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For almost four years,
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American soldiers and Marines
in the Pacific
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have struggled across beaches,
through jungles
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and atop mountains to subdue
a nation that refuses to surrender.
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The effort has been immense.
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More is required.
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In the spring of 1945,
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the United States
will start the final push
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to defeat the Japanese empire.
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All wars changed the world,
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but none of them changed the world
like the Second World War did.
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Japan's on the march,
Germany's on the march.
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No one can imagine the nightmare
they're about to unleash.
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The most destructive war
in human history.
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Suddenly the world
is turned upside down
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and all hell is let loose.
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The West is stunned by
the speed of the advance.
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You get the allies
led by the big three:
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Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin.
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Men who are dealing with immensely
complicated questions.
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It's the biggest military
operation of human history.
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The allies have to come together,
not just militarily,
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but industrial scale.
It's a global perspective.
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They have to fight
in every climate,
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from the Arctic
to the jungles of the Pacific,
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to the deserts of Africa
and the depths of the ocean.
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But there was no
certainty of victory.
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It was going to be
a horrific bloodbath.
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We see humans
at their absolute worst,
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how they treat other human beings,
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and we see them
at their absolute best,
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willing to give their lives
that others might live.
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World War II was a struggle
in which there could be one victor
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and vanquished.
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With the Rhine's west bank secured,
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Britain expects other crossings
of Germany's river of destiny,
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{\an8}after a law to build up
our own strength,
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{\an8}and after that, the end of the
European war should not be far off.
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In America
in the spring of 1945,
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there is hope that the war
in Europe is nearing its end.
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Husbands and fathers,
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boyfriends and brothers
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might finally be coming home.
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It is front and centre
on the American mind.
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{\an8}How quickly can we get to Berlin
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{\an8}and get the soldiers home?
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The public get this sort of
an attitude that, you know,
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hey, the war's almost over.
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They'll be coming home,
but it's almost like a marathon
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{\an8}and you see the finish line
in the distance,
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{\an8}and so you know you can give one
last kick and then somebody says,
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"Actually there's another
three miles to go."
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Victory in Europe
seems within reach.
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Victory over Tokyo
remains on the far horizon.
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For months, hundreds of B-29s
have been striking Japanese cities
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to marginal effect.
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The army air forces believed
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{\an8}that a sufficient amount of
pinpoint bombing from high altitude
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would take out Japanese industry
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and make it impossible for them
to continue the war.
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It didn't work.
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Bombing from 30,000 feet,
the winds were too strong,
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blew the bombs all over the place.
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Under the command
of General Curtis LeMay,
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the Air Force alters its tactics.
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On March 9th, 1945,
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LeMay's B-29s will attack Tokyo from
only 5,000 feet using a new weapon.
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Bombs filled with napalm.
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Napalm is this gel combined with
gasoline that will stick to things
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and then it catches fire and it
makes it very, very hard to put out.
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{\an8}It's for starting fires that are
designed to just go out of control.
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And the reason it's gonna be
so destructive is that Tokyo is
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{\an8}mostly made of wooden paper
and this is just going to explode.
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{\an8}It'll be incredibly inflammable.
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The argument was that
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if you destroy the housing units
of the Japanese workers,
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they wouldn't be able to go to work
and build the planes and tanks.
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They needed to continue
the conflict.
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But the outcome
was absolutely horrific.
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It is just complete
devastation in Tokyo.
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100,000 people were killed.
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We think of Dresden as
being the worst single moment
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in the European Theatre
of Operations.
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The fire storm at Dresden,
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25,000 were lost there,
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but in Tokyo
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there's a 100,000 killed
in a single operation.
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The whole city was a sea of fire.
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It was so hot
that canals start to boil
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and the fires eat up so much of
the oxygen that a lot of the people
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who die asphyxiate
because there's no oxygen left.
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A huge proportion of the city
is simply gone in one night.
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The destruction is immense.
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16 square miles of Tokyo
are obliterated.
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After this one raid, a million
Japanese no longer have a home.
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It's unprecedented.
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General LeMay later I recall that
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{\an8}he would've been tried
as a war criminal
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{\an8}if United States lost in the war.
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To survey the damage,
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Emperor Hirohito emerges from his
bunker beneath the Imperial Palace.
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{\an8}Emperor Hirohito has been pretty
isolated throughout the war,
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but he does have a sense
that the war is not exactly
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going as his generals
and admirals are telling him.
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So when the fire bombing
in Tokyo happened,
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that only intensifies his desire
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to start looking for ways
to end the war.
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For Emperor Hirohito,
the big concern is not what might
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happen to the ordinary
Japanese people,
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but if the Americans
make it onto Japanese soil,
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what might happen to him?
