On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. That first-ever use of an atomic weapon killed an estimated 140,000 people in all, most of whom were civilians. Three days later, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Some 40,000 people, again mostly civilians, died instantly. Another 34,000 died agonizing deaths in the weeks that followed. President Harry S. Truman argued that the bombings were necessary to compel Japan\u2019s surrender and to avoid what likely would have been a far deadlier U.S. invasion. Truman\u2019s decisions, and particularly the decision to bomb Nagasaki, remain hotly debated. The attacks subjected civilian populations to horrific devastation with long-lasting effects. The bombing of Nagasaki was launched two days earlier than planned to avoid bad weather, leaving the Japanese government less time to assess what had happened to Hiroshima and possibly quit fighting. Truman\u2019s private comments suggest that his decision to bomb Nagasaki went beyond forcing Japan\u2019s surrender to include intimidating the Soviet Union. SHAFR historians ranked the bombing of Nagasaki as the tenth-worst decision in U.S. foreign policy history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. That first-ever use of an atomic weapon killed an estimated 140,000 people in all, most of whom were civilians. Three days later, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Some 40,000 people, again mostly civilians, died instantly. Another 34,000 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1609,"menu_order":10,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-worst-decisions"],"acf":{"add_section":[{"quote_section":"imagecontent","add_section_title":"The Manhattan Project","add_section_content":"The 1938 discovery of nuclear fission by German scientists opened the door to the atomic age. On August 2, 1939, Albert Einstein wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to warn that it was now possible to create \u201cextremely powerful bombs of a new type.\u201d The letter, drafted by Einstein\u2019s fellow physicist Leo Szilard, urged Roosevelt to direct the U.S. government to invest in nuclear physics research and warned that Nazi Germany was already acquiring the uranium needed to build an atomic bomb.\r\n\r\nRoosevelt initially dismissed the idea that government action was needed. He quickly changed his mind, however, and directed his administration to explore Einstein\u2019s warning. That work validated the potential for an atomic bomb. In October 1941, two months before Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt approved the start of a U.S. atomic program, dubbed the Manhattan Project because its headquarters were initially in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Roosevelt was determined that the United States would develop the new so-called superweapon before Germany could.","add_image":1616,"image_position":"right","background":true,"quote_content":"","quote_footer":"","video_title":"","video_link":null,"youtube_link":""},{"quote_section":"imagecontent","add_section_title":"","add_section_content":"","add_image":2900,"image_position":"bottom","background":false,"quote_content":"","quote_footer":"","video_title":"","video_link":null,"youtube_link":""},{"quote_section":"imagecontent","add_section_title":"The Trinity Test","add_section_content":"Germany never developed an atomic weapon. U.S. and British scientists, however, did. On July 16, 1945, two months after the end of the war in Europe, the Trinity Test detonated the world\u2019s first atomic device outside Alamogordo, New Mexico. The question for the United States became whether to use the \u201cA-bomb,\u201d as it was dubbed, against Japan.\r\n\r\nFDR died three months before the Trinity Test. He left behind no clear plans for how the United States should use an atomic bomb. In September 1944, he and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had discussed using the weapon against the Japanese, \u201cwho should be warned that this bombardment will be repeated until they surrender.