Chapter 44 Chapter 43: The Victory of the Chinese Nation

On the morning of July 15, 1945, when U.S. President Truman stepped off the cruiser "Augusta" docked in the port of Antwerp, he was still uneasy.He didn't know whether the secret weapon called the atomic bomb could be successfully tested in the end, and he didn't know how powerful the weird bomb that didn't use traditional explosives was. Truman flew to Potsdam on a special plane from Belgium to attend a meeting code-named "Terminal". The European war is over.On the Asian battlefield, the Allied forces captured Manila, the capital of the Philippines, at the end of February, and Rangoon, the capital of Myanmar, at the beginning of May. Japan's defeat was a foregone conclusion.At this time, the question of how to share the fruits of victory between the Soviet Union, the United States, and Britain was urgently before us.This problem is of the same nature as the distribution of interests in post-war Europe: the worldwide anti-fascist war formed a wartime alliance between the capitalist Britain, the United States and the socialist Soviet Union, but the imminent peace intensified the confrontation between the East and the West. The Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom all accused each other of violating certain provisions of the "Yalta Agreement" and believed that the other was planning an ulterior conspiracy. ——The forthcoming conference aimed at adjusting and resolving the distribution of benefits, known as the "Potsdam Conference" in history.Whether the Potsdam Conference can become the "terminus" for resolving international disputes, all parties participating in the conference have considerable doubts.

There is no doubt that Truman believed that the Soviets must be made aware that the United States should be the country that shared the greatest interests in Asia after the war.For this, he has good reasons: on the Asian battlefield where the war against Japan was fought, it was the Americans who were fighting bloody battles, and the Soviet Union did not dispatch a single soldier.If it weren't for the desire for the Soviet Union to declare war on Japan based on the consideration of reducing American casualties when capturing Japan's mainland, Stalin would not be required to participate in the conference on determining the fate of Japan and the future of Asia.However, what complicated Truman's mind right now was that an American scientific team was experimenting with that weird bomb in the desert of New Mexico.According to the head of the experiment, Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, the bomb could kill more than 20,000 people at one time.Although there is no news about the success of the experiment, Truman was deeply impressed by this sentence: If the United States really possesses such a powerful bomb and can force Japan to surrender without attacking the Japanese mainland, then why let the Soviets get involved? ?

Truman made corresponding preparations before the meeting, including studying how the post-war situation in Asia and the distribution of interests would be affected once the Soviets sent troops to fight against Japan; how the United States should word its final declaration on Japan and whether to retain Japan’s emperor system ,etc.And the most important thing is: Once the powerful bomb test is successful, will it be put into use in Japan?To this end, Truman held a secret meeting of senior aides, and the differences of opinion at the meeting made Truman even more troublesome: some people believed that such a huge lethality would affect Japanese civilians, and world public opinion would be unfavorable to the United States; It should not be used if it is successfully developed, because it will prematurely show the US's trump card to the Soviet Union and reduce the deterrent effect of the post-war Western world on socialist countries; The United States can be in a relatively favorable position morally; of course, some people demand that it be used without hesitation, and believe that as long as the war can be ended quickly, any effective means of controlling the enemy must be used. ——When leaving the conference room, Truman's basic idea was: No matter the bomb is called an atomic bomb or something else, it should be regarded as a purely military weapon. If the United States has it, why not use it?

The summit meeting of the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom was held in a small town on the outskirts of Potsdam, southwest of Berlin, Germany.This small town named Babelsberg was not only a famous summer resort in Germany before the war, but also the base camp of the German film industry.Truman lived in the small building of a film producer, Churchill lived near him, and Stalin lived a mile away.The meeting was originally scheduled for July 16, which was a Monday, but it was postponed to the next day because Stalin was ill.This inadvertent delay meant a lot to Truman.On the evening of the 16th, U.S. Secretary of War Stimson sent a telegram: The world's first atomic bomb exploded successfully.According to the secret language, the telegraph called the "atom bomb experiment" "operation", and the scientists who developed it were called "doctors". —The telegram said that the operation was successful this morning. The final diagnosis is not yet out, but it looks better than expected.

On July 17, 1945, the Potsdam Conference, also known as the "Berlin Conference", was officially held.The meeting is roughly divided into two stages: the first stage is from the 17th to the 25th, and nine meetings are held; from July 26th to 27th, the meeting is suspended for two days because of waiting for the results of the British general election; From the 28th to August 2nd was the second phase, and four meetings were held.For nearly half a month, the negotiations and transactions under the meeting were much more intense than those at the meeting. The Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom had their own plans: the Soviet Union considered determining the amount of German compensation, the benefits the Soviet Union should obtain in Asia, Forced the United States and Britain to recognize the pro-Soviet regimes established by Eastern European countries and even territorial changes; the United States was concerned about its position as the hegemony of the world after the war and how much role the Soviets could play in the final defeat of Japan; the United Kingdom tried its best to compete with the Soviet Union Conquest in Europe, trying to contain the expansion of the socialist Soviet Union in Europe.However, in any case, the war against Japan was the most important part of the discussion, and on this issue that still had suspense, the heads of state of the three countries made some concessions.However, Truman and Churchill did not disclose the matter of the atomic bomb to Stalin—except that the power of the atomic bomb, which has not been tested in the war, cannot be clearly estimated, Truman and Churchill agreed that the sooner Stalin knew about this matter, the better.

During the meeting, banquets and receptions were held almost every day, and Stalin's enthusiasm exceeded Truman and Churchill's expectations.Stalin took the initiative to reveal the confidential information that the Japanese had tried to get the Soviet Union to mediate and resolve the war; he also affirmed that as long as Chiang Kai-shek agreed to the Soviet Union's right to use Dalian Port, the Soviet Union would definitely send troops to fight against Japan in August of this year.Regarding the secret exchanges between Japan and the Soviet Union, the intelligence agencies of the United States and Britain have long grasped it.So, both Truman and Churchill were smiling and noncommittal.

Just as the Big Three toasted frequently, Truman received another telegram from Stimson, saying that another atomic bomb made of plutonium was successfully detonated, and that the new "brother" was stronger than his "brother". The loud cries of this little guy can be heard all over his family's farm.This time, Truman asked Churchill for his opinion on whether he should tell Stalin about the atomic bomb. Churchill believed that if he told him, he must explain why he didn't tell him before.Turns out, Truman didn't tell Stalin.At another banquet, Stalin took out the secret letter from the Emperor of Japan asking for peace talks. It seemed that he was asking for Truman's opinion. Truman still kept his noncommittal smile and said that this matter could be watched by Stalin manage.

