Truman's Decision To Drop The Atomic Bomb On Japan Case Study

1319 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Truman making the decision to drop the atomic bombs

Truman’s Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb on Japan During World War II:
His Dilemma
“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” That is what President Harry Truman said only a short time after he made the audacious decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan.
Many factors played a role in his decision to use atomic weapons on Japan: a difficult ground war in Okinawa, the astronomical cost of human casualties (both American and allied, as well as Japanese), the financial cost of the military action in the Japanese theatre, the desire to end the offensive in the pacific arena as quickly as possible, reduced destruction of land in Japan, infrastructure and money; …show more content…

Two days later, during a press conference, the Japanese Prime Minister declared that he would ignore the warning. On August 6, 1945, without another warning, the first atomic bomb was deployed to Hiroshima by the orders of President Harry Truman, with the recent memory of the costly offensives of the previous battles on his mind. Another warning was sent to Japan after the first bomb was released on Hiroshima; when Japan refused a second time to surrender, Truman ordered the release of a second bomb to Nagasaki. It took warning of a third atomic bomb for Japan to finally give in and surrender on August 15, 1945. Truman later said that he did not regret using the bombs even though Hiroshima and Nagasaki lost over 210,000 lives, along with the destruction of two cities. One of his reasons is that by balancing the loss of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the estimated three and a half million soldiers that were saved (American, Allied, and Japanese), and all the Japanese civilians who were willing to die rather than surrender, the use of the atomic bomb with much fewer casualties was an easier and more logical choice for him to make. …show more content…

Mistrust of Soviet and communist intentions was a clear influence in his decision to drop the bomb. If the atomic bomb neutralized the need for Stalin’s troops to take any credit in the victory over Japan, then there wouldn’t be any justification for them to claim any spoils of battle; especially the territories they had long desired, which would give them profitable and convenient sea ports and would allow their influence to grow (later giving immediate rise to the Cold War); which was already becoming a growing threat in some early thinkers.
Secretary of War Henry Stimson said to President Harry Truman on September 11, 1945 “I consider the problem of our satisfactory relations with Russia as not merely connected with but as virtually dominated by the problem of the atomic bomb.” Many people today debate on the true intent of releasing the atomic bombs, claiming that Truman only released them because of his desire to control Soviet acquisition of territories or because he desired revenge from the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
I believe President Harry Truman made the right choice when he released the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Considering the battle in Okinawa, the cost of human casualties, the cost of military action, the desire to put an end to

Show More
Related

  • Atomic Bomb Justified Dbq

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to document A, President Truman believed that it was his duty to protect and save American lives And that's exactly what he did. If we did not go through with the atomic bomb, then we would have had to get Japan to surrender another way, yeah we could have put up an economic blockade and continuously bombed them like Admiral William Leahy wanted to do in in document A. Or we could have invaded and lost many more lives in the process, the war would have dragged on costing more American lives and more money for the United States.

    Read More

  • Prompt And Utter Destruction Analysis

    1521 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Prompt and Utter Destruction, J. Samuel Walker provides the reader with an elaborate analysis of President Truman’s decision behind using the atomic bomb in Japan. He provokes the reader to answer the question for himself about whether the use of the bomb was necessary to end the war quickly and without the loss of many American lives. Walker offers historical and political evidence for and against the use of the weapon, making the reader think critically about the issue. He puts the average American into the shoes of the Commander and Chief of the United States of America and forces us to think about the difficulty of Truman’s decision.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The Atomic Bomb

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    Revisionist historians argue that the bombs were not needed to defeat Japan; the bombs were meant to shape the peace by intimidating the Soviets. After analyzing the documents in The Manhattan Project it has become clear that the U.S. used the bombs during WWII not only to defeat the Japanese, but also to intimidate the Soviet Union using the bombs during WWII not only to defeat the Japanese, but also to intimidate the Soviet Union and prove their power to the world. The U.S. knew Japan would surrender soon without the use of a destructive weapon. The Soviet Union definitely had some influence on the military decision made by the American government. As Professor Stoff mentioned in one of his lectures, Churchill believed Stalin was more dangerous than Hitler.

