American Responsibility for the Bombing of Hiroshima

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American Responsibility for the Bombing of Hiroshima The decision to inaugurate the nuclear age by dropping an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima was one of the most momentous acts of the twentieth century. To this day the wisdom of that decision is still a subject of controversy.1 The bomb was developed in great secrecy. This momentous decision that affected the entire planet was made by only a select few. In America, with its democratic government, the whole country finds itself responsible for the actions of its leaders, in particular the President. The leaders are elected with the select purpose of making decisions for the whole. They were responsible for looking at the war and the direction in which it was heading. The Americans would have to deal with the results of their leaders’ actions. Public opinion after the bomb was dropped showed whether the Americans actually approved of these decisions or not. This made the decision to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima all the more important. Not only would those who ordered the bombing be responsible for the destruction, but the entire country would also be responsible for the actions of its leaders. The road that led to the bombing of Hiroshima was a long and covert one. In fact, the research and development of the atomic bomb was so secretive that when Vice President Harry S. Truman entered the Presidency following the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, he had no knowledge of it. Yet he would be the central figure in making the decision to use the bomb. In April 1945, Secretary of War Henry Stimson(pictured - left) and General Groves briefed Truman(pictured - right) about the "Manhattan Project", the top-secret program that researched and developed the atomic bomb.2 The ... ... middle of paper ... ... 9. "Why Did They Drop the Atomic Bomb," The Atom Bomb. (16 October 1999). 10. "Invasion of Japan – At What Cost," The Decision to Drop The Bomb. (16 October 1999). 11. Lifton, 4. 12. Fogelman, 63. 13. Lifton, 24. 14. Lifton, 33. 15. Lifton, 222. BIBLIOGRAPHY - Fogelman, Edwin. Hiroshima: The Decision to Use the A-bomb. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1964. - Lifton, Robert J., and Greg Mitchell. Hiroshima in America. New York: Grosset/Putnam, 1995. - The Atom Bomb. http://www.mv.u-net.com/ (16 October 1999). - The Decision to Drop The Bomb. http://www.nhk.or.jp/nuclear/e/text/unit-3a.htm (16 October 1999).

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