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Atomic Bombing Persuasive Essay

1098 Words5 Pages

The nuclear bombings of two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was a critical event that would remain in American history for years to come. The United States claimed they used the bombs to end the war quickly in order to save American and Japanese casualties (Kort). President Harry Truman’s decision to use nuclear warfare on Japan remains a controversial topic in American history today. The bombings precipitated catastrophic devastation and high death tolls of innocent Japanese people, along with contamination to their environment, landscape, and long-lasting emotional effects. The deplorable destruction of atomic bombs should be a reminder that massive nuclear arsenal should never be used again.
President Truman, along with military planners, made the decision to make a great impact on Japan by using nuclear warfare on two untouched cities. They believed the …show more content…

Seven of eight America’s five-star officers believed the nuclear bombs were not needed because they felt the war had ended when the Soviet Union invaded Manchuria and other Japanese territories. Thus, historians believed the reason the United States dropped the bombs was to intimidate the Soviet Union (Elliott). According to President Truman’s personal chief of staff, William Leahy, the President knew the Soviet Union would end WWII and Japan would surrender: "Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender.... The use of this barbarous weapon against Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan.... [I]n being the first to use it, we adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages…” (Alperovitz 6). Leahy claimed President Truman knew the Japanese were going to surrender before using the atomic bombs. MacArthur felt the same, as he noted to former President Hoover, the Japanese would have surrendered if they were assured they could keep the emperor of Japan

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