    Read More

  • Did Truman Made The Right Decision Essay

    613 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first reason on why Truman made the right decision was because the atomic bomb ultimately helped to prevent the deaths of American troops. There would have been over 100,000 losses during the first stage of the attack against Japan, leading to over one million casualties of just Americans during the defeat of Japan(Tucker 1). Although there is no way to confirm the amount of predicted deaths, any amount of American deaths would have been avoided with the use of the atomic bomb. Comparing a million predicted deaths of Americans to the 140,000 (±10,000) that were actually killed in the Hiroshima bomb(Faragher 4), the decision implementing the bomb was executed in the correct way.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Utilitarianism: Dropping The Bomb

    1287 Words  | 3 Pages

    On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb used in warfare against the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later on August 9th, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Just six days after the second atomic explosion, Japan announced its unconditional surrender to the United States after almost four years of war. Philosophers have argued that President Truman took a utilitarian point of morals when deciding to use nuclear weapons: do what is best for the largest number of people. Others say he blatantly ignored Kant’s teachings regarding the morality of attacking non-combatants. Regardless, President Truman was faced with one of the most morally difficult decisions any

    Read More

  • The Decision To Drop The Atomic Bomb

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    A huge proponent to the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and August 9 of 1945 was President Harry Truman. Although they value the ideas and contributions out in by the committee they choose, the president ultimately has the last say on war time decisions. It just so happens that President Truman wanted to drop the bomb. President Truman believed that Japan's leaders would not surrender to the terms outlined in Potsdam meeting. He saw it fit to drop the bombs and end all doubt.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On The Atomic Bomb

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    There were many factors as to the argument relating to the atomic bombs leading to the United States final decision. Many people had arguments for the bombing and others had arguments against the bombings, but it is still not determined if the United States made the right decision. After Truman decided to bomb Japan, they had to plan it out. They first had to decide where to release the bomb. They ended up choosing Hiroshima, Japan and Nagasaki, Japan as their two locations.

    Read More

  • Atomic Bomb Morality

    1771 Words  | 4 Pages

    The dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan were ethical decisions made by President Harry Truman and the United States government. By the time of the atom bomb was ready, the U.S. had been engaged in military conflict for over four years and lost over 400,000 soldiers. Truman claimed, "We would have the opportunity to bring the world into a pattern in which the peace of the world and our civilization can be saved" (Winkler 18). The bomb was aimed at ending the war immediately and avoiding prolonged battle in the Pacific Theater and the inevitable invasion of Japan. President Truman hoped that by showing the Japanese the devastating weapon the U.S. possessed, that the war could be brought ...

    Read More

  • Truman’s Horrible Mistake to Use the Atomic Bomb

    2960 Words  | 6 Pages

    The war was coming to a victorious conclusion for the Allies. Germany had fallen, and it was only a matter of time until Japan would fall as well. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson was at the forefront of the American war effort, and saw atomic weaponry as a way out of the most monumental war ever. As discussed in Cabell Phillips’ book, The Truman Presidency: The History of a Triumphant Succession, Stimson was once quoted as saying that the atomic bomb has “more effect on human affairs than the theory of Copernicus and the Law of Gravity” (55). Stimson, a defendant of dropping the bomb on Japan, felt that the world would never be the same. If the world would change after using atomic weapons, could it possibly have changed for the better? One would think not. However, that person might be weary of the biased opinion of White House personnel. He or she should care more for the in depth analytical studies done by experts who know best as to why America should or should not have dropped the atomic bomb. As more and more evidence has been presented to researchers, expert opinion on whether or not the United States should have dropped the two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki has also changed. More and more researchers seem to feel that the atomic bomb should never have been used (Alperovitz 16). Despite several officials’ claims to enormous death estimations, an invasion of Japan would have cost fewer total lives. In addition, post atomic bomb repercussions that occurred, such as the Arms Race, were far too great a price to pay for the two atomic drops. However, possibly the most compelling argument is that Japan would have surrendered with or without the United States using the atomic bomb. In defiance of top...