On July 24, the last telegram Truman had been waiting for arrived: the atomic bomb to be used in Japan had been assembled. Truman and Churchill believed that it was time to make a final showdown with Japan, and the time had come to tell Stalin about the atomic bomb. However, when Truman told Stalin that the United States had a new type of weapon with great destructive power, Stalin only said calmly, "I hope to use it to deal with the Japanese." It made Truman and Churchill uneasy. In fact, Stalin's anger had reached an irrepressible point.The United States and Britain did not know that the Soviet Union not only had information that the United States was developing an atomic bomb, but also that the Soviet Union had begun the development of an atomic bomb as early as June 1942, but the development progress was slow and had not yet entered the stage of substantive explosion experiments.What made Stalin even more angry was that the Soviet intelligence agency told him that the United States and Britain had drawn up a proclamation against Japan, which would be announced to the world soon.

July 26, 1945, is an important date in the history of World War II.On this day, a dejected Churchill left Potsdam - in the British domestic general election, Churchill's Conservative Party was defeated, the Labor Party gained power, and the new British Prime Minister Attlee has arrived in Potsdam.After Stalin, Truman and Attlee signed the "Berlin Conference Communique" and "Berlin Conference Protocol" on behalf of the Soviet Union, the United States, and the British governments respectively, the "Potsdam Proclamation" urging Japan to surrender unconditionally was formalized. published.

Stalin did not get a copy of this document until the last moment.Although the Nationalist Government of China did not participate in the meeting at that time, the content of the announcement was consulted in advance by China and was agreed by the Nationalist Government. The Soviet Union had not yet declared war on Japan and was not a belligerent country against Japan, so it was reasonable that there would be no Soviet Union.As for the later change of the announcement to the name of the four countries, it was after the Soviet Union declared war on Japan on August 8. This ultimatum to Japan did not mention the atomic bomb, nor did it mention whether Japan could retain the emperor system after the war.

Japan can't stand it any longer. Entering 1945, the Japanese had a very pessimistic assessment of their own situation: "In order to cope with the urgent situation of the war and the weak homeland defense situation, the Army and Navy authorities in the base camp have repeatedly discussed new combat plans for days since the beginning of the year. Before the early autumn of the 20th year of the Showa era (1945), it was necessary to mobilize as many as 2.4 million land and navy troops in the mainland; a large number of troops and military supplies had to be transferred from the mainland (China) It was used on the mainland to prepare for an unprecedented decisive battle. However, it was extremely difficult to complete this task when the air raids were becoming more and more intense, the strength of the sea and air had been lost, and the national power was rapidly declining." After years of war and consumption, the economy of the resource-poor island nation of Japan has collapsed.In 1937, the beginning of the war, Japan's military expenditures accounted for 14 percent of the country's gross national product; by early 1945, military expenditures accounted for 99 percent of that year's gross national product.The main support for the huge military expenditure is the domestic issuance of war bonds, tax increases, and plunder from various overseas occupations.However, with the loss of air supremacy and the destruction of the navy, the transportation channels for Japan's plundered resources have been completely blocked, the domestic transportation fleet was forced to stop sailing, and 80% of the transportation ships returning from overseas were sunk.Since Japan has almost no raw material resources, with only 260,000 tons of steel reserves remaining, war industries such as ships, aircraft, and weapons have shrunk sharply.Japan's domestic oil reserves are only about 400,000 tons left, and the gasoline used by cars is about to run out in June; by July, the fighter planes owned by the navy and air force will not even have enough fuel to complete a single attack.The Japanese government had to force millions of people to go up the mountain to dig pine roots, saying that the old pine roots could be used to refine oil for aircraft.The large amount of public debt issued to support the war inevitably led to severe inflation.In 1945, domestic prices in Japan had soared to more than 350 times those in 1937.In July 1945, the daily food ration for the Japanese people, including potato substitutes, was less than 250 grams.The government ordered to "open up and cultivate domestic sources of supplementary food", that is, to find out what else can replace food in nature, and finally ordered Japanese elementary school students to complete the task of collecting five million loads of acorns. While deploying troops in Manchuria, it is also planned to transfer about one-third of the Kwantung Army’s military supplies (20,000 liters of aviation volatile oil, 30,000 liters of ordinary volatile oil, and 13 divisions’ battle share of ammunition) to be used locally. .However, the number