Top Secret Information:For the eyes of President Harry Truman only. April 12,1945

Mr. President, In June of the year 1942 a top secret project was

created under the recently deceased and former president Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was named the Manhattan Project and was designed to create a nuclear weapon that would have the ability to destroy whole cities of the Axis Powers and essentially end the war. Though this project cost over $2 billion dollars we have successfully created an atomic fission bomb. It has become a general consensus over the past few months of fighting in the Pacific that the Empire of Japan will not surrender under peaceful terms and are building up their defenses on their mainland. As Commander in Chief we need you to devise possible strategies and decide which is the best course of action for our great country.

L.R. Groves,

Major General, U.S.A.

Task

Imagine that you are President Truman’s Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff during this crucial time period of World War II. President Truman has just called you into the oval office and has admitted that he cannot determine which military strategy would be the best course of action to use against Japan. Your task is to research the possible military offenses and to present a well documented report rationalizing which strategy you think would be the most appropriate and beneficial for the United States. Remember to use factual evidence from the sources you will be given in order to persuade President Truman to follow through with your proposal. It may sound overwhelming right now but in the next slides the process of creating this report will be given in detail.

Process1. The first strategy to research that was ultimately used to end the war is the use

of the atomic bombs. Research this site to see the effects the bomb had on Japan and the implications that would arise from its use. For pictures and other details of the effects of the bombs refer to this site.

2. Research Operation Downfall and the possible outcome of a full land invasion of the Empire of Japan. Use this site to view an actual report from the Chiefs of Staff on the military, economic, and living conditions of the Japanese. Refer to this site to view the records of a meeting at the White House discussing the possible invasion of Kyashu, Japan.

3. After gathering your research and deciding which strategy is the most effective log into our blog to discuss your own opinions or other problems you may have with other students that will help you with your reports.

4. For your report you will present a five minute speech along with a slideshow presenting factual evidence why your strategy should be used to induce Japanese surrender.

5. The next slide will provide the grading criteria for the presentations.

Evaluation 0 points .5 points 1.5 points 2 points Score

Public speaking aspect of presentation/ time requirement

Student spoke for less than two minutes, no preparation or organization of material presented.

Student spoke for between two and three minute, some preparation and organization of material presented.

Student spoke between three and four minutes, adequate organization and preparation of material presented.

Student spoke for the required five minutes, exemplary preparation and organization of material presented.

Slideshow Presentation

Little effort or organization. Information does not correlate with speech.

Effort is observed in presentation but information is not presented in a clear organized manner.

Slideshow is organized and creative but evidence written in it does not strengthen the side of speaker.

Slideshow strongly reinforces material discussed. Professional looking and strengthens the presentation.

Use of Factual Evidence from given sources

Little or no factual evidence presented. Argument is very weak.

Few factual evidence from the sources. Fails to fully persuade the audience of their reasoning.

Moderate use of factual evidence but includes too much opinion. Argument could be stronger with more evidence.

Exemplary use of factual evidence, even compares evidence from both strategies . Makes a strong argument for their strategy.

Creativity/ Originality

No creativity or originality to be observed.

Some creativity and originality but lacks adequate standards for grade level.

Creativity and originality are observed but there could have been more.

Exemplary amount of creativity and originality that makes the presentation memorable.

Graphics Either no images or images have no correlation.

Some images but lack adequate relation to project.

Most images are relevant and reinforce position.

Images are highly relevant and provide the audience with a deep connection of position on the topic

Conclusion

Don’t be discouraged if you felt torn between both possible strategies of dealing with Japan. President Truman had to make one of the toughest decisions in the history of not only the United States but of the entire world. Both strategies had their pros and cons but hopefully by researching these you have learned more about World War Two and feel a greater appreciation for the less violent world we live in today.

Teacher’s PageThis WebQuest dealing with the controversial

dropping of the atomic bombs and other possible strategies of attacking Japan would be for the more advanced secondary grade levels such as students in their junior or senior year of high school. The WebQuest requires specific skills such as proficient, or more likely advanced reading comprehension skills in order to understand and compare the two different strategies. Students will also have to be educated in the use of Microsoft Powerpoint. The performance objective for this project is for students to be able to conduct their own independent research and from that create an argument that is backed by factual evidence. This WebQuest will help them in the future when they write their own research papers without guided instruction.

Teacher’s Page: Website Evaluations

http://artsci.wustl.edu/~copeland/atomicbomb.html: Accuracy: The author is Lindsey Anhalt from Washington university. Her contact

information is not listed. Authority: The domain of the URL is .edu and Lindsey Anhalt is a history profesor at the

university of Washington.Objectivity: It is a very objective academic website with no advertising.Currency: It was created on December 12, 2000 and has not been updated.Coverage: The coverage is very open and all the information is available

http://www.gensuikin.org/english/photo.html:Accuracy: The author of the website is the organization Gensukin.Authority: The organization is a Japanese group that is against the use of nuclear arms.Objectivity: It is partially subjective but has accurate information on the topic and has

no advertising.Currency: It was created October 23rd 2003 and has not been updated.Coverage: All the information is available and free.

Teacher’s Page: Website Evaluations

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/giangrec.htm:

Accuracy: The creator of the website is Mount Holyoke, an education center that houses primary sources.Authority: The domain website is an academic site with the URL .eduObjectivity: It is very objective due to the fact it displays primary sources.Currency: It was last updated Feb 1, 2010.Coverage: All the informations is available and free.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/20.pdf:Accuracy: It was created by George Washington University with a collection from the National Security Archive.

Authority: The domain website is an academic site with the URL .edu.

Objectivity: It is very objective due to the fact it displays primary sources.Currency: It was created August 5, 2007 and last updated April 27, 2007.Coverage: All the information is available and free.

Teacher’s Page: Website Evaluations

http://worldwariiasia.webs.com/theatomicbombs.htm: Accuracy: The author is unknown but the information is accurate and

properly cited.Authority: The domain is .com and a personal website.Objectivity: The information is objective with and even provides

projects to do with students.Currency: It was last updated April 6, 2006. Coverage: All the information is available and free.