Should the United States have dropped the atomic bombs on Japan in August of 1945?
It
is August 1, 1945. The United States has been at war with Japan for almost four
full years, and is now contemplating the necessity of invading the main island
of Japan in order to complete its victory. President Truman has been informed
that the top-secret Manhattan Project had successfully built an atomic weapon,
potentially capable of destroying an entire city with one detonation. The
question before him is weather he ought to do so.
Members of the panel have been asked to convene on to
discuss options with the president and with each other. At that time, each of
you must submit a 2-3 page policy recommendation, based on “your”
experiences and expertise (that of your “character.”) During the panel, each
participant will deliver a 3 to 4 minute speech
introducing his or her position, and then will engage in an extended dialogue
about which position has the best chance of success. (All of this will be “in
role.”)
Policy recommendations ought to be carefully argued and
thoroughly supported. They ought to demonstrate clear understanding of the
political and foreign policy implications of their position, and ought to be
consistent with the character and politics of the assigned role. It is expected
that students will research their positions using all the resources at their
disposal: on-line sources, databases, and the library collection. Papers
submitted without footnotes (or endnotes) in the proper format will receive no
credit, and may not be re-written.
Roles
James Franck:
James F. Byrnes:
Douglas MacArthur:
Winston Churchill:
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