of ships attrition continued to increase, and in order to solve the domestic food crisis, it was even more urgent to transport miscellaneous grains back to the mainland.At this time, how to allocate the transport ships in these two areas became an important issue of debate between the High Command and the Ministry of War.In the end, the two sides had to make concessions and decided to transport back 2.15 million tons of grain; the military supplies should be transported as much as possible by transporting military fashion. The bankruptcy of the war economy exacerbated the political crisis.In July 1944, after the U.S. military won the Marshall Islands and Saipan, there were voices in Japan to resign the cabinet, and Hideki Tojo was forced to resign as prime minister. The post of Minister and Minister of Military Supplies.Hideki Tojo was replaced by Koiso Kuniaki, a former army general and then governor of North Korea.Although he is the prime minister of the cabinet, Koiso Kuniaki can neither interfere with the army nor the navy.Koiso Kuniaki resigned in April 1945, less than a year after becoming prime minister, following the loss of the combined Japanese fleet in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.The successor was Suzuki Kantaro, the former admiral of the navy and the then speaker of the Privy Council. This 70-year-old man was rigidly designated as prime minister by the emperor to clean up the mess.What's more serious is that the Japanese people's anti-war sentiment has developed to the point of questioning Japan's existing system and the Emperor's authority. For this reason, an investigation report by the Security Section of the Police Security Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Japan pointed out: "The recent incidents against the Emperor Disrespect, anti-war and anti-army and other inappropriate remarks, anonymous letter writing and anonymous leaflet posting, etc., can be summed up as follows: from April 1942 to March 1943, a total of 308 incidents , an average of nearly 25 cases per month. From April 1944 to March 1945, there were a total of 607 cases, an average of 51 cases per month, which has been increasing sharply." Suddenly, the Japanese secret police department received an even more horrifying news: the Chinese laborers who were caught in Japan rioted. The war caused most young adults and even middle-aged people to be conscripted into the army, and there was an extremely shortage of labor in Japan.For this reason, the government cabinet decided to recruit laborers from China to Japan to "participate in the construction of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere."According to the plan of the Japanese government in 1944, the number of laborers needed in the country was 450,000.Most of the laborers deported from China to Japan were young and middle-aged captives of the Chinese army, and some were forcibly captured Chinese civilians.These laborers were brutally tortured on the way to Japan, and the death rate exceeded 20%.After arriving in mainland Japan, Chinese laborers were either escorted to construction sites for power plants, airports, railways, and ports, or to sites engaged in heavy physical labor such as coal mining, smelting, and mining.Under the bayonets of the Japanese police and military police, the Chinese laborers were surrounded by a 150-volt power grid, with only one chaff nest every day, and even in extremely cold days, they were only covered with straw.The dead laborers were either buried in large numbers, or thrown on the wilderness like garbage.The 299 Chinese laborers who were escorted to the Huagang Mine in Japan were all selected from the prisoner-of-war camps in Beiping and Shijiazhuang in China. Except for teenagers around the age of 10, all of them are young and middle-aged.After working around the clock and dying at the Huagang Mine, the Chinese laborers decided to riot.The riots began to be planned in early 1945. The planner was Geng Zhun, the former company commander of the 2nd Battalion and 5th Company of the 191st Regiment of the 64th Division of the 15th Army of the Chinese Army. Geng Zhun's plan was to kill the Japanese overseer who was guarding them, seize a copper mine near Hanaoka, rescue hundreds of Chinese laborers there, then attack the Hanaoka police station to seize guns, and then attack the nearby American prisoners of war. The prisoner-of-war camp in order to seize ammunition, and finally everyone ran to the sea to seize the ship and return home.From a Japanese train route map he picked up, Geng Zhun determined that Hanaoka belonged to Akita Prefecture in Japan, and when he went north through Aomori County, he was across the sea from China.In the middle of the night on June 30, 1945, Geng Zhun led dozens of leading rioters to gather together with picks and shovels in hand.Then, Liu Xicai rushed into the Japanese supervisory office, smashed the telephone with a pickaxe, and the pickaxes of Li Xiushen, Li Zhiguo and others also pierced the stomach and head of the sleeping Japanese military police.The Huagang Mine was suddenly in chaos. The Chinese laborers chased the panic-stricken Japanese everywhere, and the Japanese who usually tortured the Chinese laborers were smashed to pieces.At dawn, the laborers set off with Geng Zhun. They heard the sirens of the Japanese military police and police on the unfamiliar mountains.At the last moment of the siege, the laborers used stones to resist bravely. After the