Truman and the Atomic Bomb Starting in 1939 and ending in 1945 with the defeat of Germany and Japan, was the duration of World War II, which could be named as the deadliest war of all time. Many of the world’s countries were involved such as Germany, Italy, Japan (Axis Powers), as well as France, Great Britain, United States, Soviet Union, and China (Allies). As a result of this drawn out war and the tragic bombing of Pearl Harbor, a United States naval base, President Truman was left with a decision to make. The United States had the power to end the entire war with a Atomic bomb that had never been used before. Truman chose to use this Atomic bomb, and it is a decision that is widely debated to this very day. Even though the choice to bomb …show more content…
They were figuring out ways to split uranium atoms in effort to make a destructive energy. As a result of Nazi invasion in Germany and fascist Italy during the war, scientists Albert Einstein and Enrico Fermi fled to the United States. They shared their knowledge of this innovative weapon and aided the United States to plot against the axis powers. At the time Roosevelt was president, and he acted on the new found knowledge by beginning atomic research in the United States. This secret project coined the name “The Manhattan Project”. This project remained top secret from the axis powers and even the American citizens throughout the entire period of creating and testing it. It was not until President Truman actually became president, that he discovered this project. When the bomb was tested in New Mexico and proved to be successful, it opened the door for the opportunity of the nuclear …show more content…
President Truman was willing to do anything it took to end the war, but sadly him nor the scientist really knew the effects that these deadly weapons would cause to people. They thought that once the bomb hit, people would instantly be vaporized; however, the radiation hung around for months and even years, causing suffering and sickness. This left a bad reputation on Truman’s decision in some peoples eyes. People also see the creations of “arms race” as a bad thing. Though these may be true, the use of the atomic bomb was the only option that seemed fit to get Japanese to surrender. Despite the tragic loss and sickness of many innocent Japanese citizens, this was necessary (Decision,