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Discuss Truman's Decision To Bomb Japan Twice

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Describe and discuss Truman’s decision to bomb Japan twice. Was it the right decision? The hot debate over the atomic bombings against Japan during World War II has been continued for a long period of time (Wilson). Yet, we are gradually adding more and more details to the full story of World War II. To give a brief description of what had happened in the year of 1945, the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th, and because the Japanese gave no response, the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9th (Duiker, 141). Between the two bombs on August 8th, the Soviet Union entered in war against Japan (Weber). World War II was finally over when Japan surrendered unconditionally on August 14th (Duiker, 141). Although the two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced an immediate termination of World War II, they were …show more content…

Instead, Truman decided to test two different types of atomic bombs, damaging beyond comparison with all weapons of the past, on humans that lived in Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Cho). One of the survivors of the atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima, Akihiro Takahashi, said “I’d like to ask why the U.S. dropped two different kinds of bombs, uranium type and plutonium type, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Why make two kinds? That was an American strategy to keep superiority over the Soviet Union after the war, because Americans knew that Japan would surrender soon anyway, so they wanted to experiment to see which type of bomb would be more effective. I think that’s evident, in that Truman told Churchill about the bomb but not Stalin” (The New York Times). As a result of dropping the atomic bombs, the innocent Japanese civilians were dehumanized, and the two cities were entirely destroyed. Since the bombing was a civilian death and not a military death, it cannot be

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But he had no compelling reason to do so. The bomb provided a promising way to bring about a prompt Japanese surrender without the disadvantages of other alternatives, and in Truman’s mind, its use did not require a lengthy consideration” (Walker pg. 96). After the bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, people decided that the bombs were actually required. The people thought that if the bombs weren’t dropped, thousands of American lives would have died while America invaded Japan. The problem with this logic is that many people died in those bombings.

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As stated in document A, President Truman believed that it was his duty as president to use every weapon available to save American lives. By making the decision to employ atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it successfully brought an end to World War II. Now, while these bombs did ultimately spare thousands of American lives, it did also put an end to about 200,000 lives as shown in document E. Document A stated that Admiral William Leahy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, opposed using the bomb because it killed civilians indiscriminately. He believed that an economic blockade and conventional bombing would convince Japan to surrender. As an opposite end of the spectrum though Truman’s advisor, James Byrnes thought that the use of “the A-bombs would not only cause Japan to surrender, but also impress the Soviet Union, and hopefully stop its expansion” (Doc C).

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According to Truman’s memoir, he states “it should be used without specific warning” (Doc 2). This evidence shows that the U.S. used the atomic bombs without warning because of the way Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Since there was no warning, it harmed more people than Japan did in the Pearl Harbor attack. To summarize, the U.S. used the atomic bombs against Japan as an act of revenge for Pearl Harbor. This act of revenge harmed and destroyed many lives of the

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(Doc B). However, In document G demonstrates in imagery detail how brutal the effect of the atomic bomb was on a survivor and what he had gone through, he had seen. Akihiro Takashi was only fourteen years old waiting to go to school till everything went blank from seeing himself, skin peeling to seeing a woman's eye sticking out. This was a child that had nothing to do with anything happening worldwide and Truman should have known that not only would they be killing and traumatizing the opponents but killing innocent

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During harry S. Truman's presidency he was faced with one of the most world altering decisions in the war against japan. The use of atomic weapons would set an example of the united states of america’s military strength,power and knowledge of a very destructive technology. It was necessary for president Truman to drop the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for these reasons. American soilders were tired from the four years of fighting and a surrender from Japan was not in sight.. In (Doc L) it says the bomb saved more lives than killed people in the end, President Truman needed to retaliate for their attack on Pearl Harbor and the bomb would just end the war more quicker.

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The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Harry S. Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb is one of the biggest and deadliest controversial turning points in history. America’s president, Truman, decided that on August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb would be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II. President Truman’s choice to drop the bomb on Japan was considered one of the most debatable turning points. The settlement to drop this bomb was a wrong decision because this bomb killed more than 70,000 innocent people with 10,000’s dying later. Also, bombing a country that was going to surrender in a few months would not be necessary, and last but not least, the atomic bomb could give ideas for the world to start nuclear warfare.

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The reason they say that Truman decided to drop the atomic bombs was so that they could try to get ahead of the Soviet Union. Gar Alperovitz is one of the most popular advocators for this reason. He stated that Truman dropped the bombs to demonstrate the power of America, and so that Russia could not enter the war to get new territorial acquisitions. If the Soviet Union was allowed to enter the war, then they could get some of the Japanese assets in China, which would have favored Russia greatly. Alperovitz’s conclusion was that Truman did this “to convince the Russians to accept the American plan for a stable peace”(Harry).

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Truman and the A-bomb The drop of the Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the following Japanese surrender on September 2nd was the way Truman and the United States ended the bloodiest war ever fought in history. Nowadays there is a lot of speculating on whether or not the president chose the best option by using doing so. Although there is still a strong moral controversy about the bombing, this writer’s opinion is that Truman made, after all, the best thing among his other options. Just saying that dropping the A-bomb was the right thing to do is not enough without the proper explanation.

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This weapon was called the atomic bomb. After it was fully developed and tested, Harry S. Truman made the decision to drop this deadly weapon on two cities in Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. President Harry S. Truman was justified in dropping the atomic bomb on Japan because he saved American lives, crippled Japan's remaining resource cities, forcing them to surrender, and established dominance as a world power. During a meeting in June of 1945, Truman met with Henry Stimson, Secretary of War, and Admiral William Leahy. They

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The decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan is a decision that has been debated since the bomb fell. While Truman may have made the decision because he felt it was “ethical,” the actual amount of ethics in the decision has been up for debate. The atomic bomb had been in design before Truman stepped up to president when Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in April of 1945. The atomic bomb had actually been in development since Albert Einstein warned the United States that Germany was trying to develop an atomic bomb of its own in 1939.

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After we dropped the bomb, World War 2 was officially over. The world experienced a long period of peace that we still have today. Since the end of World War 2, all of the wars since

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Yash Patel Mr. Waters World History 10 March 2023 The Atomic Decision For the first time, the world had to hold its breath as a portion of humanity was annihilated instantly. On August 6 and 9, 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, causing unprecedented destruction and loss of life. The bombings ended World War II, but they also marked the beginning of the nuclear age and the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Prior to the atomic bombings, the United States had been engaged in a bitter and protracted conflict with Japan, with casualties on both sides mounting steadily.

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Truman and the Atomic Bomb Throughout history there have usually always been more than two sides to each event that has happened. After events occur, the stories of how and why it happened can get easily switched up and twisted. People may also question why a particular Historic figure decided to do an act that they did, and if it was the right thing to do. That is exactly what has happened with the dropping of the first atomic bomb, lead by President Harry Truman.

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Words of Wisdom The quote that Atticus tells Scout in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is true. This quote is true because each individual’s circumstances are different and because every person has had their own life experiences, ones that only a few people can relate to, but not completely understand. When Miss Caroline sees a cootie in Burris Ewell’s hair, she freaks out and her instant reaction is panicking.

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“Mankind invented the atomic bomb, but no mouse would ever construct a mousetrap.” Harry S. Truman was responsible for making the call to drop the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which killed more than 100,000 people in the impact. This event led many people to the same question: Did Truman Make The Right Decision? Even though this happened many decades ago, that decision could end with the human race.

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