
An Atomic Anniversary in the City the Bomb Spared - aaronbrethorst
https://www.citylab.com/life/2019/08/atomic-bomb-anniversary-hiroshima-nagasaki-kokura-japan/595825/
======
codesushi42
Kyoto was in fact the first target for the atomic bomb:

[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33755182](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-
asia-33755182)

 _After holding a discussion with the President, Mr Stimson wrote in his diary
on 24 July 1945 that "he was particularly emphatic in agreeing with my
suggestion that if elimination was not done, the bitterness which would be
caused by such a wanton act might make it impossible during the long post-war
period to reconcile the Japanese to us in that area rather than to the
Russians"._

~~~
Causality1
I often wonder how big a role the need to keep occupied Japan out of the hands
of Russia had on the scheduling of the atomic bombings. Allowing an East
Germany situation to befall Japan would've had dire consequences for the
latter half of the 20th century, but it does beg the question of whether
allowing more time for the first bombing to sink in could have prevented the
need for a second. Given the staggering casualty levels the Japanese
government at the time was preparing to take to defend the home islands,
perhaps not, but one does wonder.

~~~
NikkiA
> Allowing an East Germany situation to befall Japan would've had dire
> consequences for the latter half of the 20th century

This is a comment that works in retrospect, but at the time the carving up of
east europe to soviet and western forces, and the division of berlin was seen
as the _solution_ to de-nazifying germany and eastern europe, not something
horrific. The horror of east germany was still years, a decade and more, from
being learnt.

The US may have desired the lion's share of pacific territory under their
control, but the cold war had not begun yet.