\u201d FDR also spoke to aides about ordering a demonstration test to show the Japanese government the destruction that it faced. He told other advisors that he would use the atomic bomb against Germany if it were ready in time. With FDR having failed to establish the rules that would guide the use of the A-bomb, the decision fell to Truman. He only learned about the Manhattan Project after he was sworn in as president on April 12, 1945.","add_image":"","image_position":"null","background":false,"quote_content":"","quote_footer":"","video_title":"","video_link":null,"youtube_link":""},{"quote_section":"imagecontent","add_section_title":"The War in the Pacific","add_section_content":"By mid-July 1945, Japan was headed for defeat. U.S. forces had taken the Japanese islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, though only after bitter fighting that came at horrific cost to both sides. U.S. bombers were dropping conventional bombs on Japanese cities; the firebombing of Tokyo in March 1945 killed one hundred thousand people. At the Potsdam Conference in July 1945, Joseph Stalin reaffirmed to Truman that the Soviet Union would enter the war in the Pacific, which it did on August 8. Despite the long odds it faced, the Japanese government rejected the Allied demand at Potsdam for an unconditional surrender.\r\n\r\nWith Japan determined to continue fighting, Truman considered ordering U.S. forces to invade the Japanese main islands. To that end, the Pentagon drafted Operation Downfall. It envisioned a multi-month operation against Japan\u2019s main islands. Based on the bitter resistance U.S. forces encountered at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, planners estimated that the death toll from Operation Downfall would range from several hundred thousand to a million on the Allied side and well into the millions for Japanese soldiers and civilians.","add_image":1631,"image_position":"right","background":true,"quote_content":"","quote_footer":"","video_title":"","video_link":null,"youtube_link":""},{"quote_section":"imagecontent","add_section_title":"Truman\u2019s Options","add_section_content":"The Trinity Test expanded Truman\u2019s options for forcing Japan\u2019s surrender beyond continued conventional bombing attacks on Japanese cities, launching the large-scale invasion contemplated by Operation Downfall, or retreating from his demand for Japan\u2019s unconditional surrender. He could use the small stockpile of atomic bombs against Japanese cities, or he could order a demonstration test designed to intimidate Japanese officials into surrendering.\r\n\r\nSome Manhattan Project scientists argued against using their creation against Japan. They warned in what became known as the Franck Report that \u201cthe release of this new means of indiscriminate destruction upon mankind\u201d would \u201cprecipitate the race of armaments, and prejudice the possibility of reaching an international agreement on the future control of such weapons.\u201d However, in June, a separate government advisory committee had recommended that the atomic bomb \u201cshould be used against Japan as soon as possible; that it be used on a war plant surrounded by workers\u2019 homes; and that it be used without prior warning.\u201d","add_image":"","image_position":"null","background":false,"quote_content":"","quote_footer":"","video_title":"","video_link":null,"youtube_link":""},{"quote_section":"imagecontent","add_section_title":"Truman Decides","add_section_content":"Truman accepted the recommendation to use what he called in his diary \u201cthe most terrible thing ever discovered.\u201d He later said he made the decision to avoid \u201can Okinawa from one end of Japan to another.\u201d He rejected a demonstration test as unworkable. The United States had only two working weapons. The test might be a dud and encourage the Japanese to fight on. Japan might shoot down the U.S. bomber if it knew its intended target. Japan might use the time given it to assess the demonstration to dig in against a U.S. invasion.\r\n\r\nTruman also doubted that continued conventional bombing raids would force Japan to surrender, given that months of bombings had not broken its will to fight. And abandoning the call for Japan\u2019s unconditional surrender was a nonstarter, given the burning anger in the United States over Japan\u2019s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and well-documented Japanese war atrocities. Truman reflected the views of many Americans when he responded to a critic of his decisions to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki by writing, \u201cWhen you have to deal with a beast you have to treat him as a beast.\u201d Some of Truman\u2019s private comments also suggest that he wanted to win the war before the Soviet Union could increase its foothold in Northeast Asia.","add_image":1640,"image_position":"right","background":true,"quote_content":"","quote_footer":"","video_title":"","video_link":null,"youtube_link":""},{"quote_section":"imagecontent","add_section_title":"The Bombing of Nagasaki","add_section_content":"Japan did not surrender immediately in the face of Hiroshima\u2019s destruction, so the U.S. plan for a second attack proceeded. The plan had been to launch the attack on August 11. Truman and his advisors saw two bombings in less than a week as the likeliest way to compel Japan\u2019s surrender. However, weather forecasts showed storms hitting Japan by August 11. The mission was moved up to August 9.