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What might happen
to the imperial line
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that goes back centuries in Japan?
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He says,
"I can't possibly face my ancestors
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having sacrificed the throne."
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The emperor of Japan
is considered to be divine
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with immense authority
over his people.
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But Hirohito rarely
exerts that authority
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in political or military matters.
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There's the committee for the
supreme direction of the war,
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which is six people,
two people from the army,
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two people from the navy, the prime
minister and the foreign minister.
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{\an8}Those six are the only six that
had any real say within Japan.
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The civilian leaders understood
they couldn't win the war,
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but the military
are determined to fight on.
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Japanese military leaders
have lived their whole life
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under a professional code.
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{\an8}That surrender is so dishonourable
you would rather die,
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{\an8}no matter what the suffering,
the warrior does not surrender.
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For all the firebombing,
for all the destruction
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already rained on Japan,
there's no sign of surrender.
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The American high command
now believes that the Japanese
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would not surrender
short of an invasion
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and occupation of the Japanese
home islands.
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The United States is gathering
its forces for the next phase
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of its assault on Imperial Japan.
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The capture of Okinawa,
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the largest island
on the Ryukyu chain.
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Okinawa is just 400 miles
south of Kyushu,
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which is the most southerly
of the Japanese home islands,
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and therefore can be used
to launch an invasion fleet.
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So Okinawa is absolutely
vital to the Americans.
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Okinawa would be defended
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by about 100,000
Japanese frontline troops
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and also native Okinawan
militia forces.
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They know that the Americans
have overwhelming superiority
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in the air and at sea.
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The plan for the defence
of Okinawa
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is don't go for a Banzai charge.
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Instead, they will prepare
these defensive fortifications,
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let the Americans come to them
and take them out that way.
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Using native
Okinawans as forced labour,
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the Japanese build a network
of bunkers and tunnels.
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And the idea
was kill four, five Americans
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before you are killed yourself.
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The Japanese overall strategy
is to make the Americans pay
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so much for Okinawa that an invasion
of the Japanese home islands
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would be unthinkable.
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The garrison on Okinawa
is only half the Japanese strategy
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for defending the island.
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The other element of the plan
is to use kamikaze,
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but in far greater numbers
than ever been used before.
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The Japanese recognise that
when the Americans conduct
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these amphibious landing operations,
the ships offshore are the lifeline
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that's keeping the battalions ashore
in the fight.
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{\an8}So they came up with this idea
of these organised waves
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{\an8}of kamikaze attacks.
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And if you launch 300
kamikaze at the American fleet
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and you take out seven aircraft
carriers or something,
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that is a war-changing thing.
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The Battle of Okinawa
starts with the largest invasion
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of the war in the Pacific.
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A massive effort combining
naval, air and ground support.
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60,000 soldiers and marines are
bound for Okinawa's western beaches.
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The invasion force
will land on Hagushi Bay,
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then the Marines will sweep north,
and the army south,
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to take control of
the entire island.
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The biggest danger
in an amphibious operation
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is the actual landing because
you are incredibly vulnerable.
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You are out in the open.
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The combat troops going up first.
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Both Marine and Army have been
told to expect up to 80% casualties.
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So if you've drawn the unlucky straw
of being one of the first units,
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you're pretty convinced not
many of you're gonna survive.
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They get to the beaches
start walking up it,
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body's tense waiting
for the bullets to come...
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...and there is nothing.
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They're experiencing
virtually no opposition.
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And so there was a thought that
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hey, maybe Okinawa's not gonna turn
out to be a big bloodbath after all.
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The first few days go
very well for the landing forces.
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They cut across all the way
to the other side of the island
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against minimal opposition.
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It's looking too good
to be true at this stage.
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Military leaders believed
that Japan must fight to protect
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the honour of the country.
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00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:13,920
And these kamikaze pilots
are the chosen ones
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00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:17,680
to go to this divine mission
to protect their homeland.
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00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:22,400
They really believe that that
would turn the tide of the war.
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The pilots are young,
many of them are teenagers,
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they're ill-trained.
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They don't even have enough
fuel to come back from this flight
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if they wanted to.
They know they're going to die.
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So when they get to the first
American ship they see,
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they attack.
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00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:01,000
For the first five days
of the invasion of Okinawa,
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there's no opposition to the massive
US fleet surrounding the island.
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But just after noon on April 6th,
the Japanese arrive in force.
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{\an8}Imagine we're on the bridge
of one of these destroyers
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{\an8}80 miles north of Okinawa.
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00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:28,320
The kamikaze come from starboard,
from port, from high, from low.
