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Hiroshima
First atomic bomb dropped, 6 August 1945.
Nagasaki
Second atomic bomb dropped, 9 August 1945. The city was added to the target list to
replace Kyoto only on 24 July.
Kyoto
Japan's ancient traditional capital, Kyoto topped the list until Secretary of War Henry
Stimson persuaded President Truman to remove it on the basis of its cultural importance.
Kokura
Original target for the second A-bomb on 9 August. Due to poor visibility, the plane
headed to Nagasaki.
Emperor's palace, Tokyo
Attacking Emperor Hirohito's palace was discussed, but the US concluded that Japanese
reaction to the death of a man considered in Japan a living deity was unpredictable and
it was not recommended. Tokyo had already been virtually destroyed by fire bombing
in March, so was considered to be of little strategic value.
Yokohama
Large industrial area which was untouched by conventional bombing, but removed
from the list by the end of July.
Niigata
Important port, identified as a potential centre for industrial dispersion by the US
Target Committee.
That was when Nagasaki was added to the target list instead of Kyoto. But Hiroshima
and Nagasaki were not military targets either.
