I want to thank you for your response and clearly stating your perspective regarding the United States bombing Japan. However, I must respectfully disagree with your argument. I do believe the atomic bomb was necessary to end the war because without the bomb the United States was prepared to invade Japan. Statistically speaking the use of omb actually saved thousands of American and Japanese lives rather than invading Japan. I do concur with the questionable morality of using the bomb because killing many individuals was not an easy decision Truman had to make, consequently the decision ended the otherwise long and drawn out war. Japan was prepared to put a fight, no matter the circumstances. With the Japanese army and civilian militia expected…
The decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan in August of 1945 was made by a complex group of technological, political and military influences. History has it that the bombs were dropped in order to save American lives by avoiding the invasion of Japanese homelands, at least, that was what President Truman told the American public at the time. “For years, this simple view has been challenged by a seemingly more sophisticated academic perspective that the bombs were wrongfully used against innocent civilians, did not genuinely factor into the surrender of Japan, and would have better served the war effort as part of a diplomatic “carrot and stick” package.” (Beason 1). Some argue that the first bomb may have been required to achieve Japanese surrender, but the second one was a needless act of barbarism. According to Admiral William D. Leahy, the President’s Chief of Staff, “The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war over Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender…” (Beason 1). However, I have many facts to counteract all of these criticisms and to support President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb.…
Twenty years after Harry Truman ordered the dropping of the atomic bomb, scholars and citizens subscribed to the original version of the story: the President acted to avoid the invasion of Japan and lose anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000 American lives. Then in 1965, Gar Alperovitz published a the book “Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Potsdam”. He argues that the dropping of the atomic bomb “was not needed to end the war or to save lives” but was a message to the Soviet Union. Fifty years after the atomic bomb was dropped, Alperovitz said that the final answer to why the atomic bomb was dropped is “neither essential nor possible”. He also said,”What is important is whether, when the bomb was used, the President and his top advisers understood that it wa not required to avoid a long and costly invasion, as they later claimed and as most Americans still believe.” Alperovitz believes that if the bomb was not used, Japan might still have been made to surrender before the first American landing on the island of Kyushu.…
America has been through a tough and grueling war. We have lost many soldiers and need to speed it up on the Pacific front against the Japanese to change the tide and encourage surrender. America should drop the atomic bomb on Japan. Japan is in this war for the long hall and something has to change so men stop dying every day. Dropping the bomb is the best thing to do for the US and its military at this point.…
I don't think that the US should have bombed Japan. It was entirely unnecessary and the US had plenty of opportunities to do other things. America could have used a technical demonstration to show how powerful the bombs were on a nearby, but uninhabited, island. This would have been a effective intimidation act while not adding to WWII's already enormous death count. Admittedly this alone would not have ensured Japan's surrender, but Japan was planning on surrendering in the fall off 1945. The only thing that was keeping them from surrendering sooner was their unwillingness to accept completely unconditional surrender. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki may have ended World War II, but was it worth the lives…
By dropping the atomic bomb, we were able to put an end to a war that could have continued for many more years. Though there was much controversy over the bomb, Truman, our president at the time, apprised America saying he was quite thankful for it and celebrated the scientific achievements of the minds that created it. America was the first country to create something of this caliber and he wanted us to realize how great it was. The pragmatic decision helped America to establish its military power on a global scale. It is believed that Japan did not believe that we had a weapon that could cause so much destruction, so we had no choice but to show them. The Japanese people do not believe in surrendering, they see it as dishonorable and are…
Harry S. Truman was a simple man from Missouri who, in his own words, stated “if ever there was a man forced to be President, I am that man” (Ferrell, 1980). During the 1944 election, the Democratic Party nominated Truman for the Vice Presidency against his wishes. His loyalty to the Party ran deep, however, so he humbly accepted and became Franklin Roosevelt’s running mate. It was no surprise when Roosevelt won his fourth term, but many people had never heard of Harry Truman. This was about to change. In April 1945, only 82 days into Truman’s Vice Presidency, he received word that President Roosevelt died. He now found himself President of a nation in the midst of World War II.…