\r\n\r\nA specially equipped B-29 bomber named\u00a0Bockscar<\/em>\u00a0departed from Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands early on August 9. The crew had nicknamed its cargo, a bomb of a different design than the one dropped on Hiroshima, \u201cFat Man.\u201d The crew\u2019s orders were to target Kokura, a city of 130,000 that was home to one of Japan\u2019s largest weapons factories. U.S. bombers had yet to hit Kokura, meaning that the United States could measure Fat Man\u2019s full destructive power.\r\n\r\nWhen\u00a0Bockscar<\/em>\u00a0reached Kokura, clouds and smoke obscured the target, the city\u2019s weapons factory. On the plane\u2019s third bombing run, it began to attract heavy antiaircraft fire. Following a pre-established procedure, the B-29 redirected to its secondary target, Nagasaki, a port city with a population of more than 250,000 people. The clouds over Nagasaki broke just as\u00a0Bockscar<\/em>\u00a0arrived. The plane dropped its cargo at 11:01 a.m. local time. Fat Man fell for 47 seconds and then exploded at a height of 1,650 feet.","add_image":1646,"image_position":"bottom","background":true,"quote_content":"","quote_footer":"","video_title":"","video_link":null,"youtube_link":""},{"quote_section":"imagecontent","add_section_title":"Japan\u2019s Surrender","add_section_content":"The bombing of Nagasaki came a day after the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, dashing the hopes some Japanese leaders had that Stalin might act as a neutral arbitrator and prevent further U.S. attacks. Japan\u2019s Imperial Council met on the night of August 9 and debated into the next day. A vote on whether to surrender produced a tie. Emperor Hirohito broke the tie in favor of surrender.\r\n\r\nThe Japanese government communicated its surrender to the United States and its allies on August 10. The surrender came with one condition, that the emperor be allowed to remain as Japan\u2019s ceremonial head of state. Several days of negotiations on the details followed. As the talks proceeded, the U.S. military worked to construct a third atomic bomb. However, Truman paused that effort while negotiations continued. On August 15, Emperor Hirohito went on national radio to announce Japan\u2019s surrender. It was the first time that most Japanese heard his voice.","add_image":893,"image_position":"right","background":true,"quote_content":"","quote_footer":"","video_title":"","video_link":null,"youtube_link":""},{"quote_section":"imagecontent","add_section_title":"The Legacy of the Nagasaki Bombing","add_section_content":"The question that hangs over the bombing of Nagasaki is whether it was necessary. Was three days sufficient time for Japan to absorb the enormity of what happened in Hiroshima? Could the United States have done more to persuade Japan that it would face additional atomic bomb attacks? Was the Soviet entry into the war sufficient by itself to convince Japanese leaders to offer to surrender on August 10? By deciding that the two atomic bombs would come in short order and by speeding up what became the attack on Nagasaki, the United States ensured that those questions will remain forever unanswered.","add_image":"","image_position":"null","background":true,"quote_content":"","quote_footer":"","video_title":"","video_link":null,"youtube_link":""},{"quote_section":"quote","add_section_title":"The Legacy of the Nagasaki Bombing","add_section_content":"The question that hangs over the bombing of Nagasaki is whether it was necessary. Was three days sufficient time for Japan to absorb the enormity of what happened in Hiroshima? Could the United States have done more to persuade Japan that it would face additional atomic bomb attacks? Was the Soviet entry into the war sufficient by itself to convince Japanese leaders to offer to surrender on August 10? By deciding that the two atomic bombs would come in short order and by speeding up what became the attack on Nagasaki, the United States ensured that those questions will remain forever unanswered.","add_image":"","image_position":"null","background":true,"quote_content":"I think it was necessary to drop one, but the second one could have easily been avoided. I think Japan would have capitulated anyway. ","quote_footer":"Hans Bethe, a physicist on the Manhattan