Essay On The Atomic Bomb Decision
During World War II the United States produced two atomic bombs. It was a big decision to drop not one but two atomic bombs on Japan in World War II. That decision was one of the biggest in history and there was more than one reason for President Truman to authorize the use of atomic bombs. What he did not realize or know, was the effects it would have. The atomic bombs did not just affect Japan by their devastation, but they affected the foreign policy throughout the world for years to come. In 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt received a letter from renowned scientist Albert Einstein. In that letter he warned President Roosevelt that Nazi Germany was pursuing the research on nuclear chain reactions in hopes to create a weapon of great
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Truman became president of the United States. Truman ended up being the President that made the decision to use the atomic bombs named Fat Man and Little Boy on Japan. It was not any easy decision. There were several factors which helped Truman determine his use of the bombs. First was the loss of lives if Americans were to invade mainland Japan. It was estimated more lives would be lost in that fighting then by dropping the bombs. The lives Truman were mostly concerned about was American lives (Jones, 2008). Keeping Russia out of the Pacific theatre was another factor. Truman did not like communism and did not want Russia to have any influence over Asia or Japan (Jones, 2008). By dropping the bombs, this did not allow Russia to mobilize in time to aid in the Pacific fighting. Justification for the money spent on developing them was another factor (pcf.city.hiroshima.jp, n.d.). Using the bombs could justify their production. Finally, Japan never agreed to surrender unconditionally. Japan was given plenty of time to surrender before the first bomb was dropped in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. After that bomb was dropped, they were given another opportunity, but did not. On the 9th of August the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. On August 14, 1945 Japan finally surrendered
Truman became president of the United States. Truman ended up being the President that made the decision to use the atomic bombs named Fat Man and Little Boy on Japan. It was not any easy decision. There were several factors which helped Truman determine his use of the bombs. First was the loss of lives if Americans were to invade mainland Japan. It was estimated more lives would be lost in that fighting then by dropping the bombs. The lives Truman were mostly concerned about was American lives (Jones, 2008). Keeping Russia out of the Pacific theatre was another factor. Truman did not like communism and did not want Russia to have any influence over Asia or Japan (Jones, 2008). By dropping the bombs, this did not allow Russia to mobilize in time to aid in the Pacific fighting. Justification for the money spent on developing them was another factor (pcf.city.hiroshima.jp, n.d.). Using the bombs could justify their production. Finally, Japan never agreed to surrender unconditionally. Japan was given plenty of time to surrender before the first bomb was dropped in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. After that bomb was dropped, they were given another opportunity, but did not. On the 9th of August the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. On August 14, 1945 Japan finally surrendered