Hiroshima And Nagasaki Diary Essay
Hiroshima & Nagasaki 1945
President - Harry S. Truman
Diary Entry 10/8/1945
I strongly defend bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I believe I shortened the war and saved American lives. We did not have any casualties; this is tremendous when you’re in war. Japan first attacked us at Pearl Harbour in 1941, this is our revenge. Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbour, against those who have starved, beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretence of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it to shorten the agony of war, in order to save lives of thousands of thousands of Americans.
Our decision to deploy atomic bombs saved massive casualties occurring on both sides. Bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a great strategic play I believe. We used Hiroshima as our first target because it is the headquarters of the fifth division and second general army, which commands the defence of Southern Japan with 40,000 military personnel in the city. Hiroshima had never been bombed and so that we could learn the effects of an …show more content…
atomic bomb on a virgin city. It is a communication centre, it has several military facilities. Nagasaki has a wide-ranging industrial activity. These targets are purely military based. Our targets were soldiers and sailors and not women or children.
Even if the Japanese are savages, ruthless and fanatic, we as the leaders of the world for the common welfare cannot drop this terrible bomb on the capital. I know that Japan is terribly cruel and uncivilized nation in welfare but I can’t bring myself to believe that, because they are beasts we should ourselves act in the same manner. I still believe that it was inhuman bombing Hiroshima & Nagasaki, I had no other choice. It is my job to serve the United States of American and to put my country and people first. I had to have confidence and believe so that the nation will stand by me. Fro myself, I certainly regret the necessity of wiping out whole populations because of the pigheadedness of the leaders of a nation and I only went through with the bombings until they were absolutely necessary. I cannot listen to my heart and live with any regret. My object is to save as many American lives as possible but I also have a humane feeling for the women and children in Japan.
Admiral William D. Leahy
Diary Entry 11/8/1945
I oppose bombing Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
Once the atomic bomb had been tested, President Truman faced the decision as to whether to use it. He did not like the idea, but he was persuaded that it would shorten the war against Japan and save American lives. It is my opinion that the use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. My own feeling was that in being the first to use it, we had adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make wars in that fashion, and that wars cannot be won by destroying women and children. The policy of indiscriminate murder to shorten the war is considered to be a crime. It is not a bomb. It is not an explosive. It is a poisonous thing that killed people by its radioactive
reaction.
The Japanese had already sued for peace; they were already defeated and ready to surrender because of the effective sea blockade and the successful bombing with conventional weapons. Japanese were already trying to surrender when we dropped the bomb and that we ultimately gave them the terms we first refused, makes the allegation that we would have had to invade Japan particularly ridiculous. Japan first offered peace with conditions but we foolishly refused. After the bombings President Truman demanded Japan to settle on the conditions Japan had first given us. I feel there was no need to bomb Hiroshima & Nagasaki, the Japanese had already surrendered. It is not clear to me why Truman dropped the ‘Fat Man’ three days after dropping ‘Little Boy’. It was not necessary, dropping the second constituted a needless barbarism. The atomic bomb played no decisive part, from a purely military point of view, in the defeat of Japan. Military vulnerability, not civilian vulnerability, accounts for Japan's decision to surrender. Japan's military position was so poor that its leaders would likely have surrendered before invasion, even if the United States had not employed strategic bombing or the atomic bomb.
President - Harry S. Truman
Diary Entry 10/8/1945
I strongly defend bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I believe I shortened the war and saved American lives. We did not have any casualties; this is tremendous when you’re in war. Japan first attacked us at Pearl Harbour in 1941, this is our revenge. Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbour, against those who have starved, beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretence of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it to shorten the agony of war, in order to save lives of thousands of thousands of Americans.
Our decision to deploy atomic bombs saved massive casualties occurring on both sides. Bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a great strategic play I believe. We used Hiroshima as our first target because it is the headquarters of the fifth division and second general army, which commands the defence of Southern Japan with 40,000 military personnel in the city. Hiroshima had never been bombed and so that we could learn the effects of an …show more content…
atomic bomb on a virgin city. It is a communication centre, it has several military facilities. Nagasaki has a wide-ranging industrial activity. These targets are purely military based. Our targets were soldiers and sailors and not women or children.
Even if the Japanese are savages, ruthless and fanatic, we as the leaders of the world for the common welfare cannot drop this terrible bomb on the capital. I know that Japan is terribly cruel and uncivilized nation in welfare but I can’t bring myself to believe that, because they are beasts we should ourselves act in the same manner. I still believe that it was inhuman bombing Hiroshima & Nagasaki, I had no other choice. It is my job to serve the United States of American and to put my country and people first. I had to have confidence and believe so that the nation will stand by me. Fro myself, I certainly regret the necessity of wiping out whole populations because of the pigheadedness of the leaders of a nation and I only went through with the bombings until they were absolutely necessary. I cannot listen to my heart and live with any regret. My object is to save as many American lives as possible but I also have a humane feeling for the women and children in Japan.
Admiral William D. Leahy
Diary Entry 11/8/1945
I oppose bombing Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
Once the atomic bomb had been tested, President Truman faced the decision as to whether to use it. He did not like the idea, but he was persuaded that it would shorten the war against Japan and save American lives. It is my opinion that the use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. My own feeling was that in being the first to use it, we had adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make wars in that fashion, and that wars cannot be won by destroying women and children. The policy of indiscriminate murder to shorten the war is considered to be a crime. It is not a bomb. It is not an explosive. It is a poisonous thing that killed people by its radioactive
reaction.
The Japanese had already sued for peace; they were already defeated and ready to surrender because of the effective sea blockade and the successful bombing with conventional weapons. Japanese were already trying to surrender when we dropped the bomb and that we ultimately gave them the terms we first refused, makes the allegation that we would have had to invade Japan particularly ridiculous. Japan first offered peace with conditions but we foolishly refused. After the bombings President Truman demanded Japan to settle on the conditions Japan had first given us. I feel there was no need to bomb Hiroshima & Nagasaki, the Japanese had already surrendered. It is not clear to me why Truman dropped the ‘Fat Man’ three days after dropping ‘Little Boy’. It was not necessary, dropping the second constituted a needless barbarism. The atomic bomb played no decisive part, from a purely military point of view, in the defeat of Japan. Military vulnerability, not civilian vulnerability, accounts for Japan's decision to surrender. Japan's military position was so poor that its leaders would likely have surrendered before invasion, even if the United States had not employed strategic bombing or the atomic bomb.