Project","video_title":"","video_link":null,"youtube_link":""}],"add_testimonials":[{"author_name":"Kimber Quinney","add_testimonial_content":"The intention of the bombing of Nagasaki was to kill as many civilians as possible. The dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima can perhaps be justified as necessary to end the war, but the use of the bomb on Nagasaki was an unforgivable gesture of strength vis-a-vis the USSR and served to undermine global stability in the long run.","add_university_department":"Professor of History, California State University San Marcos","add_image":1434},{"author_name":"John Van Sant","add_testimonial_content":"While there is justifiable debate about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima to end World War II in the Pacific, the atomic bombing of Nagasaki (which killed 100,000 people, mostly civilians) was completely unnecessary and not justifiable.","add_university_department":"Associate Professor of History and Director of History Graduate Programs, University of Alabama at Birmingham","add_image":1669}],"learn_more_title":"Learn More","add_learn_more_content":"Primary documents, books, articles, and more on the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki.","add_sources":[{"add_sources_title":"Primary Documents","single_source":[{"source_link_title":{"title":"Albert Einstein, \u201cLetter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt,\u201d August 2, 1939","url":"https:\/\/www.atomicarchive.com\/resources\/documents\/beginnings\/einstein.html","target":""},"source_content":"The text of the letter that Einstein wrote FDR urging the U.S. government to explore the potential for developing an atomic bomb.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"Aide-M\u00e9moire Initialed by President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill, September 19, 1944","url":"https:\/\/history.state.gov\/historicaldocuments\/frus1944Quebec\/d299","target":""},"source_content":"The text of the agreement between Roosevelt and Churchill that the atomic bomb should be used against Japan if necessary.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"The Franck Report, June 11, 1945","url":"https:\/\/ahf.nuclearmuseum.org\/ahf\/key-documents\/franck-report\/","target":""},"source_content":"The summary of a report by Manhattan Project scientists at the University of Chicago arguing against the use of the atomic bomb against Japan.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"Notes of the Meeting of the Interim Committee, June 1, 1945","url":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20110514053030\/http:\/www.trumanlibrary.org\/whistlestop\/study_collections\/bomb\/large\/documents\/index.php?documentdate=1945-06-01&documentid=40&studycollectionid=abomb&pagenumber=8","target":""},"source_content":"The text of the recommendation that the United States use atomic bombs against Japan.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"Harry S. Truman, \"Diary Entry,\" July 25, 1945","url":"https:\/\/ww2db.com\/doc.php?q=415","target":""},"source_content":"Truman describes the plan for using what he calls \u201cthe most terrible bomb in the history.\u201d","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"Harry S. Truman, \u201cCorrespondence With Senator Richard Russell of Georgia,\u201c August 7 and 9, 1945","url":"https:\/\/www.shapell.org\/manuscript\/truman-defends-use-of-atomic-bomb-against-japan\/#transcripts","target":""},"source_content":"Truman rejects Russell\u2019s demand that the United States \u201cshould continue to strike the Japanese until they are brought groveling to their knees.\u201d","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"Harry S. Truman, \u201cCorrespondence With Mr. Samuel Mcrae Cavert,\u201d August 11, 1949","url":"https:\/\/www.shapell.org\/manuscript\/truman-defends-use-of-atomic-bomb-against-japan\/#transcripts","target":""},"source_content":"Truman responds to Cavert\u2019s call to halt the bombing of Japan by writing that \u201cwhen you have to deal with a beast you have to treat him as a beast. It is most regrettable but nevertheless true.