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00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:36,440
So you feel like you're in a boxing
ring with about five other boxers
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00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:38,280
attacking you from every direction.
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00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:49,480
{\an8}Hundreds of kamikaze at a time
thrown against the invading fleet.
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00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:51,400
They thought with the sheer numbers,
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00:13:51,560 --> 00:13:53,320
they could take out
the capital ships;
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that's battleships
and aircraft carriers
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00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:58,000
and drive off the US fleet
in its entirety.
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00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:03,200
The kamikaze don't
really have much success
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00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:05,320
against aircraft carriers...
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00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:14,080
...but 300 ships
are targeted by the kamikazes.
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More than 36 of them sink.
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It is more devastating than
any conventional bombing attack
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has been in the war so far,
but it's not enough.
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{\an8}What the kamikaze tells me is that
the Japanese knew the war was lost,
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at least by conventional means.
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There's nothing more dangerous
in warfare than a cornered enemy.
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The Japanese
are gonna go down in flames
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00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:45,520
but will never surrender, never.
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For the US Navy,
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00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:50,000
the battle against the kamikaze
at Okinawa
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is bloodier than any
previous confrontation
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00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:55,720
of the entire Pacific War.
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And American ground forces
are now facing
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increasing resistance as well.
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00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:06,720
The force that had landed on
the beaches is pushing south toward
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00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:08,760
a place called Kakazu Ridge
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00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:11,800
{\an8}where they encounter
the first line of Japanese defences.
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It's the first time the
Americans meet serious opposition
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and it stops them dead.
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00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:28,760
The Japanese have created
a defensive system that goes
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right across the whole
width of the island,
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so they can't be out-flanked.
244
00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:37,720
American troops endure
days of non-stop enemy fire.
245
00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:45,080
This is attritional,
grizzly, meat grinding fighting,
246
00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:48,600
and that's just the first line
of defence.
247
00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:51,160
There are gonna be
many more beyond this.
248
00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:54,880
What we thought was gonna
be a cakewalk is anything but.
249
00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:00,320
April 12th.
250
00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:04,120
The American people learn
Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
251
00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:07,720
the man they elected four times
is dead.
252
00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:15,200
Vice president Harry S. Truman,
a former judge and senator
253
00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:17,960
from Missouri
is sworn in hours later.
254
00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:22,280
Roosevelt had led the country
through the Great Depression
255
00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:24,080
and through the war.
256
00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:28,480
In the 82 days that Truman
had been vice president,
257
00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:31,760
{\an8}he met with Roosevelt all of twice.
258
00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:35,440
He really knows nothing about
what's going on with the war effort.
259
00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:37,120
{\an8}He didn't think
he was up to the job
260
00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:39,680
{\an8}and there are people
who would say he was right.
261
00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:42,280
The new president
is immediately confronted
262
00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:44,120
with enormous challenges.
263
00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:48,040
It's important for the wartime
president to demonstrate
264
00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:51,080
{\an8}that he has a plan for bringing
this war to a successful conclusion
265
00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:53,200
{\an8}and as rapidly as possible.
266
00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:55,800
It's clear to the American
population that Germany
267
00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:59,440
is on its last legs,
but Japan is still fighting hard.
268
00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:01,040
The question really is,
269
00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:04,440
{\an8}how many American lives am
I going to lose to end this war?
270
00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,560
That's the whole ball game
for Harry Truman.
271
00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:16,360
Truman meets with
Secretary of War Henry Stimson
272
00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:18,920
and Army General Leslie Groves.
273
00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:21,360
The agenda is classified.
274
00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:23,920
They hand Truman a document.
275
00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:25,640
Truman opens it up and reads it
276
00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,120
and the memo begins
with these dramatic words.
277
00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,360
"Within four months, we shall,
in all probability, have completed
278
00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:35,840
the most terrible weapon
ever known in human history,
279
00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:40,160
one bomb which can
destroy a whole city."
280
00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:45,640
The Manhattan Project,
the top secret American program
281
00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:48,400
to develop the world's
first atomic bombs.
282
00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:53,960
For three years, thousands
of scientists and engineers
283
00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:57,520
have worked on the most powerful
weapon in history.
284
00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:00,120
It is set to be tested mid-summer.
285
00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:03,880
Truman and his commanders
are ready to pay any price
286
00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:06,080
to bring this war to an end.
287
00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:08,720
But an invasion of
the Japanese home islands
288
00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:10,880
will be bloody
on an unimaginable scale.
289
00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:13,680
Higher losses than
any previous campaign,
290
00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:16,720
either in the Pacific War
or in the war in Europe.
291
00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:23,400
The Manhattan project, the attempt
to develop atomic weapons.
