Wellerstein gives a slice of history of the events leading to the atomic bombing of Japan

Although the events of World War II are well known, the decisions leading up to those events can be a blur. On Wednesday, March 4, assistant professor Wellerstein shed light on the decisions made to drop two atomic bombs on Japan during the end of World War II.

The decision to bomb Japan was not made to “save American lives” but to end the war and to make sure the atomic bomb is not used again. Truman was not aware of the bomb until he became president which eventually left him unprepared and overwhelmed when the responsibility was thrust upon him.

Wellerstein was humorous and open to interpretation of the historic evidence. Presenting his audience with notes, diary entries, and maps of the time, he illustrated the historic events like a tale. He explained the mindsets of the key players and the concerns of the people.

The audience was shocked to learn that the city of Kyoto was supposed to be bombed instead of Nagasaki. Due to personal reasons, the Secretary of War, Stimson, made sure that this didn’t occur. It was comical how key players decided on the locations of where to “atomic bomb”. Since they wanted the impact to be large, people in the United States were choosing locations that had not been bombed before so the impact would seem greater.

Many decisions weren’t made by the president or others in the capital. Decisions such as the day to drop the bomb were made by army officers on-site. For example, Nagasaki was added to the list of potential cities to be bombed at the last possible moment, and ultimately was targeted because there were clouds covering the city of Kokura.

“It’s all so fascinating,” said junior chemical biology major Soany Heredia. “After the event occurred, the government and politicians justified their actions by saying that they saved American lives or that Nagasaki was the perfect location to bomb Japan. But in reality, the mindset of the people in charge at the time was completely different.”

“I found Truman’s story hysterical,” said biomedical engineer Leah Spaulding. “I can’t believe he could have misunderstood the implications and damage the bomb could have done. He really should have read more into the bomb and its reports, not to mention the data on the cities themselves.”

The audience was extremely curious about the historical slice Wellerstein painted. They wanted to know more about Truman, whether he was really as one-sided as he seemed. They also wanted to understand how the atomic bomb played into the overall scheme of what became World War II in historical textbooks. “I thought we didn’t have that many bombs” said Professor Horgan during the talk. Wellerstein however informed his audience that they were planning on producing three bombs a month if necessary, the plutonium being the only limiting factor.

Overall, the talk was very infomative about the emotions and motives that led to the atomic bomb being dropped. There was not only politics, but ignorance, personal emotions, and technicalities embedded in every event. The audience soaked in the photographs, diary entries, and the words of Wellerstein to taste the American historic perspective in August 1945.