resistance lasted for several days, all the laborers who were still alive were captured again. The laborers who were captured again were tied together and knelt on the ground covered with gravel, and the Japanese began cruel torture.Li Danzi was drowned with water, Liu Xicai was hung up and beaten violently, and Geng Zhun was taken away alone for interrogation.For three days and three nights, the laborers knelt and were not allowed to move.People kept falling because they couldn't hold on.Three days later, the gravel-strewn clearing was littered with dead bodies. After the war, three Japanese criminals who killed Chinese laborers in the Hanaoka riots were hanged, and many were sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. However, those Chinese laborers who died in foreign countries can only return to their hometowns. We should remember the names of the main organizers of this riot.They are: Li Guangrong, squad leader of the Eighth Route Army guerrilla; Liu Zhiqu, soldier of the Eighth Route Army; Liu Yuqing, quartermaster of the Kuomintang Army; Li Kejin, platoon leader of the Kuomintang Army; Liu Yulin, ordnance officer of the Kuomintang Army; , Communist Party member; Zhang Xu, Communist Party member; Liu Xicai, Eighth Route Army soldier; Jia Yimin, Communist Party member; Zhang Zhaoguo, Kuomintang Army platoon leader. The insulted and abused Chinese declared to the world with a desperate attitude: Although the suffering is long, it will eventually come to an end, as long as the Japanese are given the last blow-even if it is a pickaxe and a drop A piece of blood, and even pay a humble life! A thick cloud of Allied fighter planes generally covered the Japanese mainland. In February 1945, U.S. B-29 bombers taking off from the Mariana base concentrated high-altitude precision bombing on industrial facilities in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka and Kobe.In March, B-29 bombers switched to dropping incendiary bombs at low altitudes, and carried out carpet bombing of large and medium-sized cities in Japan.By the end of July, the U.S. military had dropped 160,000 tons of bombs over Japan, causing Japan's oil refining production to drop by 83 percent, aircraft engine production by 75 percent, and electronic equipment production by 70 percent. More than 600 military enterprises were devastated. Japan, which has lost its air supremacy, has no ground anti-aircraft guns, and the US military seems determined to completely wipe Tokyo from the map.On May 23, 562 B-29 bombers bombed Tokyo again.The U.S. military pilots were ordered in advance not to drop bombs in the Japanese imperial palace, because "the emperor may still be useful in the future", but Tokyo's industrial areas and areas near the port were completely destroyed.Two days later, another 512 B-29 bombers flew over Tokyo and dropped 3,262 tons of incendiary bombs on the central area. The entire Tokyo city was in flames and smoke billowed.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Navy, the Prime Minister's residence, and the Greater East Asia Provincial Building were burned to the bone. Even the Tokyo Army Prison was destroyed, and sixty-two Allied pilots imprisoned inside were burned to death.The fire spread uncontrollably to the palace, and the emperor and empress hid in the underground air-raid shelter, but the residences of the empress dowager, crown prince and other royal families were reduced to ashes. During multiple bombings, the U.S. B-29 bombers also dropped millions of leaflets, including forecasting the specific targets of the next bombing, urging Japan to surrender unconditionally, pointing out that the Japanese military is forcing the entire country to commit suicide collectively, and Publish the terms of the Potsdam Proclamation. We are not here today to bomb you.This leaflet has been dropped to inform you of the United States Government's reply to your Government's terms of surrender on behalf of the United States, Great Britain and China, as well as the Government of the Soviet Federation.Whether the war can be stopped immediately depends on your government.When you read these two official circulars, you will understand how the war can be stopped. In the midst of the fire in Tokyo, the Suzuki cabinet held a senior staff meeting. The discussion at the meeting is no longer how to fight, but how to "negotiate peace". ...The evolution of the situation has essentially formed a turning point, that is, it is necessary to fundamentally study the basic national policy decided by the imperial meeting on August 19 of the previous year.In other words, Japan has faced an important juncture in war guidance: Should it seize the opportunity to negotiate peace, or continue to fight to the end?You must choose one of the two.However, the headquarter and the main person in charge of the government at that time did not discuss the issue of transferring the war guidance to the peace negotiation.Because the dominant idea at that time was: to negotiate peace at this stage, the outcome must be equal to unconditional surrender, which will lead to changes in the state system... Some people suggested that the Soviet Union could be invited to act as a mediator between Japan and the United States and Britain, and most of them agreed with this move.Chief of Staff Yoshijiro Umezu, Minister of War Keiji Anan, and Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki all agreed that the Japanese were affectionate and righteous to