On August 6th 1945 the United States of America struck Japan with the first atomic bomb they codenamed “Little Boy”. It fell on Hiroshima killing approximately 80,000 people instantly and injuring many more due to radiation exposure. This day in history is infamous throughout the world. It is still debated whether it was truly necessary, but Stalin’s role in this reality-changing event is rarely acknowledged.
Officially why America did it
In history textbooks and YouTube videos the reason the U.S. decided to hit civilians with this new form of devastating weapon breaks down as follows.
- Trying to conquer Japan on foot would have been a nightmare leading to multiple hundreds of thousands of U.S. casualties. It would have been a winable, but costly meat grinder. Thus, terrifying the Japanese into surrender seemed like a better strategy.
- They wanted to scare the Soviet Union and start the Cold War off on a win streak. The nuclear blasts did scare the Russians into immediately preparing their own nuclear project.
There are other theories of a bit more conspiratorial nature like “scientific curiosity needed to be satiated” but it boils down to breaking Japan and scarring the Russians. But why did they want to scare the Russians via Japan? Because Stalin already had plans drawn up to take all of Japan.
Plans for a Soviet Japan
At the tail-end of World War II, as Allied victories piled up against Axis powers, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin contemplated a particularly ambitious plan that involved an invasion of Hokkaido—the northernmost main island of Japan. Although this scheme never came to fruition, it remains a major “what if” of history and one quiet reason why Truman dropped the bomb.
By May 1945, Nazi Germany had been defeated, leaving Japan isolated and weakened. At the Yalta Conference earlier that year, the Allies agreed that the Soviet Union would enter the Pacific Theater within three months of Germany’s surrender. True to form, on August 9, 1945, Soviet forces began their campaign in northeastern Asia, swiftly advancing into Manchuria, Korea, and Sakhalin Island. The Japanese had spent most their resources fighting the Americans in the Pacific and were utterly crushed by the battle-hardened Red Army. The Russians had better logistics, better equipment, better experience, better leadership etc. The Japanese could only repeatedly fall back or surrender.
With this success fresh in mind, Stalin turned his sights on Hokkaido. He saw potential advantages in securing another strategically important territory adjacent to the Russian Far East—a move that could have bolstered Soviet influence significantly.
The Soviets had major security concerns regarding Japan. Control over Hokkaido would provide a foothold closer to mainland Japan, giving the Soviets greater leverage in negotiations concerning the fate of the Japanese Empire. Japan and Russia had been at odds for generations. With memories of past wars looming large, especially Tokyo’s aggression in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, Stalin sought to ensure security along the eastern frontiers of the Soviet Union. He did not want their empire being reformed into an anti-Soviet entity, which is exactly what ultimately happened. Japan do this day remains occupied and controlled by Washington.
Why did the plan fail?
Despite initial enthusiasm among Soviet leaders, numerous challenges prevented the planned invasion from becoming reality:
Geographical Constraints: Amphibious assaults require substantial logistical preparation and specialized equipment. Given the distances involved and limited naval capabilities, executing such an operation proved daunting.
Political Considerations: Western allies might view any aggressive action by the Soviets negatively, potentially complicating postwar diplomatic relations.
Domestic Priorities: Resources allocated towards European reconstruction efforts meant fewer resources available for risky ventures abroad.
The Bomb and American Swiftness: Ultimately, dropping the bomb did break the Japanese will to fight as intended. By the time the Soviets would have been able to push to Japan proper, American ships were already in Tokyo’s port. From the standpoint of a Japanese Emperor repeating the fait of the Tsar’s family at the hands of Communists did not look like an appealing option either. Japanese historians see surrender to Washington as opposed to Moscow as the correct pick between the “lesser of two evils“. Despite killing hundreds of thousands of Americans the Japanese Imperial family are alive and well today.
Did Stalin force Truman’s Hand?
Ultimately, we will never know to what extent the Soviet plan to invade Hokaido motivated President Truman to authorize the Enola Gay’s legendary flight. But, we can be sure that he was aware of this potential plan. If there was no prepwork happening for a swift Soviet invasion, would Truman have acted differently? Perhaps, but the idea of fighting the locals on every street in every town in Japan seemed like a costly endevor for Washington in 1945. Thus, “the Bomb” provided the simpler solution. Joseph Stalin is only partially “to blame”.