How Did The Truman Use The Atomic Bomb

The Use of the Atomic Bomb The Manhattan Project was a secretive project created by the government to get ahead in the push for a nuclear bomb. After its completion, the atomic bomb was secretly tested in the New Mexico desert. The bomb was a success and next came the hardest decision of Harry S. Truman’s life. He was president at the time and he had to decide whether or not the bomb should be dropped. He had to account for the civilian’s lives, but also had to think about the outcome of the war if the United States had to continue to fight with ground units; after all of his careful thinking he finally decided. After President Truman considered the atomic bomb from a military perspective, he decided that the bomb was indeed the way to end
the war. This was the correct decision. Truman brought the price into effect as well as the bomb’s potential to end the war. This is why the use of the bomb was correct; one use of the atomic bomb would be equivalent to “100-1000 B-29 bombers” (Bush). This immense ratio difference was one of the main sways which caused the President to in-fact use the bomb. President Harry S.
Truman also had to think about the lives of the Americans. If the United States did not drop this nuclear bomb, then the war would have lasted longer and the American soldiers would have had to continue to fight the Japanese in the air, water, and ground. This would have caused many more American casualties, and would’ve hurt the American military in the long run. While Truman was taking all these consequences into consideration he received a letter from General Groves stating, “If the United States continues to lead in the development of atomic energy weapons, its future will be much safer and the chances of preserving world peace greatly increased.” General Groves was correct in his statement saying that the atomic bomb would be much safer in the future. After the United States dropped the bomb, the Japanese surrendered only days later. In the end the bomb was a success which is why President Truman’s decision was precise and accurate
(Groves). Even though the atomic bomb killed many foreign civilians, much of the American people supported it. President Truman used the bomb correctly as the bomb could impact the Japanese much more than the American troops. During the bomb’s test, it reported to affect buildings and objects up to two hundred miles away (Groves). The fact that the bomb had the capability to destroy Japan much faster than the human troops and regular air raids is one of his main political reasons for dropping the atomic bomb. Arthur H.
Compton also aided President Truman in his the process to making the right decision. At this point in time many people were contemplating whether or not the bomb would be appropriate, because it might cause changes in the future of the United States foreign policy, however Compton made it known that the use of the atomic bomb would save a large number of American lives, which is priceless. Taking this factor into consideration, President Harry S. Truman made the best decision in his life, to drop the atomic bomb. If he did not take this action, the United States may have had more casualties; the war may have taken longer to end, which would have caused the United States to spend more money. In the end, he used the bomb to save money and save American lives
(Compton). Before President Truman could completely decide on whether or not to drop the bomb, he had to look at it from an ethical point of view. Looking back on this historic moment, the imagery makes the decision to drop the bomb look unethical. According to a witness the cloud, “… retained that shape when we last gazed at it from a distance of about 200 miles” (Laurence). This huge explosion took the lives of at least 80,000 people as a result of the bomb. Many people would argue that this was an over drastic measure, as the atomic bomb actually caused people to burn from the inside out. When the bomb was dropped temperatures reached 5,400 degree Fahrenheit. At the end of the day, President Truman realized that it was either our lives, or theirs (Harry S Truman’s). President Harry S. Truman looked to better the United States and keep his country safe. He decided to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945; his decision was made when he took into account that the bomb would end the war quickly. He also thought about how many American lives would be saved if the bomb was dropped instead of an invasion. Although many humanitarians would argue that the killing of all these civilians was inhumane, President Truman realized that to take the lives of Japanese citizens was better than losing the lives of patriotic Americans, which ultimately led to his decision.