ncendiary raids upon other Japanese cities began to spring up, with the difference that the fires this time were everywhere at once. By nightfall, victims of poisoning by what was thought to be a mysterious 'gas' actually, radiation sickness began to appear at aid stations around the destroyed city. In fact, "altogether, a minimum of 78,000 Japanese were killed outright or died in succeeding weeks from the effects of the blast, fire, and radiation . . ." (Gerken, 1988, p. 3).
The decision to use the bomb, however, was far more complex. Reaction in the United States to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945) was unambivalent. President Truman indicated that it was the greatest announcement he had ever made. The majority of the American populace were relieved since over one million American servicemen who might have taken part in Operation Olympic, the first invasion of the Japanese home islands, were now free from obligation. In fact, Japan's surrender little more than a week after the dropping of the second bomb made any invasion
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