The Clock Stopped

1135 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays on atomic bomb

The Clock Stopped This clock stopped at 8:15 am the morning of August 6, 1945 when America released the fatal forces of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Unfortunately the owner of this watch, Kengo Futagawa, was terribly burned and mortally wounded by the atomic forces as he stood only 1600 meters from the point of impact. Sad deaths like Futagawa’s are commemorated each year by various Anti-Atomic Warfare organizations that try to spread the realism and the devastation of Atomic Warfare through the told accounts of individual Hiroshima victim’s horrific stories. They, the people of Hiroshima paid an awful price as do many victims in the time of warfare, but their story is different because it was a price that did not need to be so heavy. Due to ruthless war tactics, negligence, and ulterior motives America, the power of peace, used excessive force on Japan when it dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. There are many ways to cruelly explain America’s actions in this matter; such as revenge, or simply a quickened end to the war, but the plain truth is the A-Bombing of Hiroshima could have been easily avoided. If the decision to bomb or not to bomb was placed solely on the threat of Japan at the present time of the decision anyone could see that atomically bombing Hiroshima was unnecessary and by all means should have been used as a last resort. Scientist, Botanist, and creator of the theories behind the Atomic Bomb, Leo Szilard and 58 others protested against the use of Atomic Bombs in the war against Japan by writing a letter to the President of the United States. The petition respectfully asked that the use of this new weapon be used in a last resort. An excerpt from the petition clearly states their in... ... middle of paper ... ...ides of the lines can certainly help to discourage future war efforts. Bibliography: Works Cited Fogleman, Edwin. Hiroshima; The Decision to Use The A-Bomb. Ed. Martin Steinmann,Jr. New York: Scribner Research Anthologies. 1964. Pg.1-75. Tsuchida, Hiromi. Hiroshima Collection. Ed. Mayu Tsuruya Available: http://www.lclark.edu/~history/HIROSHIMA/photos 3-4.html Danne, Gene. Szilard petition Version 1 July 3, 1945. (damneng@peak.org 1995-1996) “Atomic Bomb Decision” Available: http://www.peak.org/~danneng/decision/43-07-03.html. Long, Doug. Hiroshima: Was it Necessary? Mercury.net Available: http://www./~dlong/index.html Bloomfield, Janet Why the atom bomb wasn’t necessary to end the war. Chair of the Campaign for nuclear Disarmament. Available: http://www.oneworld.org/news/world/bloomfield.html

Show More
Related

  • The United States was Justified in Dropping the Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United States was justified in dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki for many reasons. First of all, just to start out, the bombings had nothing to do with Japan, it was about the Cold War and the real reason America used these weapons was to show Russia that the US possessed them. Second, the war in the Pacific had been raging for almost four years. The two battles immediately preceding the bomb decision were Iwo Jima and Okinawa, two battles where the Japanese fought to the death and the cost in American casualties was horrific. It was predicted that the invasion of the Japanese mainland at the Island of Kyushu -- scheduled for November of 1945 -- would be even worse. The entire Japanese military and civilian population would fight to the death. American casualties -- just for that initial invasion to get a foothold on the island of Japan would have taken up to an estimated two months and would have resulted in up to 75,000 to 100,000 casualties. And that was just the beginning. Once the island of Kyushu was captured by U.S. troops, the remainder of Japan would follow. You can just imagine the cost in injuries and lives this would take. Also It is not beyond the possibility that a million or more Americans could have been killed had we landed. The Japanese had correctly guessed where we intended to land, and were ready and waiting for us. The casualties would have been high. Another reason the atomic bomb was justified is the bomb was dropped with a desire to save lives. It is a matter of math. How many Americans lost their lives fighting how many Japanese at Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa. The mathematical formula showed the closer we got to Japan the more we lost.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On The Atomic Age

    1593 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Atomic Age represents the most epic era and composed of diverse controversial issues in the human history. In the late 1945, President Harry Truman informed to drop two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These two bombs quickly yielded the surrender of Japan and the end the World War 2. However, the impact of it led us to debate whether this decision was actually right or so. First off, it would be hard to imagine how Japan would have been surrendered without the atomic bomb. Therefore to save many American lives, President Truman believed that it was his duty to end the war as soon as possible. But the bombs took away innocent lives and killed civilians indiscriminately. “Atomic Age America” written by Martin

    Read More

  • The Usefulness of the Atomic Bomb in World War II

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    With America and Britain’s supplies and money quickly becoming exhausted towards the end of World War II, the war with Japan had to cease. Even though the US had significantly weakened their numbers, the US needed a strong military win to get Japan to surrender. Without the use of the atomic bomb the war between Japan and America could’ve persisted for a few more years, but with the bombing or Hiroshima and Nagasaki the war was ended swiftly and with fewer casualties than if the war had continued. For these reasons, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a military necessity and a scientific experiment.