\u201d","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":"","source_content":"","source_image":""}]},{"add_sources_title":"Books","single_source":[{"source_link_title":{"title":"Herbert Feis, The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II","url":"https:\/\/press.princeton.edu\/books\/hardcover\/9780691648057\/the-atomic-bomb-and-the-end-of-world-war-ii?srsltid=AfmBOoofKzZBN81902vgU1sz8L_xdb4OYT6a4PMtuu0sMzCLW0Fsi_Qi","target":""},"source_content":"Feis examines the decisions that went into the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.","source_image":1520},{"source_link_title":{"title":"Paul Ham, Hiroshima Nagasaki: The Real Story of the Atomic Bombings and Their Aftermath","url":"https:\/\/www.paulham.com\/books-2\/hiroshima-nagasaki","target":""},"source_content":"Ham argues that the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were unnecessary and unjustified.","source_image":1523},{"source_link_title":{"title":"Rupert Jenkins, ed., Nagasaki Journey: The Photographs of Yosuke Yamahata, August 10, 1945.","url":"http:\/\/www.rupertjenkins.com\/nagasaki-journey","target":""},"source_content":"A collection of photographs that twenty-eight-year-old Yosuke Yamahata began taking of Nagasaki the day after the bombing. \r\n","source_image":2669},{"source_link_title":{"title":"Wilson D. Miscamble, The Most Controversial Decision: Truman, the Atomic Bombs, and the Defeat of Japan","url":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/books\/most-controversial-decision\/D1717B7CB0B9EC202BE2A266BD6AE268","target":""},"source_content":"Miscamble assesses Truman\u2019s decision-making on the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.","source_image":1522},{"source_link_title":{"title":"Susan Southard, Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear War","url":"https:\/\/nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.penguinrandomhouse.com%2Fbooks%2F309301%2Fnagasaki-by-susan-southard%2F&data=05%7C02%7COBerry%40cfr.org%7Cc8b6ee84e2e94d4f83a708de39ad5023%7C146cc3db32f24b3c815625bcc3553464%7C0%7C0%7C639011613694707580%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Ni0dZ95TTKH9Pqp9mz6seBLNtfGBvBysnvnGPyTHTNs%3D&reserved=0","target":""},"source_content":"Southard\u2019s award-winning book tells the story of the bombing and recovery of Nagasaki through the experiences of five teenage survivors","source_image":2668},{"source_link_title":{"title":" Alex Wellerstein, The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for Control of the Atomic Age","url":"https:\/\/nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.harpercollins.com%2Fproducts%2Fthe-most-awful-responsibility-alex-wellerstein%3Fvariant%3D43730342150178&data=05%7C02%7COBerry%40cfr.org%7Cc8b6ee84e2e94d4f83a708de39ad5023%7C146cc3db32f24b3c815625bcc3553464%7C0%7C0%7C639011613694726642%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=o7wxv5KSzSyvsQiox7dn6a8%2FbJSH6ZLLXn0RJsLdQ7o%3D&reserved=0","target":""},"source_content":"A nuclear historian at the Stevens Institute of Technology, Wellerstein argues that no official decision was ever made to use the bomb and that Truman likely did not know that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were heavily populated cities.","source_image":2667}]},{"add_sources_title":"Articles","single_source":[{"source_link_title":{"title":"Becky Little, \u201cFDR\u2019s Role in Developing the Atomic Bomb\u201d","url":"https:\/\/www.history.com\/articles\/fdr-wwii-atomic-bomb","target":""},"source_content":"Little examines why Roosevelt authorized what became the Manhattan Project and how he died before deciding what rules should govern the use of atomic weapons.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"National Park Service, \u201cHarry Truman\u2019s Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb\u201d","url":"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/articles\/trumanatomicbomb.htm#:~:text=Truman%20was%20afraid%20that%20an,did%20not%20include%20Japanese%20casualties.","target":""},"source_content":"An assessment of the various options that Truman considered before ordering the use of atomic bombs against Japan","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"Martin J. Sherwin, \u201cThe Atomic Bomb and the Origins of the Cold War\u201d","url":"https:\/\/www.bxscience.edu\/ourpages\/auto\/2015\/3\/2\/62576994\/ColdWar_Atomic_Bomb_Origins_essay.pdf","target":""},"source_content":"Sherwin argues that Truman ordered the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to bring the war to a speedy conclusion and because he viewed atomic weapons as a lever against the Soviet Union.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"U.S. Department of Energy, \u201cDebate Over How to Use the Bomb\u201d","url":"https:\/\/www.osti.gov\/opennet\/manhattan-project-history\/Events\/1945\/debate.htm","target":""},"source_content":"A look at the debate among members of the Manhattan Project over whether and how to use the atomic bomb.","source_image":""}]},{"add_sources_title":"Documentaries and Short Videos","single_source":[{"source_link_title":{"title":"CBS News, \u201cFrom the Archives: Robert Oppenheimer in 1965 on if the Bomb Was Necessary\u201d","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AdtLxlttrHg","target":""},"source_content":"An interview with the man who directed the Manhattan Project.