the Soviet Union, and the reason why the Soviet Union won the war against Germany was that Japan maintained neutrality towards the Soviet Union to avoid the east-west conflict. Combat is absolutely inseparable.If the Japanese stabbed the Soviet Union in the back when the Soviet Union was fighting against Germany, then all Soviet cities, including Moscow, are likely to be under the control of the Germans today.At the same time, the Soviets who won the war against Germany should hope that Japan will become stronger after the war, because only a strong Japan is a buffer country for the Soviet Union and the United States to compete for Asian interests.After repeated research on the Soviets, the Japanese concluded that: Just as the empire is betting on its national power, during the war with the United States and Britain, if the Soviet Union joins the war against the empire, it will kill the empire!Therefore, regardless of the situation of the Empire's war with the United States and Britain, it is necessary for the Empire to make efforts to prevent the participation of the Soviet Union in the war.As far as the empire is concerned: it is not only necessary to prevent it from participating in the war, but also to obtain the neutrality of the Soviet Union in good faith; moreover, regarding the end of the war, it is necessary to ask the Soviet Union to do good offices in favor of the empire.With this in mind, it is decided to promptly start negotiations between Japan and the Soviet Union. The empire should let the Soviet Union understand that the Soviet Union won the war against Germany this time because the empire maintained neutrality.And the Soviet Union should be warned: In the future confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States, if the empire can maintain a considerable international status, it will also benefit the Soviet Union; and the Soviet Union should be advised: Japan, the Soviet Union, and China must unite to fight against Britain and the United States.We will try our best to persuade the Soviet Union in order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose.Only after the end of the German-Soviet War, the Soviet Union felt that its status had improved, and it judged that the power of the empire had obviously declined.In this case, it is not difficult to imagine that the price demanded by the Soviet Union must be high, and the following items should be expected: 1. Return to South Sakhalin Island. 2. Navigation rights in the Tsugaru Strait. 3. Cancellation of fishing rights. 4. Transfer of railways in North Manchuria. 5. Expand the influence of the Soviet Union in Mongolia. 6. Leasing Lushun Dalian. And depending on the situation, the Soviet Union may demand the cession of the northern part of the Kuril Islands; however, North Korea must be retained by the empire.A neutral zone can be established in South Manchuria, but the independence of the "Manchurian Empire" should be maintained as much as possible.What the empire hopes most is to establish a common system among Japan, the Soviet Union, and China. The desperate Japanese are still arrogant so far, so that their diplomatic judgments are completely divorced from reality: Japan’s envisioned conditions listed by the Soviet Union are of course what the Soviets want, but if Japan is completely defeated, wouldn’t the Soviets be able to get it? More? At this time, the Soviet ambassador to Japan, Malik, was in Hakone, a famous Japanese hot spring resort, as if he was outside the bloody world around him.When the staff sent by the Japanese cabinet found him, they kindly conveyed to him the Japanese government's warm congratulations on the victory of the Soviet Union, and said that fortunately, Japan and the Soviet Union did not fight in this war, and Japan hopes to establish friendship among Japan, the Soviet Union, and China. When the relationship between the Soviet Union and the Japanese government, Malik, a veteran diplomat, immediately became alert. He clearly told the Japanese that it took time to consider the Soviet Union's wish for the Japanese government. The Japanese began to wait for the results considered by the Soviets. The Soviets were slow to reply. The Japanese tried to ask Sweden and other countries to come forward, but it still didn't work. The helpless Japanese found Malik again, and stated bluntly that if the Japanese Navy and the Soviet Army were united, they would become an invincible force to rule the world.Malik immediately replied that the Japanese navy was at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.The Japanese also expressed their willingness to cede "Manchukuo" to the Soviet Union, but the Soviets were still noncommittal. Just when the Japanese were on the verge of collapse, the "Potsdam Proclamation" was released to the world. After careful study and comparison of certain wordings in the Cairo Declaration, Japanese Foreign Minister Motoku Togo’s first reaction was that this was not an order of unconditional surrender. meeting, but the "Proclamation" did not have the signature of the Soviets, which shows that the Soviets are still maintaining a neutral state; 2. The word "unconditional surrender" only appeared once in the "Proclamation", and the full text of the "Proclamation" mainly listed peace The careful wording of some of the conditions indicated that there was room for mediation.Therefore, Togo Matoku believes that Japan does not need to rush to express its position on the "Potsdam