292
00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:26,040
{\an8}If that proves to be successful,
293
00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:30,440
if those tests prove out,
then that is an alternative.
294
00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:43,920
The war in Europe is over.
295
00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:46,160
The Nazi Third Reich
has been destroyed.
296
00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:54,440
But for war-weary America
and its allies,
297
00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:58,640
the war in the Pacific continues,
298
00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:01,640
and many of the men
who helped defeat Germany
299
00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:05,040
may now be required to fight Japan.
300
00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:07,360
{\an8}At this point,
people in the military knew
301
00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:10,280
{\an8}that a lot of these units are
gonna need to be transferred.
302
00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:13,520
Just because the war in Europe
is over, don't get excited.
303
00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:16,040
We're gonna need those troops
in the Pacific.
304
00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:23,320
After two months
of ceaseless combat,
305
00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:25,960
Marine and Army units break through
306
00:19:26,120 --> 00:19:29,080
the main Japanese defensive line
on Okinawa.
307
00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:32,760
Japanese troops
are forced to retreat
308
00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:36,640
and attempt a last stand
on the Kiyan Peninsula.
309
00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,320
By this point,
the Japanese soldiers on Okinawa
310
00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:40,680
{\an8}are low on ammunition,
311
00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:42,840
{\an8}they are starving,
they're exhausted,
312
00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,520
but they realise that the next step
for the allies after Okinawa
313
00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:48,000
is the home islands.
314
00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:51,240
They are all that stand between
the allies and their families,
315
00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:52,640
their homes.
316
00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,840
They are the last line of defence
and everyone is depending on them.
317
00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:05,760
Although the Americans
have gained ground...
318
00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:11,320
...the more you push and the more
terrain that has been captured,
319
00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:14,200
{\an8}the more dangerous and costly
the battle is becoming.
320
00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:18,480
But the Americans know
we're making progress.
321
00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:20,400
{\an8}If war is a clash of wills,
322
00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:23,400
the United States is a nation
willing to fight it out to the end.
323
00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:30,680
Organised resistance on Okinawa
ends On June 22nd.
324
00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:34,000
The Japanese army's
commanding general
325
00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:38,880
and his chief of staff both
commit suicide by ritual seppuku.
326
00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:42,280
100,000 Japanese
servicemen are killed.
327
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,320
{\an8}On the American side, the casualties
are 50,000 killed and wounded.
328
00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:51,840
These are the worst of battle
casualties in the Pacific War
329
00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:53,000
for the Americans,
330
00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:58,040
worse than all of that are
the number of civilians killed.
331
00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:00,280
Up to 125,000,
332
00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:04,160
which is a third of the population
caught in the crossfire.
333
00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:06,040
This is just Okinawa.
334
00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:08,400
What happens when we
get to their home islands?
335
00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:11,360
The cost is gonna be enormous.
336
00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:15,440
This war ain't over.
It's not even close to being over.
337
00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:23,280
American leaders understand
the Battle of Okinawa
338
00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:25,920
is a frightening preview
of what to expect
339
00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:28,880
when Japan's home islands
are invaded.
340
00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:30,960
{\an8}Truman has a meeting
with General Marshall
341
00:21:31,120 --> 00:21:34,000
{\an8}and the joint chiefs of staff
on Operation Downfall;
342
00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:36,880
the invasion of the Japanese
home islands.
343
00:21:37,040 --> 00:21:39,720
This plan goes back to
the Roosevelt presidency.
344
00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:41,360
Planning is going forward
345
00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:45,080
and the most interested person
at the meeting is George Marshall.
346
00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:48,040
He wants Truman to sign off on it.
347
00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:50,800
{\an8}Operation Downfall will be
a two-pronged operation,
348
00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:52,920
{\an8}the first called Operation Olympic.
349
00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,480
The idea of Operation Olympic is to
invade the southern island of Kyushu
350
00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:02,400
and seize naval bases and air bases
while pushing Japanese forces north.
351
00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:04,760
The critical phase, though,
of Operation Downfall
352
00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:07,000
is what's code-named
Operation Coronet.
353
00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:10,040
It's the invasion of Honshu,
which is where Tokyo itself sits.
354
00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:11,600
So this would inevitably end
355
00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:15,000
in either the destruction
or capture of the Japanese capital.
356
00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:19,280
Think about the scale of
Operation Downfall as a whole.
357
00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:20,760
5 million men involved,
358
00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,280
up to a million British
and Commonwealth troops,
359
00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,880
4 million American troops,
and this is gonna dwarf D-Day
360
00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,560
in the logistics and the naval of
forces that are gonna be involved.
361
00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:33,120
Then the forces that
are actually gonna land
362
00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:36,400
and most importantly of all is gonna
dwarf the number of casualties.
