Almost 70 years ago on August 6, 1945 at 8:15 AM, the United States crushed the city of Hiroshima with a 10,000 pound atomic bomb that changed the view of war for millions of people (Hersey,1). The bomb killed at least seventy-five thousand people instantly and many more as the years have gone on due to radiation poisoning and other factors from the bomb (Jennings). To this day, people still have mixed feelings about what the U.S. did to Japan. Some are for the bomb because it saved American lives, but there are others who are against it because it was immoral and unnecessary. Leo Szilard, a Hungarian scientist, first wrote a letter to President Roosevelt signed by Albert Einstein that stated the U.S. needed to create an atomic bomb. This came about when Szilard realized the danger that would arise if Germany made the first atomic bomb (Long). Einstein was the one who warned the U.S. that Germany had been conducting research into nuclear weapons and didn't want the Nazis to build one first. The first successful test had been conducted in New Mexico on July 16,1945 with a plutonium bomb, by which time Germany had already been defeated (A&E). The next step was to go after Japan. The U.S. considered an attack even though the amount of American soldiers that would be killed was very high. The estimated amount of American soldiers dying each week in the Pacific War was one thousand (Chen). The most reasonable option thought of was the atomic bomb. The number of deaths caused by Japan during the war was equivalent to one Hiroshima per month for over fourteen years (Chen). The U.S. went after Japan for many reasons, one was that America viewed the Japanese as not good enough. American servicemen thought "The only good Jap... ... middle of paper ... ... in 1945." The Wall Street Journal [New York City] 3 Aug. 1995: 403-404. Abstract. Print. Kazemek, Francis. "Two Handfuls of Bone and Ash': Teaching our Children about Hiroshima." HighBeam Research (1994) n.pag. Web 8 Apr.2014 Long, Doug. "Hiroshima: Was it Necessary?" Hiroshima. Ed. Doug Long. N.p., 1995. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. . Morley, Felix. "The Returning to Nothingness." Human Events. 29 Aug. 1945: 272-74. Print. Sherwin, Martin J. Memory, Myth, and History. N.p.,n.d. 343-52. Print. Stimson, Henry L. "The Decision to use the Atomic Bomb." The Atomic Bomb: The Critical Issues. Boston: Little Brown and, 1984. 14-17. Print. Thomas, Evan. "Why We Did It." Newsweek 24 July 1995: 21-29. Print. "The Veterans." Struggles with History. N.p.: n.p.,n.d. 236-43. Print. Zinn, Howard. The Bomb. San Francisco: City Lights, 2010. Print.
We agree that, whatever be one’s judgment of the war in principle, the surprise bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are morally indefensible. The “8 Primary Pros and Cons of Dropping the Atomic Bomb” People also say how Japan was already defeated, concluding why the bombs were unnecessary. Although, many others say that the dropping of the atomic bombs saved their lives, but the debate over the decision to drop the atomic bomb will never be resolved. The war against Japan bestowed the Allies with entirely new problems as they encountered an enemy with utterly unfamiliar tactics.
The United States of America’s use of the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has spurred much debate concerning the necessity, effectiveness, and morality of the decision since August 1945. After assessing a range of arguments about the importance of the atomic bomb in the termination of the Second World War, it can be concluded that the use of the atomic bomb served as the predominant factor in the end of the Second World War, as its use lowered the morale, industrial resources, and military strength of Japan. The Allied decision to use the atomic bomb not only caused irreparable physical damage on two major Japanese cities, but its use also minimized the Japanese will to continue fighting. These two factors along
They insisted that Albert Einstein inform President Roosevelt about the possibility of the Germans making an atomic bomb. In late 1939, President Roosevelt ordered an American effort to make an atomic bomb before the Germans.
...ar the use of weapons of this magnitude, the American idea of the Japanese people has changed, and we now have set up preventions in the hope of avoiding the use of nuclear weaponry. John Hersey provides a satisfactory description of the atomic bombing. Most writers take sides either for or against the atom bomb. Instead of taking a side, he challenges his readers to make their own opinions according to their personal meditations. On of the key questions we must ask ourselves is “Are actions intended to benefit the large majority, justified if it negatively impacts a minority?” The greatest atrocity our society could make is to make a mistake and not learn from it. It is important, as we progress as a society, to learn from our mistakes or suffer to watch as history repeats itself.