    Read More

  • Did Truman Justified To Drop The Atomic Bomb Justified Essay

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    Truman was justified to drop the Atomic bombs because of the situation at hand, but it is arguable because he had several alternatives. Right after America declared war on Japan, Germany had also declared war on the United States. Thereby, causing a dilemma for the United States nation as a whole. If the US didn't finish the war with Japan quickly they would have trouble backing up the allied powers. However, Truman could have found another way to defeat Japan with a less violent tactic. While Truman had his reasons for using the bomb, there were people who agreed with him were the orthodox historians while the people who disagreed called revisionists.

    Read More

  • Harry Truman's Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    To what extent was Harry Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki justified?

    Read More

  • Prompt and Utter Destruction

    1090 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1945, the United States was facing severe causalities in the war in the Pacific. Over 12,000 soldiers had already lost their lives, including 7,000 Army and Marine soldiers and 5,000 sailors (32). The United States was eager to end the war against Japan, and to prevent more American causalities (92). An invasion of Japan could result in hundreds of thousands killed, wounded and missing soldiers, and there was still no clear path to an unconditional surrender. President Truman sought advice from his cabinet members over how to approach the war in the Pacific. Although there were alternatives to the use of atomic weapons, the evidence, or lack thereof, shows that the bombs were created for the purpose of use in the war against Japan. Both the political members, such as Henry L. Stimson and James F. Byrnes, and military advisors George C. Marshall and George F. Kennan showed little objection to completely wiping out these Japanese cities with atomic weapons (92-97). The alternatives to this tactic included invading Japanese c...

    Read More

  • Why the United States dropped the Atomic Bomb

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    Admittedly, dropping the atomic bomb was a major factor in Japan's decision to accept the terms laid out at the Potsdam agreement otherwise known as unconditional surrender. The fact must be pointed out, however, that Japan had already been virtually defeated. (McInnis, 1945) Though the public did not know this, the allies, in fact, did. Through spies, they had learned that both Japan's foreign minister, Shigenori Togo and Emperor Hirohito both supported an end to the war (Grant, 1998). Even if they believed such reports to be false or inaccurate, the leaders of the United States also knew Japan's situation to be hopeless. Their casualties in defending the doomed island of Okinawa were a staggering 110,000 and the naval blockade which the allies had enforced whittled trade down to almost nothing. Japan was quickly on the path to destruction. (Grant, 1998). Of course, the Allies ignored this for the reason that dropping the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would intimidate Russia. Had they truly been considering saving more lives and bringing a quick end to the war in Japan, they would have simply waited them out without the major loss of life seen at both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    Read More

  • The Decision of a Lifetime: Dropping the Atomic Bomb on Japan

    1989 Words  | 4 Pages

    Historian Robert James Maddox starts the debate by siding with Truman and states that he made the right decision in dropping the bomb. Maddox uses several influential meetings, speculations and the presidents’ personal opinions on the situation to defend his statement. Some examples he uses include, Japanese military power and mentality, saving American lives, and unconditional surrender. In short, because the use of the atomic bomb occurred, the Japanese military lost their lust to fight to the end, countless lives were saved, and Japan surrendered. Therefore, although many Japanese lives were lost in the conflict the right decision was made by Harry Truman to authorize the usage of the bombs.

    Read More

  • Was The Dropping Of The Atomic Bomb Justified?

    2763 Words  | 6 Pages

    There are many people who oppose the use of the atomic bombs; though there are some that believe it was a necessity in ending the war. President Truman realized the tragic significance of the atomic bomb and made his decision to use it to shorten the agony of young Americans (“Was the Atomic Bombing”). The president knew of the way the Japanese fought. They fought to the death and they were brutal to prisoners of war. They used woman and children as soldiers to surprise bomb the enemy. They made lethal weapons and were taught to sacr...

    Read More

More about Truman's Decision To Drop The Atomic Bomb On Japan Case Study

Open Document