Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb changed the way Americans thought about war because of its traumatic after effects. Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration the atomic bomb was being developed. After Roosevelt died, his vice president Harry Truman was appointed President of the United States. Truman was never informed about the bombs development until an emergency cabinet meeting (Kuznick 9). Truman had to make the fatal decision on whether the bomb was to be dropped on Japan.
If that had happened, they could have avoided the attack and saved thousands of lives, and Japan would have surrendered anyways. Obviously, if the bombings weren't necessary to win the war, then bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki was wrong. War is fought by soldiers and not by killing innocent civilians. Even if the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was to pressure Japan to surrender, there was no need to drop a second one on Nagasaki. The dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945 by the Americans is a very controversial issue with no definite answer.
Japan had attempted to settle a peace treaty with the United States, but they refused and were determined for a unconditional surrender. Instead, the United States should have made an effort to make a peace treaty, not force them into surrender with the ultimate destruction weapon. The reason for this unconditional surrender was to prove America’s superiority over the Japanese. America used propaganda to convince Americans and demoralize the japanese people rather than their army. The use of the atomic bombs was caused by a strong racism motivating factor.
American Military officials also captured secret messages from Japan to Berlin saying that Japan is planning a direct attack on the US unless they change their policy. However, they didn’t know where and how the attack would occur. The surprise attack turned out to be a launch on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This angered American to the extent that the US declared war on Japan the next day. Even though the US favored neutrality, the United States was forced to enter war.
To this day there is still controversy that if that atomic bomb was actually necessary to end the war, because of the number of innocent casualties suffered from the Japanese. The aim of this investigation is to answer the question: To what extent was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary to end the war with Japan? To answer this question, the investigation will need to determine if there was justification for this type of action led by the U.S. government as well as the cons. The tactics of F.D.R., Truman, citizens and historians will be evaluated. Books and speeches about Pearl Harbor and speeches of the Presidents will be provided to answer the investigation.
Why did the U.S. use the atomic bomb? The years leading up to World War II and the dropping of the atomic bombs were hectic and disordered, from the rise of Hitler in 1933, U.S. isolationism in 1934, to the death of U.S. President Roosevelt. The war showed no signs of ending and the security and freedom of nations around the world were in danger. Order was nowhere to be found, and the decision to even consider using the atomic bomb was unpreventable. The U.S. used the atomic bomb because it was the only way Japan would surrender, the world wanted to end the war as soon as possible with as little casualties as possible, and because of resentful feelings toward Japan.
The fact that the United States resolved to drop an atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan shocked many people, including U.S. citizens. The U.S. chose a brutal weapon when choosing the atomic bomb, as proven by the thousands of deaths it caused. Today, some people still question the motives for such a ruthless choice of weaponry. The atomic bomb, however destructive and questionable, seemed to be the only way to ensure “unconditional surrender” of the Japanese. The atomic bomb was, in fact, “a clear step designated to force Japan’s unconditional surrender;” however, this statement fails to give attention to the larger picture that influenced the U.S.’s decision to use the atomic bomb.
Atomic bombs were used against Japan in order to end the war as quickly as possible, with minimal amounts of American casualties. The United States had decided that they will only accept an unconditional surrender from the Japanese. The use of the atomic bombs was hoped to push the Japanese the last bit to get them to surrender to the U.S. 's terms. The alternative options to the atomic bomb included an intensification of the current bombing of Japan, an invasion, waiting for additional aid from the Soviet Union, and allowing the Japanese to keep their imperial system with an emperor. Although the continued bombing of Japan was debated, it was ultimately too uncertain.
As a result, President Truman told Stalin that we had a weapon and Stalin told us to use it. The U.S. also announced to Japan that we would use a weapon that would cause massive destruction and the majority of citizens ignored it. At the time, there was a threat that Russia would become a problem after the war. The U.S. dropped the bombs in Japan to end the war as quickly as possible to prevent Russia from gaining land in Asia. Therefore, the use of the bombs was not purely to defeat the
Needed to drop the bombs to save American and Japanese lives. Some think otherwise, that the bombs were not nessecary to end the war. Even the scientists who created the bombs believed it shouldn't have been used. Once the bomb was created, there was controversy about if it should have been used or not, there were devastating effects on the cities they destroyed, but this did show U.S. Dominance to the rest of the world. The atomic bomb has a infamous histroy behind it.