363
00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:40,560
If the allies
had to invade Japan,
364
00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:44,120
that would be the largest amphibious
assault ever undertaken.
365
00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:48,920
And the Americans were gonna
bear almost the entire weight of it,
366
00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:51,560
and the President understood that
367
00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:53,880
better than most of
the American public did.
368
00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:57,960
Truman specifically
says to his chiefs of staff,
369
00:22:58,120 --> 00:23:01,080
I don't want an Okinawa from
one end of Japan to the other.
370
00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:08,480
So Truman, in June of '45,
371
00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:12,760
is looking at a brutal final act
against Japan.
372
00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:14,920
{\an8}But it is very important
to Harry Truman
373
00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,160
{\an8}that he always be
seen as the decider.
374
00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:19,920
The buck stops here.
375
00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:24,920
{\an8}Truman understands that this
war with Japan needs to end,
376
00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:27,120
the invasion looks horrible.
377
00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:30,480
But what's option B
in this situation?
378
00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:32,360
{\an8}Even at this late date in June,
379
00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:35,960
{\an8}there's no sense that the Manhattan
Project is going to work.
380
00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:38,320
They really don't know
if they have a bomb yet.
381
00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:41,440
And so Truman signs off
on Operation Downfall,
382
00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:44,160
the two big invasions of Japan.
383
00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:48,560
Stage one, Operation Olympic
is set for November 1st.
384
00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:50,160
The clock is ticking.
385
00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:59,200
The Japanese army's plan
is to fight to the bitter end
386
00:23:59,360 --> 00:24:04,120
{\an8}with a decisive and final battle
in the home islands.
387
00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:07,720
For a while now,
the Japanese army had been planning
388
00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:10,720
what they call Operation Ketsugo,
which means operation decisive.
389
00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:13,600
It's a plan to defend Kyushu.
They think they've got
390
00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:16,520
perhaps a million men that
they can put into the field.
391
00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:20,920
They also want to put civilians
into the field.
392
00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:24,240
Their idea is that they will
make things so terrifying,
393
00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:26,160
that it will stop the Americans
394
00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:28,760
trying to do anything anywhere else
in the home islands.
395
00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:33,360
Women and children were
going through the military drills
396
00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:35,840
{\an8}where everybody was
given a bamboo spear.
397
00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:42,960
They are essentially mobilising
everybody older than 12 years old...
398
00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:47,080
...to fight to the death.
399
00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,040
In July, for the first time,
President Truman
400
00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:05,280
meets with both British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill
401
00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:08,920
and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin
at Potsdam,
402
00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:12,560
formerly the home of Prussian kings
and the German Kaiser.
403
00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:15,560
Europe is devastated.
404
00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:20,360
It's a massive disaster zone.
405
00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:23,800
{\an8}The point of the Potsdam Conference
406
00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:26,560
{\an8}is for these three governments
to come together
407
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:29,520
and figure out how these countries
are gonna be rebuilt.
408
00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:34,320
{\an8}But Truman has his eyes on
a completely different problem.
409
00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:36,920
He huddles with
Secretary of War Stimson,
410
00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:38,880
and what are they talking about?
411
00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:40,960
They're talking about the Pacific.
412
00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:46,520
With Operation Downfall
months away,
413
00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:49,880
President Truman seeks
assurance that the Soviets
414
00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:53,760
will participate in the war
against Japan as pledged.
415
00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,840
{\an8}All this time, Japan and
the Soviet Union had been neutral.
416
00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:00,000
{\an8}They had not been at war
with one another.
417
00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:04,360
Stalin promised within 90 days
of the end of the war in Europe,
418
00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:06,240
he'll join the war against Japan.
419
00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:08,960
He promised that to Roosevelt
back at Yalta.
420
00:26:09,120 --> 00:26:10,960
So Truman hopes that's a go.
421
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,000
But at the start
of the conference,
422
00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:17,680
Stimson receives a coded cable
from the War Department.
423
00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:22,680
"Operated on this morning,
diagnosis not yet complete,
424
00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:24,760
but results seem satisfactory.
425
00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:27,000
Dr Groves is pleased."
426
00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:32,640
Truman now knew that the atomic bomb
had been detonated successfully.
427
00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:36,520
In this moment,
428
00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:39,040
we have this amazing window
into Truman's thinking,
429
00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:40,720
because he was keeping a diary.
430
00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:46,680
Truman realises this bomb could be
a short circuit to ending the war.
431
00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:52,680
{\an8}When Truman hears that
the atomic bomb actually works,
432
00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:54,800
{\an8}he knows they have to use it,
433
00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:56,640
but he wants to give the Japanese
434
00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:59,320
one last chance to surrender
before he does.