Proclamation", but can make a decision after the Soviet Union's attitude is clear. On the morning of July 27, the Japanese cabinet held an emergency meeting. Matoku Togo expounded his proposition, which was supported by Suzuki Kantaro, but was severely criticized by the military.The military insisted on issuing a supreme order, clearly stating that Japan did not accept all the terms of the "Potsdam Proclamation" and that the war must be carried on to the end.On whether to publish the content of the "Potsdam Proclamation" in Japan, the cabinet members and the military once again clashed.In the end, Suzuki Kantaro's decision was: publish after abridged, the newspaper try to use small print to minimize its impact. However, major Japanese newspapers quickly published articles on the front pages one after another, with the same tone as the military, saying that the "Potsdam Proclamation" could only strengthen Japan's unyielding determination to fight the war.The government cabinet believes that this is what the military ordered the newspapers to do; and the military has constantly accused the government of being weak and incompetent.Kantaro Suzuki, after careful consideration, finally met the reporter in person. However, the wording of his statement on the "Potsdam Proclamation" was translated into various languages ​​in various countries. Regardless of any value, we can only ignore it, and we can only move forward for the end of the war. ——The word "ignore it" is a free translation of the Japanese word "silent killing", which roughly means "silent killing" or "silent and ignoring love".Since there is no corresponding word in English, Americans understand it as "despise it". On the 30th, the New York Times of the United States adopted the headline: "Japan Officially Rejects Allies' Ultimatum to Surrender (Japan)". At this moment, whether it is the desperate Japanese politicians or the arrogant Japanese soldiers, they pin their last hope on the statement of the Soviets. They all believe that as long as the Soviets do not participate in the war, Japan still has hope.However, the Soviets continued to delay the time on the grounds that "the expressions of the Japanese government and the emperor on the peace talks were vague." The Japanese had to prepare for the final battle at home. The Tokyo base camp readjusted its wartime organization system, established five front army headquarters responsible for local operations and a military area command responsible for regional security tasks, and recruited a large number of civilians again, and also transferred back from the Kwantung Army. Infantry divisions, two tank divisions, and forty-two infantry divisions, four antiaircraft artillery divisions, seven tank brigades and seventeen independent mixed brigades were newly formed, making the gathering in Japan mainland The Japanese army reached fifty-three divisions, twenty-five brigades, two tank divisions, seven tank brigades, and four antiaircraft artillery divisions.The Army Aviation Corps has also cobbled together three armies, with 2,100 special combat aircraft and 1,100 other aircraft.In addition, the remnants of the Navy temporarily assembled 19 destroyers and 38 submarines to form 33 special attack commandos.The navy has also concentrated 5,200 fighter planes of various types, most of which are suicide attack planes. ——The Japanese army gathered in the mainland of Japan is seriously insufficient in weapons and equipment. Only half of them have rifles in their hands, and machine guns and artillery are only 20% of the conventional equipment, but the total strength of the navy, army and air force still reaches 3.7 million. public. However, the Japanese did not know that the assembled atomic bomb named "Little Boy" was lying quietly on Tinian Island at the southern tip of the Mariana Islands. Ten feet long and twenty-eight inches in diameter, Little Boy looked like an ordinary bomb, except that the warehouse in which it was housed was air-conditioned. A U.S. bomber brigade code-named "509" came to the U.S. military base on Tinian Island. In addition to ordinary throwing training, the pilots would occasionally fly to a certain Japanese-occupied area in batches and drop bombs. Several bombs.The idleness of this unit aroused the ridicule of other bomber officers and soldiers on the island. Little did anyone know, the worst moment in human history was coming. Because the Japanese soldiers stubbornly wanted to carry the war to the end, the unprecedented catastrophe was imminent before the eyes of the Japanese people. When President Roosevelt approved the development of the atomic bomb, he allocated $6,000.What he didn't know was that Hitler had allocated as much as one million marks for the development of the atomic bomb, which was equivalent to $740,000.In December 1941, after the U.S. Pacific Fleet suffered severe damage at Pearl Harbor, scientists made it clear to President Roosevelt that it was feasible in theory and planning to create an atomic bomb that could be used in war.The project to develop the atomic bomb in the United States was officially launched, and the person in charge of the project was Robert Oppenheimer, a Jew born in New York.It is said that this quantum mechanics expert who graduated from the University of Göttingen in Germany has a magical talent. As long as he has a pipe in his mouth, he can speak extremely fast and give advanced physics lectures, and he can also quickly write a large piece of shocking