How Did William D. Hassett Use The Atomic Bomb?

The Atomic Bomb, Through the Eyes of William D. Hassett

William D. Hassett became the President’s secretary at the start of 1944, five years into World War II, and three years into America’s involvement. He served as President Roosevelt’s and then President Truman’s secretary until 1952. Hassett was born in Vermont on August 28, 1880. He attended Clark University from 1902 to 1904 and after two years became a reporter for the Burlington Free Press. He served as an assistant secretary to the president from 1935 until 1944 when he was promoted to secretary by President Roosevelt. He remained secretary through Roosevelt’s and for a majority of Truman’s presidency, and he became a trusted associate for both presidents. Because of this relationship,
The cause of this destruction was a successful testing of the Atomic Bomb, which is now ready to be produced as necessary. Our physicist, Enrico Fermi, estimates that this bomb has a force equivalent to that of ten thousand TNT. Any trace of the one hundred foot tower has yet to be found. - General Leslie Groves”
The Manhattan project was a success, and now the bomb capable of destroying a city was ready to be used at the will of one man. Mr. Stimson and President Truman have already received word of this success. Truman now had to decide what to do with such a power. He and Mr. Stimson had agreed that the atomic bomb would be used on “military objectives and soldiers and sailors...not women and children. The target will be a purely military
General Dwight Eisenhower was one of such people, despite the fact that he had witnessed firsthand the destruction and death of the war. Eisenhower received news of America’s intentions soon after the success of the Trinity test. His belief was that Japan was handily defeated as it stood, and that no atom bomb would be necessary to force the Japanese into surrender. Soon after the bomb was dropped, General Eisenhower was asked about it during an interview. He said “The Japanese were ready to surrender and it wasn't necessary to hit them with that awful thing." The capital soon realized that Eisenhower’s beliefs weren’t isolated. Many of the higher ups disagreed with the decision that Truman made.
Japan has finally surrendered. The date is August fifteenth, and no one is more relieved at the news than President Truman. The final details are yet to be hashed out, but as it stands, Japan has accepted the unconditional surrender, deciding that to wage war with the Soviet Union and battle America in a Nuclear war was not worth the fight.