HOMEWORK
Assignment Instructions
- Read Chapter 13 and watch the video below on the Firebombing of Japan before you start work on this assignment.
- Closely read the scenario, the pre-briefing questions, and the problem before starting your work.
- You will be doing research on key members of the meeting and the various options open to the U.S.
- Submit a 2-3 page pre-brief summary and your recommendation to the President and your rationale for that recommendation. 2-2.5 pages will be your pre-brief and .5-1 page will be your recommendation to the President and your rationale for that decision.
The President and Fog of War Scenario
Read the following scenario. The time is July of 1945. You have been asked by the President of the United State Harry S. Truman to attend a meeting with the following people: (before you do anything else do some research to find out who they are)
- General Leslie Groves,
- General George Marshal,
- Henry Stimpson,
- General Curtis LeMay, and
- Edward Stettinius, Jr.
The meeting is to discuss the final act of the Pacific War.
The Fog of War
Watch the Video below about the US bombing of Japan before starting the assignment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gekdt0QwFQw
The Pre-Briefing
The questions below are for the pre-briefing you have to complete before your meeting with the President and his cabinet. You will need to do some research to find the answers to these questions.
Answer the following questions in a 2-2.5 page written summary in preparation for your meeting:
- The man in the video is Robert S. Mac Namara: What was his role in the Fire Bombing of Japan?
- Recently, the Battle of Iwo Jima and Okinawa had been fought. What was the outcome of those battles?
- Fact Check:
- How many Japanese Troops were involved in the Battle of Okinawa? How many Japanese Troops Surrendered?
- How many Japanese Troops were involved in the Battle of Iwo Jima? How many Japanese Troops Surrendered?
- What is Operation Downfall?
- What is the Objective of this future Operation?
- How many US troop and allied troop are to be engaged in the entire operation?
- What are the projected losses on both sides, both military and civilian losses?
- What is the Manhattan Project, “Gadget?”
The Problem
President Truman and all the members of the meeting go over the information you’ve gathered. The generals and the secretaries lay out the options very clearly:
- Use the “Manhattan Gadget”
- Proceed with “Operation Downfall”
The other members walk out of the room and the President asks you to stay behind. The President looks you straight in the eyes and says, “My goal is to end this war, what would you recommend? What should I do?
In .5 – 1 page give your answer to the President and explain your rationale based on the facts that you’ve collected.
What would you recommend?
Review your research and make your recommendation with a supporting argument to justify your position.
Length/Formatting Instructions
| Length | 2-3 Pages |
| Font | 12 point, Calibri Font, 1″ Margins |
| Program/File Type | Submit in Word |
| Attachments | Should be pasted into the Word document if possible. |
| Referencing system | APA referencing system is necessary in assignments, especially material copied from the Internet.
For examples of correct citations, visit the following links: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ |
The Fog of War Grading Rubric
| CATEGORY | Exceeds Expectations | Meets Expectations | Does Not Meet Expectations | Significantly Below Expectations |
| McNamara Background and Bio | 10 points Excellent Bio overview of McNamara. |
8 points Good Bio -Hit the highlights and good fact. |
5 points General facts on bio no real discussion |
0 points Very vague discussion and bio |
| Fact Check 2 and 3 a,b,c | 10 points Good facts and details about the event’s good stats |
8 points Some good facts and points and discussion |
5 points Very general points some facts but very general and esoteric |
0 points little or few facts very vague. No real discussion |
| Fact Check 4 and 5 | 10 points Good facts and details about the event’s good stats |
8 points Some good facts and points and discussion |
5 points Very general points some facts but very general and esoteric |
0 points Vague no real discussion |
| Advice to President | 10 points Excellent and well thought out position mention of the above facts and goal of the President. |
8 points Good Hit the Hight points. Use some facts and gave reasons for decision |
5 points Very general points some facts but very general and esoteric |
0 points More or less a yes or no answer no real reasons mentioned. |
| Mechanics – Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling | 5 points Student makes no errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling that distract the reader from the content. |
4 points Student makes 1-2 errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling that distract the reader from the content. |
2 points Student makes 3-4 errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling that distract the reader from the content. |
0 points Student makes more than 4 errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling that distract the reader from the content. |
| Writing Style – Organization, Transitions, Tone | 5 points The assignment is written with excellent organization, thoughtful transitions, and the appropriate tone. |
4 points This writing assignment is adequately organized, but has some errors in the transitions or the tone. |
2 points This writing assignment is poorly organized, or it contains ineffective transitions and/or inappropriate tone. |
0 points This writing assignment displays little to no organization or transitions, and/or does not use the appropriate tone. |
| APA Format – Margins, Font, Spacing, Headings and Cover Page | 5 points The margins, font, spacing, headings, and cover page are all formatted properly. |
4 points There are 1-2 errors in the formatting of the margins, font, spacing, headings, or cover page. |
2 points There are 3-4 errors in the formatting of the margins, font, spacing, headings, or cover page. |
0 points There are more than 4 errors in the formatting of the margins, font, spacing, headings, or cover page. |
| APA Format – Citations and References | 5 points All sources used for quotes and facts are credible and cited, and the references and in-text citations are all properly formatted. Each reference has an in-text citation and in-text citation has a reference. |
4 points All sources used for quotes and facts are credible and cited, but slight errors are present in the format of the in-text citations or references. Or there may be one in-text citation or reference missing. |
2 points Some sources used for quotes and facts are either not credible or there are significant errors in the in-text citations and/or references. Or there are multiple missing in-text citations or references. |
0 points The sources used for quotes and facts are not credible and/or not cited. The in-text citations and/or references are not present. |
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