Hiroshima: OSU Video and Essay

Here is an excellent review of the events that led to the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from the Ohio State University (OSU). You can also read an essay about the events written by Professor Craig Nelson.

I was not aware that one of the important considerations in dropping the bomb had to do with the pending participation of the Russians in the Pacific War.  The Truman administration feared that if the Russians entered the war, they would want a zone of occupation in Japan just as they had in Germany.

Another interesting observation from the video was that by 1945 the United States had "fully embraced" killing civilians in its bombing campaigns.  Examples include the American firebombing of Tokyo and Dresden, Germany.  Between 75,000 and 200,000 civilians were killed in Dresden.