving into the presidency in the dark, but he was doing so at a time when many issues were hanging in the balance. Although the war in Europe was ending, he still faced the war in the Pacific. Also, US relations with the Soviet Union worsened. Truman had to make changes to a peacetime economy and calm Americans’ fears that “the end of war would mean the end of prosperity.” All he had learned from Roosevelt was that he wanted to achieve complete victory without a significant cost in American lives.
Although Truman was in charge, he did not have to face this decision alone. The Interim Committee was created to address questions concerning the bomb but “did not, however, deliberate over the issue of whether Japan should be attacked with the new weapon,” because they all assumed the weapon would be used when it was complete. They sought to answer how the bomb should be used to display its power and hurry a complete Japanese surrender, including where to drop it. They agreed the bomb should be dropped without any warning on a vital war plant. They also discussed how the use of the bomb would impact relations with the Soviet Union. “The question that the Interim Committee faced, in attempting to assess how the atomic bomb would affect U.S.-Soviet relations, was whether the United States should attempt to ease differences and allay Soviet suspicions or whether it should try to advance American objectives by intimidating the Soviets.” The committee knew that having a good relationship with the Soviets was crucial to obtaining postwar peace, but they had two strategies they would have to choose between. The Interim Committee made it known that people assumed the bomb would be used once completed in order to end the war as soon as possible and to build better relations with the Soviets even if civilians were targeted.
By 1945, Japanese defeat was inevitable, yet the strategy and cost of ending the war still was uncertain. Truman and the Americans wanted to end the war in total victory while saving as many American lives as possible. Although Japan could not possibly win, they were relentless in their pursuit. Even if they could not obtain victory, they want to keep their emperor on the throne. The war continued because of Japanese persistence and America’s desire for complete victory. American policymakers believed an invasion of Japan would result in a great amount of American casualties, although the number was not certain. They discussed three more options: continuing bombing and blockade with more force, waiting for the Soviets to enter the war, or modifying their conditions for Japanese surrender, i.e. allowing the emperor to remain on the throne. After much contemplation, none of these alternatives seemed likely to end the war at a lower cost in lives and sooner than an invasion would. A fourth option arose that might achieve a quick victory while limiting American casualties—the atomic bomb. Although there was no certainty the bomb would work yet, it appeared to be the best path to victory for American policymakers.
In order to ensure the atomic bomb was ready, the Trinity test took place. Right before President Truman met with Churchill and Stalin at Potsdam, he received a call confirming the success of the weapon. With this news, Truman entered the conference with confidence. Instead of coming into the meeting intimidated and subject to the Soviets, Truman now was in control. Originally, American policymakers wanted a quick Soviet entry into the war, but now that they knew the bomb was successful, they wanted to avoid Soviet involvement so they would not gain a greater influence in East Asia. With the assurance that the bomb was successful, America now had the upper hand and could control negotiations with confidence.
After the bomb was used successfully on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese did not surrender immediately because of division within their government. Suzuki, Togo, and Navy Minister Yonai all agreed that Japan needed to accept the Potsdam Proclamation as long as the emperor be preserved. On the other hand, Anami, Umezu, and Toyoda believed they should insist on preserving the emperor as well as restricting U.S. and its allies from any occupation of Japan, allowing the Japanese to hold their own war trials, and permitting the Japanese to disarm themselves. The Japanese Supreme Council remained divided until the emperor Hirohito intervened. It was abnormal for the emperor to involve himself in such issues so when he gave his support for accepting the Potsdam Proclamation with a single condition of preserving himself, the council came to an agreement. They had so much respect for Hirohito that they would do whatever he said. If he did not step up and voice his opinion, the Japanese would not have surrendered as quickly and the outcome could have been much worse.
Truman had five key considerations that provoked him to use the bomb quickly “without a great deal of thought and without consulting his advisers about the advantages and potential disadvantages of the new weapons.” First, he wanted to end the war as soon as possible.

The quicker the war ended, the less casualties Americans would suffer. Second, he sought to justify the money and effort that was put into the Manhattan Project. If he did not use the bomb, people would blame him for the lives lost towards the end of the war because he withheld such a powerful weapon. Third, using the bomb would impress the Soviets, make them more subordinate to American desires, and improve overall relations with them. Fourth, Truman realized he lacked reasons to avoid using the bomb. In the military, diplomatic, and political sense, the bomb was the best route. Morality would be the only issue, but these were not a major preventive. Lastly, Truman claimed the Japanese were like a beast and the only way to deal with them was to treat them like a beast. After the attacks on Pearl Harbor, hatred had been built up against the Japanese. This hate diminished any hesitation Truman may have experienced in his decision to drop the

bomb.
Most Americans believed that an invasion of Japan would have cost hundreds of thousands of American lives which made them support Truman’s use of the bomb far greater. However, this was not true and the only reason they thought this was because Henry L. Stimson wrote an article in the Harper’s Magazine claiming that Americans would have suffered over a million casualties in an invasion. Truman also made claims that an invasion would have cost hundreds of thousands of American lives, justifying his use of the atomic bomb. People believed these statements and supported Truman’s verdict. Although the number of deaths may have not reached hundreds of thousands, it would have been far greater than the number that died by Truman’s decision to use the bomb.
I believe Walker accomplished his goal by creating a thought provoking book. He provides information and evidence for the reader to conclude whether Truman made the right choice or not. I thought the book was interesting and thought provoking. It is a valuable piece of work that provides solid historical evidence and allows the reader to come to a conclusion of the matter on their own. After reading this book, the reader could decide to support or oppose dropping of the atomic bombs in Japan. I enjoyed reading this book and being able to weigh the evidence for myself.