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"HBO, \u201cWhite Light\/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki\u201d","url":"https:\/\/www.cultureunplugged.com\/documentary\/watch-online\/play\/6651\/white-light-black-rain-the-destruction-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki","target":""},"source_content":"Director Stephen Okazaki uses interviews with fourteen Japanese survivors and four Americans to tell the story of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"PBS, \u201cAtomic Cover-Up\u201d","url":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/video\/atomic-cover-up-xmpc9h\/","target":""},"source_content":"A half-hour look at video of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the U.S. government suppressed.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"U.S. War Department, \u201cA Tale of Two Cities\u201d","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hPvYw9cm8GY","target":""},"source_content":"A film by the United States Strategic Bombing Survey documents the aftermath of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"U.S. War Department (1948), \u201cThe Atom Strikes: Devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki\u201d","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=U6t0IpDN-jg","target":""},"source_content":"A film by the United States Strategic Bombing Survey documents the aftermath of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"wocomoHistory, \u201cThe Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings\u201d","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MFpdfBBT71U","target":""},"source_content":"An eight-minute account of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that uses survivor testimony, archival footage, and expert commentary.","source_image":""}]},{"add_sources_title":"Lectures and Podcasts","single_source":[{"source_link_title":{"title":"Dan Snow\u2019s History Hit, \u201cThe Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb\u201d","url":"https:\/\/shows.acast.com\/dansnowshistoryhit\/episodes\/the-decision-to-use-the-atomic-bomb","target":""},"source_content":"Snow interviews historian Gar Alperovitz, who questions whether the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary to end the war in the Pacific.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"Sounds Strategic, \u201cRemembering the Lessons from Hiroshima and Nagasaki\u201d","url":"https:\/\/www.iiss.org\/podcasts\/sounds-strategic\/2020\/08\/remembering-the-lessons-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki\/","target":""},"source_content":"A discussion of the legacy of the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"To the Best of My Ability, \u201cA City Vanished\u201d","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/28cSWiQWqwUTKkVjcabhUe","target":""},"source_content":"An examination of Truman\u2019s decision to order the use of atomic weapons against Japan.","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"World War II On Topic, \u201cAtomic Bomb: The Destroyer of Worlds\u201d","url":"https:\/\/www.nationalww2museum.org\/war\/podcasts\/world-war-ii-topic\/season-5-oppenheimer-and-manhattan-project\/season-5-episode-4-atom","target":""},"source_content":"A discussion of the legacy of the Manhattan Project.","source_image":""}]},{"add_sources_title":"Timeline and Websites","single_source":[{"source_link_title":{"title":"Atomic Archive, \u201cAtomic Bombing of Nagasaki\u201d","url":"https:\/\/www.atomicarchive.com\/history\/atomic-bombing\/nagasaki\/index.html","target":""},"source_content":"","source_image":""},{"source_link_title":{"title":"National Security Archive, \u201cThe Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II\u201d","url":"https:\/\/nsarchive.gwu.edu\/briefing-book\/nuclear-vault\/2020-08-04\/atomic-bomb-end-world-war-ii","target":""},"source_content":"","source_image":""}]}],"add_bottom_title":"","add_bottom_image":"","add_background_image":"","add_bottom_button":"","add_year":"1945"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/build.mini.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/Screenshot2025-07-16at11.26.22AM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":64,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3943,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14\/revisions\/3943"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}