Bell Ringer Assignment

• According to Lt. Col. Weller, why was a negotiated surrender from Japan not possible?
• Describe the “final ultimatum” President Truman issued to Japan from the Potsdam Conference?
• Explain why Lt. Col. Weller refers to the decision to use the atomic bomb as a “non-decision.” Did American leaders think it would automatically end the war?
• What did some of the scientists who created the atomic bomb suggest might be an alternative to dropping the atomic bomb on Japan? Explain why this option was rejected.
• Why were Hiroshima and Nagasaki chosen as targets for the atomic bomb?
• Describe what the United States did not fully understand about the atomic bomb at that point.
• What was considered the “triple punch” to Japan? What was the result?