June 3, 1945
Rochester, New York
Dear Diary,
My name is Anabelle Rogers. I’m 9 years old and yesterday was my birthday. My father, James Rogers, is a captain is the US Army. He was commissioned when the US joined the war after Pearl Harbor and immediately was sent by General MacArthur to the Pacific front. Mother was devastated and barely left her bed. As the oldest girl, I take care of the house, cook the meals, and watch the children. Jack, age 13, is an apprentice to a carpenter to make money. Lucy, age 6, helps around the house especially with Johnny, age 1. Little William, age 3, is just a nuisance and only behaves when Jack comes home late at night. I wish mother would cheer up soon. Father has been gone almost 6 months already, and mother only gets out of her bed for church on Sundays.
So long for now,Anabelle
August 7, 1945
Dear Diary,
It has been another 2 months, and mother still rarely leaves her room. Yesterday, Jack ran home waving the New York Times (from August 6) in the air. After Lucy, little William, and Johnny were asleep, Jack brought me to Mother’s room and read it to us. It said, “First atomic bomb dropped on Japan; Missile is equal to 20,000 tons of TNT; Truman warns foe of a ‘rain of ruin’.” (Shalett). I didn’t fully understand what the article meant so Jack explained. He said that the Japanese weren’t surrendering like the Nazis so President Truman dropped a big bomb on Japan to show how strong the US is. As Jack continued to read the newspaper out loud, I started to drift to sleep thinking about how President Truman was right to drop the bomb on Japan. I mean it supposedly saved millions of lives, showed the true destruction of the bomb, and President Truman did warn the Japanese. So for all intents and purposes, the president was right.
Everyone knows that the next step for making Japan surrender was to invade the island itself. Knowing the ruthlessness of the Japanese leaders many estimate that it would have killed at least 2 million American soldiers, Japanese soldiers, Japanese citizens, and Allies soldiers combined. Without a doubt I know that my father would have been sent there to fight for his country. I can’t imagine life without Papa. He keeps Jack and I going everyday while Mother is upstairs. He is the reason that I have this diary. He is the life of the family. If the bomb hadn’t been drop, Japan would have been invaded and millions killed. Not only would my family have been ‘destroyed’ but also the families of all the other soldiers and innocent people that would have lost their lives. Thank you, President Truman for saving my father and all the other men and women.
Jack told me that only the US had an atomic bomb. Good or bad? I think it is good; this way now people know how deadly it is. So in the future, people know what will happen. I mean seriously it is equivalent to “more power than 20,000 pounds of TNT, a destructive force equal to a load of 2,000 B-29’s , and more than 2,000 times the blast power of what previously was the world’s most devastating bomb” (Shalett). The government still doesn’t know what exactly happened due to a cloud of smoke and dust that arose. But they do have information from a test they did in New Mexico. The results were as follows: a steel tower vaporized, 40,000 foot cloud rushed to the sky, and 2 observers were knocked down from 10,000 yards away. Amazing? Yea! I feel bad for the innocent people, but the Japanese government had a chance to surrender but they didn’t or at least that is what Jack said.
Apparently, the Japanese were warned. On July 26, there was an ultimatum made up for the Japanese in Potsdam. The Japanese leaders rejected the ultimatum. President Truman then said, “If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air the like of which has never been seen on this earth." (Shalett). The rain of ruin is the atomic bomb that was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan. The ultimatum was terms of surrendering for the Japanese empire and also said that if the Japanese didn’t surrender than they would face utter destruction. So in all fairness, the Japanese are to be blamed for the bomb because they could have surrendered and the bomb would have never had to have been dropped. But no, they didn’t so President Truman was just following up on his word.
Well Little William and Johnny just woke up from their naps and will need to eat soon.
Anabelle
August 17, 1945
Dear Diary,
Jack came home waving a letter from Papa today. He’s coming home soon!!! He said that the Japanese had surrender officially on August 15 after the second atomic bomb was dropped and the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded its empire. President Truman was right to drop the bomb!!! He saved millions of lives including my father’s, had warned the Japanese officials that if they didn’t surrender they would face utter destruction, and showed the world the true destruction of the atomic bomb when no one could quickly retaliate back on the US. And the president’s plan worked; Japan surrendered after they saw how powerful the US is. The dropping of the atomic bomb will be remembered forever and will always be debated. But what the future Americans won’t understand is the life and reasons behind the decision that aren’t facts: the feeling that your father is away to war and only the atomic bomb could save him, the pressure of President Truman to either drop the bomb and save millions of lives or not to drop it because of how powerful it will be. Future years will only know the facts behind it not the emotional aspects. But no matter what they look at, they should know that President Truman made the right decision based on the facts and emotional dealings in the situation.
Well better let mother know about the letter and I think something’s burning in the kitchen. Plus Jack needs to get back to work and little William and Johnny need a nap. After that’s all done, Lucy can help me do the afternoon chores; then I have to help her with her lessons.
I hope Papa comes back soon so Mother will come out of her room and resume her role of taking care of the family. I mean seriously I’m only 9 and I have to act and do everything a 20 year old would do. But I love my family so it is kind of worth it.
Anabelle
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