435
00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:03,760
President Truman, along
with Churchill and Chiang Kai-shek,
436
00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:08,960
the leader of the Republic of China,
issue the Potsdam Declaration,
437
00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:10,920
a warning to Japan of what awaits
438
00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:13,320
if they don't surrender
unconditionally.
439
00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:15,440
But Stimson suggests
440
00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:19,560
they consider allowing Hirohito
to keep his throne.
441
00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:23,240
Stimson understands the
constitutional and cultural position
442
00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:27,640
that the emperor plays in Japanese
life, this kind of demigod status.
443
00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:30,960
So he insists on inserting
into the declaration,
444
00:27:31,120 --> 00:27:34,000
assurance that they won't try
the emperor for war crimes.
445
00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:37,080
But beyond that, it will be
unconditional surrender,
446
00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:39,120
and no other terms
will be acceptable.
447
00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:42,920
Also in this document is wordage
448
00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:45,240
that does not mention
the atomic bomb,
449
00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:48,640
but it does say that if
unconditional surrender
450
00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:53,960
is not coming, the destruction was
going to be historic and massive.
451
00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:02,560
The Office of War Information
releases the Potsdam Declaration
452
00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,800
and the Japanese receive it
via radio from San Francisco.
453
00:28:08,360 --> 00:28:12,280
Prime Minister Suzuki
and Emperor Hirohito
454
00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:15,280
are of the opinion that
455
00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:21,440
{\an8}the Potsdam Declaration
is not really vindictive.
456
00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:26,080
They see some hope.
457
00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:29,440
Emperor Hirohito himself,
at this point,
458
00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:32,320
{\an8}he is open to accepting it, but he
459
00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:35,800
{\an8}understands his role as an emperor.
460
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:39,400
There are only certain times
for him to weigh in.
461
00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:41,240
The emperor
and the Peace Party
462
00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:43,040
are in an impossible position here.
463
00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:46,000
I mean, if they respond
positively to the ultimatum,
464
00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:47,600
the military might
turn against them,
465
00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:49,120
but if they completely ignore it,
466
00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:51,760
there's a danger that the Americans
are actually gonna carry out
467
00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:53,280
what they suggest.
468
00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:55,760
Two days later,
469
00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:59,880
Japan's Prime Minister Kantaro
Suzuki holds a press conference.
470
00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:04,680
When press asks
about Potsdam Declaration,
471
00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:07,440
Suzuki uses the word "mokusatsu."
472
00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:11,760
The best translation for that
is "no comment"
473
00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:15,400
or I'm not going to respond
to that question.
474
00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:20,920
However, the word mokusatsu can
also mean we're going to ignore it.
475
00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:24,000
I think the Japanese media,
they're very quick to interpret it
476
00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:25,920
in the most hostile
and negative way.
477
00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:28,760
Then the American media pick it up,
478
00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:32,440
{\an8}then that becomes the view of the
American administration as well
479
00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:36,320
that the Japanese are rejecting
the Potsdam Declaration.
480
00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:39,920
And to Truman, the Japanese
response is plain and clear.
481
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:43,840
He believes that the Japanese
told him to go to hell.
482
00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:57,600
By early 1945,
483
00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:02,360
Tinian Island in the Marianas
is the largest air base on Earth.
484
00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:06,960
Hundreds of B-29s have taken off
485
00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:09,600
from its multiple runways
to bomb Japan.
486
00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:19,800
But there's a very mysterious
restricted area
487
00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:21,720
at one part of the base.
488
00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,600
{\an8}No one really knows
what's going on up there.
489
00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:29,120
{\an8}It belongs to some unit called
the 509th Composite Group.
490
00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:33,480
These are the preparations
for the arrival of the atomic bomb.
491
00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:39,280
Components for the atomic
bombs are delivered in late July
492
00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:42,720
and carefully assembled
over the following days.
493
00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:48,040
{\an8}So the Manhattan Project was
able to produce enough uranium
494
00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:49,960
{\an8}and plutonium for three bombs.
495
00:30:50,120 --> 00:30:52,200
And after the Trinity test,
496
00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:55,080
the Americans only had
two bombs in the arsenal.
497
00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:58,200
Truman makes
the decision to drop the bomb.
498
00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:00,560
He legitimately wants
to save US casualties
499
00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,120
and bring this war
to an end rapidly.
500
00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:07,200
{\an8}At the same time, he wants to assert
his authority as president.
501
00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:16,680
It is one of the most
consequential decisions that...
502
00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:21,120
{\an8}...any nation has ever made,
503
00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:27,120
and no one knows
what was gonna happen.