It all started when Japan demolished Pearl Harbor. The Japanese planes bolted into the U.S. territory, over 2,000 individuals died on that day, because of the bombing. The attack damaged ships and sank many boats. Over a 100 aircrafts were wrecked and sabotaged that day. The bombs caused great destruction, with many people. For president Truman, he saw it was the only way to yield.…
The dropping of the Atomic Bomb was an attack made on the Japanese by the Americans. Although the dropping of the Atomic Bomb by the United States helped to end World War II, the act was unjustified because of innocent Japanese civilians that were needlessly murdered and were not given sufficient time to surrender from the area. Consequently, the Japanese were defeated before and they were attempting to surrender because of the effective sea blockade and the unsuccessful bombing with conventional weapons. This would be the reason that the bombing was not useful.…
The only military use of atomic weapons has been on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and almost certainly brought a prompt conclusion to WW2. However, the question of whether it was necessary is still hotly debated 70 years after the event. The answer is no it wasn’t necessary, although it is not as simple as you may think because if I had just been a soldier fighting in New Guinea or if I was a POW starving on the Thai-Burma railway [1] then answer is yes it was necessary. Necessary can have various meanings though such as indispensable or requisite, but also mean acting from need. The question becomes very problematic or ambiguous if one uses both meanings as again we get a yes and no.…
War is a constant debate of right and wrong. Throughout the ages war had been everlasting battles fought and battles lost. Lives are sacrificed for the cause of men. One of the most well known wars of all time World War II was a constant struggle for world power. On one side of the world the Germans fighting in the east and the Japanese in the west. The end of the war was brought on by new technology and the decision to change the world. People ask if it was necessary to drop the bombs on Japan. Truman made a decision that saved the lives of American Soldiers as well as Japanese soldiers. If it wasn't for the lives saved, the Technology developed and the Decision made the world would not have devolved as fast as it has.…
President Truman was justified in using atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945. As commander-in Chief of US Armed forces, President Truman was responsible for the men and women in harms way. Americans and Japanese were dying, suffering life-altering injuries and experiencing torture and deprivation in prison camps each day the war raged. Additionally, it is important to look at the cultural elements of Japan, , the possible invasion of Japan, and the American morale during this time, when addressing the justification of Truman's decision.…
The nation of Japan is permeated with anguish and despair. Two bombs of an indescribable magnitude have been dropped on Japan. The first was 3 days ago; the target, Hiroshima, the site of our major military headquarters. And earlier today, Nagasaki became a victim, and currently lies in ruins. The cities are unrecognizable. I do not have the words to explain to you how devastating and destructive the bombs have been. At this stage, we are still to receive advice regarding the loss of military personnel, and the extent of civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure. At this early stage reports slowly filtering in paint a devastating picture. I cannot fathom how my beloved country will bounce back from these attacks. This event, however, has made one element salient to me. Defeat is inevitable. The only alternative to surrender is complete and utter destruction. Our Allies seem committed to completely destroying every Japanese man, women and child. Continuing this war will only result in more destruction for the nation and prolonged…
On August 6, President Harry Truman plans to drop an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This bomb is supposed to have a major impact on this city. Tens of thousands of people are estimated to die on impact, and thousands are estimated to die after due to the exposure to radiation. President Truman wants to drop the bomb to end the six year war, however, it has caused a major controversy over the amount of damage it will cause. Some people believe that this amount of destruction is needed to assure the war ends. They believe that Japan is going to attack the United States soon, and because the USA is low on resources, they are more vulnerable for the attack. Others think that we should drop the bomb, Little Man, in a nearby harbor to scare the Japanese. They also think that the atomic bomb is too extreme. The blast of the bomb is supposed to be…
What would you do if you were a soldier, and you knew that if your country didn’t drop the atomic bomb, then you would die? This is what many soldiers were thinking about on August 6th, 1945 when the American government decided to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. By doing this they saved millions of American lives. When they did this Japan surrendered and it won us the war. Also, it demonstrated the power of America. America did the right thing by dropping the atomic bomb.…