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The Pros And Cons Of Atomic Bombing

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In an article published by The Atlantic Karl L. Compton gives his take on the dropping of two nuclear warheads on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While reflecting he comes to the conclusion that dropping the bombs was indeed the appropriate. I agree fully that this was the right course of action, as the Japanese had proven up to this point that they weren’t willing to back down. An alternative attack wouldn’t have been as potent, and dropping the nukes prevented greater casualty numbers. Keep in mind this wasn’t just a hasty decision made by our world leaders “Then, shortly before Hiroshima, I became attached to General MacArthur in Manila, and lived for two months with his staff. In this way I learned something of the invasion …show more content…

Compton perfectly encapsulates the ideal response to the questions of the morality of the bombings. “Was the use of the atomic bomb inhuman? All war is inhuman. Here are some comparisons of the atomic bombing with conventional bombing. At Hiroshima the atomic bomb killed about 80,000 people, pulverized about five square miles, and wrecked an additional ten square miles of the city, with decreasing damage out to seven or eight miles from the center.” (Compton n.p.) As seen from this quote, both sides enter war knowing that what they have to do will be cruel or immoral, but is in the best interest of their country. Now onto the question of if an alternative strategy to dropping the nuclear warheads should have been found. Based on the information that is available, it is clear to see that an alternative strategy for dropping the nukes wouldn’t have worked. Japanese soldiers only surrender because of the devastation of the warheads. If another attack had been used they might still have tried to fight on, causing the war to go on even further This could have caused even more unnecessary casualties “Could you have repelled this landing?" we asked, and he answered: "It would have been a very desperate fight, but I do not think we could have stopped you.” (Compton

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