504
00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:30,680
But President Truman did understand
505
00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:33,600
that this was of a different
scale and scope.
506
00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:37,480
He compares it to the biblical flood
in his diary,
507
00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:41,880
"As the world was once destroyed
by water for Noah,
508
00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:45,240
perhaps now it'll be destroyed
by fire and destruction."
509
00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:53,080
By design, the target
of the first atomic bomb is a city
510
00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:55,520
relatively unscathed by the war.
511
00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:01,240
American military leaders
want the Japanese to understand
512
00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:04,960
the awful destructive power
of this new weapon.
513
00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:08,160
That morning in Hiroshima
is an ordinary morning.
514
00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:09,760
People are going
about their business.
515
00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:12,000
Some people are going
into the factories to work.
516
00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:14,520
{\an8}They're still wondering why
they've not yet been bombed
517
00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:17,280
and they're expecting it
more or less any day.
518
00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:20,280
And then people see
this light in the sky,
519
00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:24,120
sun shining off a single aircraft.
520
00:32:56,440 --> 00:33:00,280
{\an8}The first thing is
the flashing light
521
00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:02,520
{\an8}as if sun explodes,
522
00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:06,240
then a noise and a shock.
523
00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:15,360
The people who were near
the epicentre evaporate.
524
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:19,560
The casualties mount
until you get between 90,000
525
00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:22,240
and 160,000 people who've died.
526
00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:27,520
The dominant image that
survivors give of Hiroshima
527
00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:29,920
is of one of the Buddhist hells.
528
00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:38,040
One thing really difficult
for historians to jive with
529
00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:41,720
is this idea that Truman
has chosen military targets
530
00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:45,160
and he writes even in his diary, the
words, "And not women and children."
531
00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:48,440
We'll never really know.
532
00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:51,760
Did he really feel that
this was a military target
533
00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:55,120
or was he writing that in his diary
understanding that
534
00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:59,520
history for generations
was gonna judge him for this?
535
00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:05,600
Truman is at sea
coming home from Potsdam
536
00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:07,920
when he received the news.
537
00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:10,640
Later that same day,
he goes on the airwaves to address
538
00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:13,480
the American people and to tell them
what has just happened.
539
00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:17,600
He says it's a new type of bomb
that America has used it
540
00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:20,640
and will continue to use it
until Japan surrenders.
541
00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:23,760
If they do not now
accept our terms,
542
00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:26,720
they may expect a rain of ruin
from the air,
543
00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:29,840
the like of which has never
been seen on this earth.
544
00:34:36,160 --> 00:34:41,200
Even with Hiroshima in ruins,
Japanese leaders do not surrender.
545
00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:44,240
The peace camp
pushed for immediate acceptance
546
00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:46,720
of the Potsdam Declaration,
547
00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:50,560
but the military side insists
on continuing the war.
548
00:34:50,720 --> 00:34:55,400
The reasoning is that may be
the only atomic bomb that they had.
549
00:34:55,560 --> 00:34:57,600
So they're still at the stalemate.
550
00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:01,800
And then the Soviet Union
declares war on Japan.
551
00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:10,160
Just as Stalin promised,
552
00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:13,800
exactly 90 days after
the surrender of Germany,
553
00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:18,200
one and a half million Soviet troops
554
00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:22,880
pour across the border into
Japanese occupied Manchuria.
555
00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:25,520
The Japanese aren't
aware that for months the Soviets
556
00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:29,200
have amassed their armour
on the borders with Manchuria.
557
00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:32,200
But now the Russians
are rolling into Manchuria
558
00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:34,720
and they're rolling over
the Japanese.
559
00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,080
And now you've got the prospect
of the Soviets,
560
00:35:37,240 --> 00:35:39,160
not just making their way
into Manchuria,
561
00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:41,600
but possibly across to the Japanese
home islands.
562
00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:45,440
For Japan, it's a complete disaster.
563
00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:52,560
On the same day the Red Army
moves into Manchuria,
564
00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:58,160
B-29s appear over Nagasaki.
565
00:35:59,560 --> 00:36:01,840
One carries an atomic bomb.
566
00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:05,920
The US has
just one more atom bomb left.
567
00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:10,080
{\an8}But the whole idea is to give Japan
the impression
568
00:36:10,240 --> 00:36:12,400
{\an8}that the US has an unlimited stock
569
00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:16,280
and that if Japan won't surrender,
570
00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:20,520
the US will continue to unleash
atom bombs on Japan.
571
00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:28,440
Between 60 and 70,000 people
are killed instantly.
572
00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:42,840
Prime Minister Suzuki
convenes the war council
573
00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:47,760
{\an8}and the discussion is, are we gonna
accept the Potsdam Declaration?
