The Fall of Japan: A Chronicle of the End of an Empire, by William Craig (HC, 1997, $3.50)- Avail. soon, maybe the 22nd. (I have decided to reread it myself first)
During the final weeks of WWII Japan had to decide whether to surrender or fight on to the bitter end. The first atomic bomb had been dropped, with the mission going perfectly. Now it was The Fat Man's turn to be dropped over Nagasaki, and nothing went right. Among other things, there was a thick fog over the targets, all of them, and their fuel was low. Would they make it home?
The Emperor, the generals, and his cabinet were gathered to decide about surrender. Amazingly I felt compassion when Hirohito announced his wish that Japan surrender, with "I cannot bear to see my innocent people struggle any longer." For sure, not all of them were innocent, but a lot of them were.
Meanwhile a group of young officers had attempted to overthrow the government and continue the war. Of course the surrender did take place, but did you know the plane taking the Japanese delegation, and the surrender papers, back to Japan had to crash land in the ocean? Those delegates were not having a good day.
What did Admiral Perry's 1853 flag have to do with all this? And how, logistically, did the allies take over control of Japan? How did the arriving Americans feel, and what about the Japanese? This is all fascinating stuff. I know, because I ended up reading the whole book. I didn't plan to, but it was impossible to put down.
Look for this book in the WWII section.
