Atomic Bomb Ends War
It is the atomic bomb that ended the war for Japan says Japan’s premier, Prince Higashi-Kuni. “This terrific weapon was likely to result in the obliteration of the Japanese people…” On Aug. 6th, 1945, Hiroshima was the first city struck and over 100,000 people perished. Tokyo was mystified that all phone and telegraph contact with Hiroshima suddenly stopped. A young Japanese officer was dispatched by plane to investigate and within 100 miles of the city could see the tremendous atomic cloud. Their plane soon reached the city around which they flew in disbelief. Nagasaki was hit three days later and over 80,000 died. Even more would have been killed in Nagasaki but the first significant bombing raids on the city the week before caused the Japanese to relocate school children to the rural areas. While many criticize America’s decision to use these weapons, it was expected that the US and it’s allies could lose up to one million soldiers during an invasion of the Japanese islands. And even more Japanese would have been killed as well. On LIFE’S cover is General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. He was just appointed Supreme Allied Commander in Japan, a country never before ruled by a foreigner. MacArthur was first pictured on LIFE’S cover Dec. 8th, 1941, the weekend the war began.