words on the blackboard. Dazzling equations, and his calculations without any tools rarely make mistakes. The code name of the US atomic bomb development project was named "Manhattan Project". The United States, Germany, and Japan began a race against time to develop the atomic bomb. No one is sure who will win until the finish line is reached. In other words, who would end up with the atomic bomb—Berlin, New York, or Tokyo—no one could have predicted. The process of the development of the atomic bomb by the Germans was full of twists and turns. The main reason was that the Germans who stood against the Nazis were in the way. They believed that once Hitler had the atomic bomb, the entire earth might be destroyed.The manufacturing of atomic bomb reactors requires a graphite moderator. The senior engineer of Siemens who is in charge of producing graphite has tampered with the production process, so that the produced graphite always leads to the failure of the experiment.The German scientists, who could not find the reason, fell into the misunderstanding that their calculations were wrong.The Germans discovered that heavy water can also be used as a moderator, but the heavy water factories in Germany immediately became the bombing targets of the Allied forces.The Germans had to secretly transfer the domestic heavy water plant to Norway, but this move was immediately detected by British agents, and a British special force attacked the heavy water plant, leaving it in ruins.Finally, when the Germans tried to secretly transport the remaining 1,100 kilograms of heavy water back to the country to hide, the whereabouts of the transport ship was followed by Allied spies, and the ship was bombed and sunk by the Allied forces soon.The German plans to develop an atomic bomb were eventually ground to a halt. In 1941, Japan began the top-secret project of developing an atomic bomb, code-named "Research No. 2".Under the urging of then Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, the speed of development was astonishing.However, the Japanese have a fatal bottleneck, that is, there is no raw material for making atomic bombs-uranium on the land where resources are scarce.The Japanese asked the Germans, and the Germans promised to give a little. The submarine that could transport uranium was sunk by the US military in the Pacific Ocean.The Japanese thought of China again, and ordered the Japanese invaders to set up a special agency to search for uranium ore in mainland China. However, this search and mining was very difficult during the war. In the end, some were mined in Liaoning, China and shipped back to China. The quantity was far from enough. .Japanese scientists hoped to develop the atomic bomb by relying on a small amount of uranium raw materials, but the result was that the development center of the "No. 2 Research" in Tokyo was destroyed in the bombing of the Allied forces, and all the preliminary development results on the atomic bomb were reduced to ashes.After Japanese scientists moved the R&D center to Kyoto, they found that everything had to be started from scratch. The "No. 2 Research" team finally reported to the government cabinet that Japan was no longer able to manufacture atomic bombs. Americans have everything. The continental United States is far from the threat of war. Robert Oppenheimer could concentrate on building the atomic bomb. The "Manhattan Project" lasted more than two years and cost up to 2.5 billion US dollars.在计划实施的整个过程中，直接或间接参与者多达六十多万人，其中核心部位的工作人员超过十万，但几乎所有的人都不知道自己正在做的是什么。计划的内容只有包括核心部位的科学家、美国总统罗斯福和陆军部部长史汀生在内的十二个人知道。 ——当副总统杜鲁门向史汀生询问此事时，得到的回答竟然是“无可奉告”。 一九四二年十二月，在新墨西哥州的荒原上，搭建起一座规模巨大的实验中心，这个中心的地址是：美国陆军邮政信箱一六六三号。 一九四五年七月，美国造出三枚原子弹，其中一枚名叫“大男孩”的原子弹为实验用弹。爆炸实验日期定在《波茨坦公告》发布前的七月十六日。 七月十六日五时二十九分四十五秒，原子弹的点火器启动了。——一道炫目的闪光从荒原的地平线上升起，方圆几百公里的暗淡天际瞬间被照成一片炽白，其刺眼的光芒令地面上的一切都失去了影像。接着，闪光处传来旷古未闻的巨大的爆炸声，相当于两万吨TNT炸药的能量被释放出来，放置“大男孩”的钢铁巨塔瞬间蒸发，周围所有的物体全部化为乌有，方圆七百米内的沙土变成了熔渣，猛烈的声波把三百公里外的玻璃震得粉碎，整个美国西部都能感受到大地的颤抖。然后，一个巨大的火球腾空而起，巨型的蘑菇云转眼升上了万米高空。 有记者后来问罗伯特·奥本海默当时有什么感受，他说他对自己完成的工作有点“惊惶失措”。 同一天，载有“小男孩”的“印第安纳波利斯”号巡洋舰驶往提尼安岛。 《波茨坦公告》已经向全世界发布。 美军的警告已经随着传单撒给日本人；不投降就面临毁灭。 没人知道：“毁灭”这个词意味着什么，只有那些目睹了原子弹爆炸的科学家们心知肚明。 美国高层对是否使用这种可怕的武器曾展开讨论，以陆军总参谋长马歇尔为首的将领们认为，日本注定崩溃，没有必要使用原子弹，这很可能会令美国遭到世界舆论的谴责。持这种观点的包括罗伯特·奥本海默在内。而总统杜鲁门、国务卿贝尔纳斯以及太平洋西南战区司令麦克阿瑟则主张使用原子弹，他们的理由契合了大多数美国人的复仇情绪： ……我们用它打击那些不宣战就在珍珠港袭击我们的人；打击那些使美国战俘挨饿、遭受殴打和枪杀的人；打击那些放弃了所有遵守战争国际法主张的人。我们使用它是为了缩短战争的极度痛苦，是为了挽救成千上万的生命以及美国青年的生命。 七月二十四日，杜鲁门总统签署了使用原子弹袭击日本的命令。拟定的投掷时间是八月三日以后，同时又要求一定要在苏联对日出兵之前。 美国人最终确定的两个投掷目标是广岛和长崎。 广岛，日本陆军最重要的军运港口，日本海军护航舰队的集结地，日本陆军司令部以及数万陆军部队的驻扎地。美军情报部门业已查明：除了已经疏散的居民外，尚有近二十五万人滞留在城内，但没有盟军战俘和战争法规中必须保护的第三国人员。 至于另一个城市，一开始选择的是京都。京都是日本主要工业城市，也是日本的古都之一。由于盟军始终没有轰炸这里，日本的很多工厂都搬迁至此。可美国陆军部部长史汀生坚决反对，说毁掉这样一个著名古都，很可能引发日本人的长久仇恨，为战后遗留下难以排解的敌对情绪。否掉京都改在长崎的原因很简单：这里是日本九州岛西海岸的大港，城内拥有二十多万人口。 八月二日，提尼安岛上那支闲散的“五〇九”航空队终于接到出击的命令：出动七架B-29轰炸机轰炸广岛。其中一架装载“小男孩”，由大队长蒂贝茨上校亲自驾驶；另外两架负责观测，三架负责气象侦察，一架作为预备机。还有其他大队的两架飞机同行，负责轰炸以后的效果检验；海空救援任务则由第二十航空队负责。 八月五日黄昏时分，五吨重的“小男孩”被从仓库运出，装进了蒂贝茨上校将要驾驶的那架轰炸机的机舱内——这架轰炸机被取名为“埃诺拉·盖伊”号，这是蒂贝茨上校母亲的名字。陪伴着“小男孩”的，还有这架飞机的投弹手费雷比少校、机械师帕桑斯上校和电子技术军官杰普逊上尉。 八月六日，凌晨一时三十七分，三架气象飞机首先升空。二时三十分，蒂贝茨接到了起飞指令，“埃诺拉·盖伊”号在引擎发出的轰鸣声中开始滑行。“埃诺拉·盖伊”号实在是太重了，上面除了五吨重的“小男孩”外，还有近三万升航空燃油和十二名机组人员。眼看飞机就要滑到跑道尽头了，仍旧没有飞起来，现场的人不禁紧张起来，如果“小男孩”连同飞机在跑道尽头爆炸，整个提尼安岛瞬间就不复存在了。所幸的是，在距离跑道尽头几厘米的地方，蒂贝茨上校终于把“埃诺拉·盖伊”号拉了起来，那一刻是一九四五年八月六日凌晨二时四十五分。接着，另外两架飞机随即起飞，与“埃诺拉·盖伊”号组成空中编队。这两架飞机中的一架，被取名为“伟大艺师”号，里面坐着年仅二十四岁的芝加哥大学物理学家阿格纽，他将负责测试这次核爆炸的当量和范围。另一架飞机里坐的是物理学家约翰斯顿博士，他的任务是用十六毫米彩色胶卷记录下核爆炸的烟云、火球和破坏现场。 清晨六时零五分，飞机在硫磺岛加油，然后直飞日本本土。 “埃诺拉·盖伊”号从硫磺岛升空后，机械师帕桑斯爬进弹舱，完成了“小男孩”的最后装备；接着，电子技术军官杰普逊解除保险并接通电路——“小男孩”已经处于待爆状态了。 七时半，气象飞机报告：广岛上空云量极少。 尽管前几天美军的传单漫天飞舞，广岛的居民却没怎么当回事。从午夜开始，这座城市响起了防空警报，清晨响起的第三次警报声长达一分钟，居民们还是少有人进入防空洞。第四次警报，是一架出现在城市上空的美军气象飞机引起的——这架飞机上涂画着一幅漫画，画的是一个日本兵在厕所里被冲下去——气象飞机转弯飞走后，“埃诺拉·盖伊”号沿着气象飞机的航线飞到了广岛上空。 八时零九分，蒂贝茨报告发现第一目标。 在“埃诺拉·盖伊”号的下方，白云之间有一个很大的裂隙，裂隙的下面是一座很大的城市。 蒂贝茨问帕桑斯这就是目标？ 帕桑斯说是的这就是。 投弹手费雷比把眼睛贴在了瞄准镜上。 八时十五分十七秒，“埃诺拉·盖伊”号的弹舱门自动打开，然后“小男孩”坠落下去，承载它的降落伞随后打开，“小男孩”开始在广岛上空飘荡——四十五秒后，它将起爆！ 数吨重的“小男孩”突然离机，使得“埃诺拉·盖伊”号瞬间上升，在剧烈的颠簸中蒂贝茨大角度转弯并且加速。戴上了黑色镜片罩的机组人员好奇地向下俯瞰，“小男孩”越来越小，渐渐变成了一个小黑点。突然，天空中刺目的强光一闪。 这一刻，是一九四五年八月六日八时十六分。 人类第一颗用于实战的原子弹，在广岛市中心——相生桥以西一百米上空六百米的高度，爆炸了。 事后活着的广岛人，在描述原子弹火球四射的强光时，说法不一：蓝色的、淡红色的、深红色的、暗棕色的、橘黄色的、紫色的——还有人说什么颜色也没有，眼前的世界一片惨白。在使人双目失明的强光闪过之后，伴随着轰天的巨响，火球爆出的烟柱上升到万米高空，炸裂成一个巨大的蘑菇云，与此同时三十万度以上的炽热气浪席卷广岛，全城的建筑物蒸发得无影无踪，人体仅在地面印下影子般的轮廓。在距离爆心较远的地方，成千上万的尸体被烧成焦炭；再远一点，被烧得面目全非的人从废墟中爬出来，身上的衣服没有了，皮肤在一块块地剥落。大约十五分钟后，天上落下携带着放射性尘埃的黑色水珠，飘洒在尚未死去的赤裸的人身上。 广岛被夷为平地。 美军司令部发布的死亡人数是：九万二千一百一十三人。 日本方面认为美军缩小了数字。 至少，美军没有把因受到核辐射而死去的人计算在内：几天、几周、几月、几年后，广岛大量死者血液中的白细胞几乎为零，所有的内脏器官黏膜因为发炎呈黑色，于是医学界出现了“原子病”一词。为此，日本方面的统计是，死于原子弹的广岛市民达十五万以上。如果加上所有受到伤害的人，“小男孩”造成了近二十万人的苦难。 至少在那个时刻，在这个世界上，除了少数科学家、军队高级将领和国家首脑之外，没有人知道从广岛上空掉下来的是什么。“小男孩”爆炸后，日本军部报告说，美国投掷了一枚破坏力前所未有的高性能炸弹。接着，日本人便收听到了杜鲁门总统的广播声明，声明中明确说在广岛投掷的是原子弹。但是，日本政客认为，这是美国方面的宣传，没有确定之前，仍须使用“高性能炸弹”的措辞。可是，当日本内阁派出的由科学家率领的调查人员抵达广岛后，他们立即给东京发去报告：这是颗铀弹。 外相东乡茂德和首相铃木贯太郎磋商后，决订立即奏报天皇，建议日本接受《波茨坦公告》。天皇面谕：“敌既已使用此种武器，战争继续更不可能，为图获得有利条件起见，不得遗失结束战争时机。” 与此同时，东乡茂德给日本驻莫斯科大使佐藤尚武发去电报，说明局势急转直下，要求他立即明确苏联的态度。 佐藤尚武要求紧急会见苏联外交人民委员莫洛托夫，得到的回答是：会见时间为八月八日下午五时。 五时前的几分钟，佐藤尚武走进克里姆林宫莫洛托夫的书房，他还没来得及用俄语向苏联外交人民委员表示致意，莫洛托夫便抢先向他宣读了一份文件： 在希特勒德国战败投降以后，只有日本是继续战争的唯一大国。美、英、中三国本年（一九四五年）七月二十六日对日本武装部队无条件投降的要求已遭到日本拒绝，因此，日本政府要求苏联调停远东战争的提案已完全失去了基础。鉴于日本拒绝投降，同盟国向苏联政府建议，要求苏联政府参加反对日本侵略的战争，借以促进战争的结束，以资减少牺牲，迅速恢复全面和平。苏联政府遵照其对同盟国的义务，接受同盟国的建议，并参加同盟国本年七月二十六日的公告。苏联政府认为，苏联政府的政策，是促进和平、拯救各国人民免于更大的牺牲和苦难、使日本人得以避免德国在其拒绝无条件投降后所遭受的那些危险与破坏的唯一手段。从上述观点出发，苏联政府宣布：从明日即八月九日起，苏联政府将与日本政府进入战争状态。 日本人的屈辱与愤慨难以言表：“真是啼笑皆非，令人震惊。过去历时约两个月，拼死拼活进行的外交努力，结果不仅全成泡影，而且得到的是以铁锤代替了答复。” 波茨坦会议时，斯大林的态度是苏联八月下旬参战。可原子弹爆炸后，斯大林认为，日本必会急于投降，而如果苏联在日本投降前还没出兵，很可能被美英完全置于远东利益之外。 莫洛托夫向佐藤尚武宣读宣战书两个小时后，一百多万苏军从东西两面向中国东北境内大举开进。 面对广岛全部毁灭的照片，杜鲁门虽然感到了压力，但他没有召开高级会议讨论是否继续使用原子弹的问题，也没有和幕僚们一起判断“小男孩”爆炸后日本投降的可能性以及苏联参战能否加速日本投降的进程。他已经下达了投掷第二颗原子弹的命令。 战争结束后，有人问杜鲁门他当时是否还有其他的选择，杜鲁门决绝地回答：没有！就像珍珠港所有的死难者没有其他选择一样！ 一份传单在日本上空投下： 美国要求你们立刻注意我们在这份传单上所说的话。我们已经掌握人类从未有过的破坏力最大的爆炸物。一颗我们新近发明的原子弹爆炸了，实际上等于两千架我们的巨型B-29轰炸机执行一次任务时所能携带的爆炸力。这个可怕的事实是值得你们思考的。我们庄严地向你们保证，投弹是极其准确的。我们在你们的本土使用这种炸弹还刚刚开始。如你们还有什么怀疑，请你们了解一下广岛挨了只不过一颗原子弹后的情况。 在利用这种炸弹摧毁军方拖延这场毫无用处的战争的一切资源之前，我们要求你们现在就向天皇请愿，结束战争。我们总统已为你们概述了体面的投降的十三条结果。我们敦促你们赶快接受这十三条，开始为建设一个更好的爱好和平的新日本而努力。你们现在就要采取步骤，停止军事抵抗。否则，我们将坚决使用这种炸弹以及其他一切优越武器，立刻强行结束战争。 现在就从你们的城市中疏散开！ 随着传单地飘落，代号“胖子”的一颗钚弹在长崎市上空爆炸了。 长崎，—个建在陡峭小山上的，有着二十多万人口的港口城市。 “胖子”脱离机舱在长崎上空爆炸时，是九日上午十一时零二分。唯一被准许跟随飞机进行现场报道的《纽约时报》记者威廉·劳伦斯，在飞机剧烈的颠簸中努力向爆心看去，他认为他看到的那颗爆炸钚弹，很像一颗从大地上飞起来的彗星，或是一个有生命的新种属的生物。这个怪物在亿万分之几秒内，就变成了巨型的图腾柱般的物体，图腾上雕刻着的许多浄狞的形象正朝着大地狞笑。 钚弹“胖子”无论尺寸、重量，还是破坏力，都大于“小男孩”。在闪光、热波的冲击下，爆心附近所有的生物瞬间死亡，建筑物在大火和气浪中被一扫而光，只有三菱钢铁厂坚固复杂的厂房骨架软糖般扭曲在地表上。长崎在几秒钟内成为一片焦土，遍地的瓦砾、灰烬和烧焦的尸体，然后还是带有强烈核辐射的黑色大雨。活着的人从废墟中爬出来，赤裸着烧烂的身体向天空呆望。有人从废墟中把被埋的人拉出，被拉出来的人皮肤如同脱手套一样脱落下来。 长崎伤亡者达十万以上。 就在日本的长崎地狱般死寂之时，苏军坦克的轰鸣声和巨炮的轰击声震撼着中国东北大地，令曾经是世界上最强悍陆军的日本关东军为之肝胆俱裂。此时，尽管关东军尚有两个方面军、六个集团军和两个航空军，共计约七十万兵力，分别部署在中国东北的东、南、西、北四个防御方向上，但由于中国战场和太平洋战场的消耗，其精锐师团大多不复存在，充数的绝大多数是刚刚应召入伍的新兵。装备上仅有作战飞机一百五十架，坦克一百六十辆，各种火炮不足五千门，在刚刚打败德国的强大的苏军面前不堪一击。 以华西列夫斯基元帅为总司令的远东苏军，辖三个方面军以及太平洋舰队和黑龙江区舰队，共有十一个合成集团军、一个坦克集团军、一个骑兵机械化集群、三个航空兵集团军、三个防空集团军，共计七十一个陆军师、六个骑兵师、三个坦克师，火炮三万门、坦克和自行火炮五千五百辆、作战飞机三千八百架；海军拥有各种舰船五百余艘、战机一千五百架，陆海空军总兵力达一百六十万。 九日零时，苏军步兵越过国境线，航空兵开始袭击哈尔滨、长春、吉林和沈阳，海军则驶入了日本海。 南线，苏联远东第一方面军约五十八万人，在太平洋舰队的支援下，分割围歼关东军第一方面军于牡丹江、敦化地区，切断了关东军与朝鲜和日本的联系。而后，中央突击集团向牡丹江方向、左翼突击集团向延吉方向、右翼突击集团向密山方向同时推进，最后攻击哈尔滨和吉林。 西线，坦克第六集团军部队齐头并进，第一天推进一百五十公里，第二天又推进了一百公里。十二日，苏军的坦克部队全部越过大兴安岭，十一日占领鲁北，十二日攻占突泉。左翼第三十六集团军，十一日攻克满洲里的筑垒地带；右翼骑兵机械化集群分两路攻击前进，十四日占领多伦，十五日占领张北。 东线，苏联远东第一方面军先遣部队强渡乌苏里江，袭击了日军的边境筑垒地区，然后主力发起全面攻势。左翼第二十五集团军和右翼第三十五集团军，在东宁和虎头地区遭遇日军抵抗，主力被迫迂回。第五集团军十日攻克绥芬河，之后攻入牡丹江市区，主力则南下进击吉林。 北线，苏联远东第二方面军约三十三万人，在黑龙江舰队的配合下，主力沿松花江向佳木斯和哈尔滨突击。其中一个集团军在南库页岛和千岛群岛实施登陆。八日午夜，苏联独立第五军强渡乌苏里江，十四日占领宝清。第十五集团军强渡黑龙江，攻占了日军在富锦附近的筑垒地区，打通了前往佳木斯的通道。第二集团军十四日将爱辉附近的关东军包围，并对其实施了猛烈围歼。 苏军发动进攻的六天内，后贝加尔方面军越过大兴安岭，前进五百公里，前锋抵达东北平原；远东第一方面军前进二百公里，前锋抵达牡丹江平原；远东第二方面军前进十公里，已经逼近佳木斯；太平洋舰队占领了朝鲜的雄基、罗津等港口，切断了日本关东军海上的退路。尽管日军大本营命令关东军对苏军进行全面作战，但关东军的防御部署在苏军的猛烈打击下被割裂，失去统一指挥的部队很快陷于全面溃败的状态，只有少数兵力在牡丹江、海拉尔、虎头等地凭借坚固堡垒继续抵抗。 陷入绝境的日本政府不得不重新考虑《波茨坦公告》了。 从八月九日上午十时三十分开始，日本最高战争指导会议在防空洞里举行。会议竟然持续了八个小时。内阁和军方争吵不休。首相铃木贯太郎表示，形势已到了必须接受《波茨坦公告》的地步，可陆军大臣阿南惟几认为，盟国虽然提出保证皇室安全等条件，但日本决不能接受无条件投降。现在美国人使用了原子弹，苏联人也背信弃义对日作战，为了大和民族的荣誉，继续战斗是唯一一条路，死里求生或许还有扭转战局的可能。海军大臣米内光政则认为，继续战争日本没有取胜的任何希望，“必须放下那套誓不服输和一厢情愿，按照实际情况，光明正大地坚持需要坚持的意见，去进行谈判”。接下来，军需大臣丰田贞次郎、农商大臣石黑忠笃、运输通信大臣小日山直登，都对各自管辖领域的状况表示出极度悲观。特别地，他们说到从盟军战俘那里得到的情报是：美国已拥有一百颗原子弹，每个月可以造出三颗，下一个投掷目标将是东京。与会者突然沉默了。 就在这时候，传来了长崎受到原子弹轰炸的消息。 在长时间的目瞪口呆后，会议立即转为争论如何投降。 以参谋总长、陆军大臣、海军大臣为首的军方坚持有条件投降，条件至少四项：一、保证维护国体；二、战犯由日本自行处理；三、自主地解除武装；四、避免盟军占领日本本土，如不可能，盟军只能在东京以外的少数范围内，用较少兵力和较短时间在日本实施占领。但是，外相东乡茂德则认为，在眼前这种形势下，日本方面附加任何条件，都可能导致谈判破裂。谈判一旦破裂，日本就连哀求的机会都没有了。 内阁会议无法达成一致，最后只有把天皇请出来。 十日零时，御前会议在皇宫内的防空地下室召开。 这是从一座小山的一侧挖进去的地下防空设施，铺着草席的阶梯很陡，里面有六间房间，最大的一间是会议室。陆续进来的与会者有首相、陆相、海相、外相、参谋总长、军令部总长以及枢密院议长、内阁书记长官、陆海军省军务局局长和内阁综合计划局局长等。走进来的人都保持着沉默，只有参谋总长梅津美治郎和军令部总长丰田副武随身佩带的军刀叮当作响。 午夜前十分钟，天皇进入了会议室。 内阁书记长官首先朗读了《波茨坦公告》，在场的人无不“悲感交集，内心痛苦，无以言宣”。然后，铃木首相宣读了准备接受《波茨坦公告》的议案：“在上月二十六日的三国公告所列举的条件中，不包括要求变更天皇在国法上的地位的谅解下，日本政府予以接受。”在接受天皇垂询时，东乡茂德首先表示，无论《波茨坦公告》如何难以接受，日本都必须马上接受，因为实际上日本已没有谈判的可能。如果日本方面提出条件，也只能是维护皇室，其他条件提得越多被拒绝的可能性就越大——“只要皇室能够存在，日本民族就能隐忍持重，以图他日的复兴。”但是，这一主张还是受到军方的坚决反对。参谋总长梅津美治郎表示，如果无条件投降便对不起阵亡者；军令部总长丰田副武更是认为，现在还不能认定日本已经失败，日本士兵和国民都有“玉碎”的精