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Was the atomic bomb necessary to end war with Japan?

Eighty years on from the end of the Second World War, Richard Overy questions the logic and legacy of the US's aerial assault on Japan that culminated in the use of atomic bombs in August 1945

• Elinor Evans

Published: August 6, 2025 at 10:04 AM

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The decision by the United States to drop atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 remains one of the most controversial moments in modern history. Did the atomic bombs force Japan's surrender in the Second World War? Or is this far too simple a narrative? Speaking to Elinor Evans, historian Richard Overy reconsiders the role of Oppenheimer's bombs, and the US firebombing that paved their way, in the final weeks of the war.

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Richard Overy is the author of Rain of Ruin: Tokyo, Hiroshima and the Surrender of Japan (Allen Lane, 2025).

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Authors

Elinor EvansHead of digital (web and video)

Elinor Evans is head of digital (web and video)

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