This essay will explain through logic reasoning and give detailed reasons as to why the United States did not make the right choice. One of the most argued topics today, the end of World War II and the dropping of the atomic bombs, still rings in the American ear. Recent studies by historians have argued that the United States really did not make the right choice when they chose to drop the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Also with the release of classified documents, we can see that the United States could have made the choice to use other alternatives besides the use of the atomic weapon.... ... middle of paper ...
After being taken by the Germans convinced others that they still had the lead in developing a fission weapon. It all started with the “Hungarian conspiracy” that had everyone convinced that the creation of a nuclear bomb was possible, but that the German government was already doing research in this field of study on such a weapon. To the rest of the world, the thought of Adolf Hitler might be the first to gain control of a weapon this destructive would be terrifying to the United States. Right, then they decided that the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt must be warned about the dangers and that the United States must begin its research department. As the planned gave way, Einstein was to write a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt about the possibilities and dangers of the atomic weapons, and later was taken to the president.
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
...ings by saying that it saved millions of Americans, but I came to find out that, that wasn’t so true. While looking through many articles, books, and databases, I realized that before getting this assignment I only knew the things that were shared with me about this subject. I knew what everyone wanted me to know and I never questioned it. I believed that if our country were to bomb someone, they’d have justifiable reasons as to why they did it. This event taught me that just because there are a few myths as to why something happened, you don’t have to agree with them. America is my home, but never will I ever agree that the dropping of Little Boy and Fat Man on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary. They could have been avoided and lives could have
In today’s society, many countries and even citizens of the United States question the U.S. government’s decision to get involved in nuclear warfare. These people deemed it unnecessary and stated that the U.S. is a hypocrite that preaches peace, but causes destruction and death. Before and during World War II the U.S. was presented with a difficult decision on whether or not to develop and use the atomic bomb. The U.S. decided to develop the atomic bomb based on the fear they had for the safety of the nation. In August 1939 nuclear physicists sent manuscripts to Albert Einstein in fear the Germany might use the new knowledge of fission on the uranium nucleus as way to construct weapons.
Newman, Robert P. “Hiroshima and the Trashing of Henry Stimson.” New England Quarterly (1998): 5-32.
The Revisionists and the orthodox views are different opinions on President Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb. The revisionists believed that Truman’s decision was wrong and there could have been alternatives. They say that the Bomb was unnecessary and it was only used as a “diplomatic tool” and to show the power of th...
Upon reading “Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan” by J. Samuel Walker, a reader will have a clear understanding of both sides of the controversy surrounding Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The controversy remains of whether or not atomic bombs should have been used during the war. After studying this text, it is clear that the first atomic bomb, which was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, was a necessary military tactic on ending the war. The second bomb, which was dropped on Nagasaki, however, was an unnecessary measure in ensuring a surrender from the Japanese, and was only used to seek revenge.
To fully examine the factors that led to the United States to drop an atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki, one can look at the event as a result of two major decisions. The first decision concerned the use of newly developed nuclear weapons in lieu of other military techniques to secure a timely Japanese surrender. The second decision was to use several of these weapons instead of only one. Although the Truman administration displayed little hesitation or ambivalence over the decision to use atomic weapons (Walker, 51), it is important to examine what factors contributed to these swift actions.
Although WW II ended over 50 years ago there is still much discussion as to the events which ended the War in the Pacific. The primary event which historians attribute to this end are the use of atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although the bombing of these cities did force the Japanese to surrender, many people today ask “Was the use of the atomic bomb necessary to end the war?” and more importantly “Why was the decision to use the bomb made?” Ronald Takaki examines these questions in his book Hiroshima.
Maddox, Robert. “The Biggest Decision: Why We Had to Drop the Atomic Bomb.” Taking Sides: Clashing View in United States History. Ed. Larry Madaras & James SoRelle. 15th ed. New York, NY. 2012. 280-288.