574
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:50,680
And the answer
from the military is no.
575
00:36:53,800 --> 00:36:55,560
You've had two atomic bombs.
576
00:36:55,720 --> 00:36:58,080
You've had the Soviet
invasion of Manchuria,
577
00:36:58,240 --> 00:37:01,080
{\an8}and yet the Supreme War Council
is still split.
578
00:37:01,240 --> 00:37:03,040
The war faction, the military,
579
00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:06,320
they're absolutely not willing to
consider unconditional surrender.
580
00:37:06,480 --> 00:37:11,840
That's when Prime Minister
Suzuki makes the very important move
581
00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:16,200
{\an8}saying that we need
to ask the emperor.
582
00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:18,840
This is a standout moment.
583
00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:20,920
This is something you
would never normally do.
584
00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:23,280
There's a sense Hirohito
is semi-divine
585
00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:26,520
and shouldn't be troubled with
the decision making process.
586
00:37:26,680 --> 00:37:28,880
It's a really extraordinary step.
587
00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:32,880
But Hirohito, I think,
sees the gravity of the situation.
588
00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:35,880
{\an8}He sees that this is a moment
where it's his responsibility
589
00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:38,000
{\an8}to step up as the leader
effectively.
590
00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:41,960
And he says,
591
00:37:42,120 --> 00:37:46,960
"We must bear the unbearable
and suffer the insufferable.
592
00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:51,200
{\an8}We will end the war
and then move on."
593
00:38:02,240 --> 00:38:04,240
I have received this afternoon
594
00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:06,960
a message from the Japanese
government.
595
00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:11,960
I deem this reply, a full acceptance
of the Potsdam Declaration,
596
00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:16,520
which specifies the unconditional
surrender of Japan.
597
00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:19,600
And people go nuts.
598
00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:23,080
{\an8}Tens of thousands of people gather
at the gate of the White House.
599
00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:27,720
The world has been holding
its breath since the war began.
600
00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:33,640
Now it is over
and there is great celebration.
601
00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:37,960
One of the crucial factors
in ending this war is that you have
602
00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:40,800
{\an8}Harry Truman, an accidental
president who had to be briefed
603
00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:43,320
on the wartime situation
when he enters the Oval Office.
604
00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:49,760
And Hirohito, who has never
really made political decisions.
605
00:38:49,920 --> 00:38:54,720
They assert themselves and bring
the war to an end in August of 1945.
606
00:38:57,120 --> 00:39:03,120
Batan, Guadalcanal,
Iwo Jima, Okinawa,
607
00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:06,880
once obscure points on a map,
608
00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:10,240
now each place has a new meaning.
609
00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:19,040
In Japan on August 15th,
610
00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:23,920
Emperor Hirohito addresses a nation
that has never surrendered.
611
00:39:25,160 --> 00:39:27,800
Most Japanese had never
heard the emperor's voice before,
612
00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:31,160
but the Jewel Voice Broadcast
as it became known,
613
00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:35,720
is essential to getting most
Japanese used to the idea
614
00:39:35,880 --> 00:39:38,360
of laying their arms
and admitting surrender.
615
00:39:53,720 --> 00:39:55,920
When the Japanese
hear that the war is over,
616
00:39:56,080 --> 00:39:58,200
there has to be a combination
of feelings.
617
00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:00,960
{\an8}We sacrificed all these people,
all this money
618
00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:04,280
{\an8}and these cities of Japan,
and we lost.
619
00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:07,760
Shock, sadness,
620
00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:14,680
but also this incredible sense of
grief that we let the emperor down.
621
00:40:15,600 --> 00:40:17,800
Our lack of effort let
the emperor down.
622
00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:22,200
The Japanese accepted
the idea of surrender.
623
00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:24,520
The allies accepted
the idea of Hirohito
624
00:40:24,680 --> 00:40:28,520
remaining on the Japanese throne,
and that was the end of the war.
625
00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:32,280
September 2nd, 1945,
626
00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:36,280
on the deck of the USS Missouri
anchored in Tokyo Bay,
627
00:40:36,440 --> 00:40:40,120
the Japanese sign the instrument
of surrender,
628
00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:42,280
the largest conflict
in world history
629
00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:45,120
closes with a signature
and a speech.
630
00:40:46,360 --> 00:40:48,480
Douglas MacArthur
marks the occasion.
631
00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:52,080
"It is my earnest hope
and indeed the hope of all mankind,
632
00:40:52,240 --> 00:40:53,840
that from this solemn occasion,
633
00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:57,800
a better world shall emerge out of
the blood and carnage of the past."
634
00:40:57,960 --> 00:40:59,960
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