NHK Documentary

Executive Non Decision: A-Bomb History Rewritten

In 1945, the United States dropped 2 atomic bombs on Japan. Then President Harry Truman explained the decision was made to save thousands of American lives. People have accepted this explanation without question for decades. But recently, materials have surfaced that paint a more nuanced picture of what actually occurred. This program reexamines events in the months leading up to the bombings, and tries to determine how one of the most important events in history was rewritten after the war.