    Read More

  • Speech To The Association Of Los Alamos Scientists

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine a society where everyone has a different opinion about dropping an atomic bomb to country that they are fighting with. What is an atomic bomb? An atomic bomb is a bomb which derives its destructive power from the rapid release of nuclear energy by fission of heavy atomic nuclei, causing damage through heat, blast, and radioactivity. The atomic bomb is a tremendously questionable topic. Nonetheless, these literary selections give comprehension on the decision about dropping the atomic bomb for military purposes. For example, the “Speech to the Association of Los Alamos Scientists” by Robert Oppenheimer, argues that we should have drop the atomic bomb, “A Petition to the President of the United States” by 70 scientists, asks President

    Read More

  • The Decision To Drop The Atomic Bomb

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the main opponents to the atomic bomb was William Leahy. Chief of Staffs to the president, Leahy saw the bombings as barbaric and unnecessary as he believed the war against the Japanese was already won. He believed war should not be won by killing women and children.

    Read More

  • The Atomic Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki

    1721 Words  | 4 Pages

    “My God, what have we done?” were the words that the co-pilot of Enola Gay wrote in his logbook after helping drop two bombs, one in Hiroshima and one in Nagasaki, that killed an estimated two-hundred thousand individuals. The bombings were completely unnecessary. Japan was already defeated because they lacked the necessary materials to continue a world war. The Japanese were prepared to surrender. There was no military necessity to drop the atomic bombs nor is there any factual information stating that the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were dropped to “save the lives of one million American soldiers.” The United States bombed Japan in August of 1945. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were uncalled for and could have been avoided.

    Read More

  • DBQ part 2

    544 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s society many countries and even citizens of the United States question the U.S. government’s decision to get in involved in nuclear warfare. These people deemed it unnecessary and state 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.

    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

  • Harry Truman's Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    This investigation assesses President Harry Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It will determine whether or not his decision was justified. This investigation will scrutinize the reasons that made Harry Truman feel inclined to drop atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Preventing further casualties along with the desire to end the war are two argumentative points that will be analyzed to determine if they were strong enough to justify the dropping of the atomic bombs. Excerpts from Truman’s memoirs and a variety of different titles were consulted in order to undertake this investigation. Section C will evaluate two sources for their origins purposes values and limitations. The first is a book titled The Invasion of Japan written by John Stakes in 1955. And the second is a book titled Prompt & Utter Destruction written by J. Samuel Walker.

    Read More

  • Prompt and Utter Destruction

    1090 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Examing the Factors That Led To Dropping the Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Atomic Bomb

    4490 Words  | 9 Pages

    "Then a tremendous flash of light cut across the sky . Mr. Tanimoto has a distinct recollection that it traveled from east to west, from the city toward the hills. It seemed like a sheet of sun. John Hersey, from Hiroshima, pp8 On August 6, 1945, the world changed forever. On that day the United States of America detonated an atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima. Never before had mankind seen anything like. Here was something that was slightly bigger than an ordinary bomb, yet could cause infinitely more destruction. It could rip through walls and tear down houses like the devils wrecking ball. In Hiroshima it killed 100,000 people, most non-military civilians. Three days later in Nagasaki it killed roughly 40,000 . The immediate effects of these bombings were simple. The Japanese government surrendered, unconditionally, to the United States. The rest of the world rejoiced as the most destructive war in the history of mankind came to an end . All while the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki tried to piece together what was left of their lives, families and homes. Over the course of the next forty years, these two bombings, and the nuclear arms race that followed them, would come to have a direct or indirect effect on almost every man, woman and child on this Earth, including people in the United States. The atomic bomb would penetrate every fabric of American existence. From our politics to our educational system. Our industry and our art. Historians have gone so far as to call this period in our history the Òatomic ageÓ for the way it has shaped and guided world politics, relations and culture.

    Read More

  • The Atomic Bomb Changed the World Forever

    2532 Words  | 6 Pages

    Introduction The development and usage of the first atomic bombs has caused a change in the military, political, and public functionality of the world today. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki revolutionized warfare by killing large masses of civilian population with a single strike. The bombs’ effects from the blast, extreme heat, and radiation left an estimated 140,000 people dead. The bombs created a temporary resolution that led to another conflict.

    Read More

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

    1989 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Experincing the Atomic Bombs in Japan

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    On August 6, 1945, a plane called the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Instantly, 70,000 Japanese citizens were vaporized. In the months and years that followed, an additional 100,000 perished from burns and radiation sickness. Two days later, on August 9, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, where 80,000 Japanese people perished. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is one of the most controversial aspects in the history of the United States because many people believe that it wasn't a necessary action to win the war. While others think that using the atomic bombs on Japan was essential because it saved many American lives. The bombing of Nagasaki, caused catastrophic damage to the city and its people, leaving people to question why did this event occur?

    Read More

More about The Clock Stopped

Open Document