Dropping The Atomic Bombs On Japan In 1945
President Truman made the correct decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan in 1945. There were various events that led to his correct decision starting with Albert Einstein’s letter to President Roosevelt. In his letter, Einstein warned President Roosevelt that Germany might develop and use atomic bombs. These bombs were capable of mass destruction because of the energy released by the splitting of atomic nuclei. When a single free neutron strikes the nucleus of an atom of radioactive material, it starts a chain reaction that causes more and more energy to be released. These are very dangerous weapons and if the enemy was capable of it before America was then the war would have been completely different. These bombs were capable of destructiveness
vastly greater than anything they had even known. Luckily, Roosevelt heeded Einstein’s suggestions and started the Manhattan Project which was actually led by many German scientists who feared the Third Reich having these weapons. Due to America’s “germans-first policy”, the United States and the Allies defeated Germany in May 7, 1945 after they officially surrendered. The unconditional surrender of Germany diminished the threat of an enemy dropping the atomic bomb on the mainland of America. This was huge because it was no longer a two front war for America and allowed America to put all of its focus on Japan. The war in the Pacific was very costly to America. America had suffered more than 418,000 lives, both military and civilian. Truman knew that after the Battle of Okinawa, the United States would suffer more and more casualties to the Japanese because their soldiers were trained to never give up and surrender. With an eminent attack on the mainland of Japan, Truman knew that there would be an insurmountable amount of deaths both by the Japanese and the Americans that would leave a even bigger mark on the souls and emotions of both countries. I do not believe that dropping the bomb was a moral or an ethical decision but it was the right decision. Dropping the atomic bombs benefited both sides of the war: Japan and America. The atom bombs achieved their desired effects by causing maximum devastation. Just six days after the Nagasaki bombing, the Emperor’s Gyokuon-hōsō speech was broadcast to the nation, detailing the Japanese surrender. The devastation caused by the bombs sped up the Japanese surrender, which was the best solution for all parties. If the atomic bombs had not had the devastating effect they had, they would have been utterly pointless. They replaced thousands of US bombing missions that would have been required to achieve the same effect of the two bombs that, individually, had the explosive power of the payload of 2,000 B-29s. This freed up resources that could be utilised for the war effort elsewhere. There is no moral and perfect way to end a war; however, during World War 2 the most logical decision was made by Truman: which was dropping the two atomic bombs.
vastly greater than anything they had even known. Luckily, Roosevelt heeded Einstein’s suggestions and started the Manhattan Project which was actually led by many German scientists who feared the Third Reich having these weapons. Due to America’s “germans-first policy”, the United States and the Allies defeated Germany in May 7, 1945 after they officially surrendered. The unconditional surrender of Germany diminished the threat of an enemy dropping the atomic bomb on the mainland of America. This was huge because it was no longer a two front war for America and allowed America to put all of its focus on Japan. The war in the Pacific was very costly to America. America had suffered more than 418,000 lives, both military and civilian. Truman knew that after the Battle of Okinawa, the United States would suffer more and more casualties to the Japanese because their soldiers were trained to never give up and surrender. With an eminent attack on the mainland of Japan, Truman knew that there would be an insurmountable amount of deaths both by the Japanese and the Americans that would leave a even bigger mark on the souls and emotions of both countries. I do not believe that dropping the bomb was a moral or an ethical decision but it was the right decision. Dropping the atomic bombs benefited both sides of the war: Japan and America. The atom bombs achieved their desired effects by causing maximum devastation. Just six days after the Nagasaki bombing, the Emperor’s Gyokuon-hōsō speech was broadcast to the nation, detailing the Japanese surrender. The devastation caused by the bombs sped up the Japanese surrender, which was the best solution for all parties. If the atomic bombs had not had the devastating effect they had, they would have been utterly pointless. They replaced thousands of US bombing missions that would have been required to achieve the same effect of the two bombs that, individually, had the explosive power of the payload of 2,000 B-29s. This freed up resources that could be utilised for the war effort elsewhere. There is no moral and perfect way to end a war; however, during World War 2 the most logical decision was made by Truman: which was dropping the two atomic bombs.