1945 / Japan

Fair Warning

Tags:: 1945,; Japan,; military,; nonproliferation,; nuclear weapons,; World War II

TO THE JAPANESE PEOPLE:

America asks that you take immediate heed of what we say on this leaflet.

We are in possession of the most destructive explosive ever devised by man. A single one of our newly developed atomic bombs is actually the equivalent in explosive power to what two thousand of our giant B-29s can carry on a single mission. This awful fact is one for you to ponder, and we solemnly assure you it is grimly accurate.

We have just begun to use this weapon against your homeland. If you still have any doubt, make inquiry as to what happened to Hiroshima when just one atomic bomb fell on that city.

Before using this bomb to destroy every resource of the military by which they are prolonging this useless war, we ask that you now petition the emperor to end the war. Our president has outlined for you the thirteen consequences of an honorable surrender. We urge that you accept these consequences and begin the work of building a new, better, and peace-loving Japan.

You should take steps now to cease military resistance. Otherwise, we shall resolutely employ this bomb and all our other superior weapons to promptly and forcefully end the war.

EVACUATE YOUR CITIES

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Chilling. Who wrote this? "This awful fact is one for you to ponder, and we solemnly assure you it is grimly accurate."

Posted by Alexis Madrigal on Mon 7 Dec 2009
Actually, I answered the question myself. It was the Office of War Information in Saipan:
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/docs/v46i3a07p.htm

Posted by Alexis Madrigal on Mon 7 Dec 2009
Chilling indeed. Presumably in Japanese, at least. But imagine that it's Iran showering these down on the US: would anyone take it seriously? Does anyone ever take dire threats seriously? Was there any hope these people could/would really leave? I think not.

Posted by Ellen Wallace, editor, GenevaLunch.com on Tue 8 Dec 2009
"Fair Warning"? Seems clear that this leaflet was dropped after Hiroshima.

Posted by Theophylact on Tue 8 Dec 2009
I guess they meant "Fair Warning" to the people of Nagasaki, as they already mention Hiroshima in the leaflet.

Posted by Tim on Tue 8 Dec 2009
If it was for the people of Nagasaki, that only begs the question: was there one for the people of Hiroshima as well?

Posted by James on Wed 9 Dec 2009
As some other comments have pointed out, the description for this post on the front page is inaccurate describing this unethical little conscience-clearing scribble--which was clearly written after thousands of people were murdered needlessly at Hiroshima.

Posted by John Gesang on Fri 18 Dec 2009

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Published In

States of War

About the Text

On August 6, 1945, the day the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima, the U.S. Army Air Forces dropped thousands of these leaflets on Japan.

The nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting done by fools.