Page 120 - NS-2 Textbook

WORLD WAR II: THE PACIFIC WAR 113

An invasion beach on Okinawa. In the background, part of the huge invasion force is busy off-loading supplies to support the forces ashore.

THE FINAL DAYS provisions concerning the emperor 'were made, since the
Allies had not yet decided on this question. This omis-
Bringing an end to the "war ,vas not easy. There 'were still sion caused much concern in Japan.
powerful factions in the Japanese military forces who fa- As the Soviets stalled and the Japanese procrasti-
vored a fight to the bitter end. The Japanese people nated, the Americans and British were actively planning
would never accept a surrender that would not preserve an invasion of the home islands of Japan, code-named
the emperor and imperial system. 111e Japanese made Operation Downfall. Events 'vere moving faster than
peace geshrres to the Soviets during their negotiations governments, however. On 16 July the United States suc-
for extension of the neutrality pact. But the Soviets re- cessfully exploded the first atomic device at Alamo-
mained silent-so silent that Stalin did not even tell the gordo, Ne\v Mexico. Within hOllrs atomic bombs 'were en
United States or Britain about the peace initiatives dur- route to the Marianas bomber bases. And during the next
ing their meeting in Potsdam, Germany, in late July. three weeks the combined u.s. and British fleets, the
Howevel~ the United States knew about the peace most powerful ever assembled in history, ranged freely
initiatives because U.S. intelligence was reading the mes- up and down the Japanese coast, shelling and bombing
sages between the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo and the the cities virtually at will.
Japanese ambassador in Moscow. On 26 July the Pots- After a thorough assessment of projected casualties
dam Declaration spelled out the terms of surrender for to both sides that would result from the planned inva-
Japan, specifying that unconditional surrender would sion of Japan, versus the casualties and damage antici-
pertain only to the military forces and that possessions pated from dropping the atomic bomb, President Harry
except the four home islands-Hokkaido, Honshu, Truman decided to use the A-bomb in an attempt to end
Shikoku, and Kyushu-would have to be given up. No the ·war \vithout the necessity of an invasion.